KHL Courting Olympic Players Ahead of 2018 Season

(ATR) Kontinental Hockey League president Dmitry Chernyshenko tells Around the Rings the league will be an attractive destination for free agents hoping to play in the 2018 Olympics.

The KHL will enter its 10th season in 2017-18, a milestone celebration in an Olympic year. Since its inaugural season the KHL has expanded from Russia into Belarus, Croatia, Finland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Slovakia, and most recently China. The aggressive growth of the league has been strategic with the next two Winter Olympics in Asia.

Continuing with tradition since its founding, the KHL has scheduled a mandatory break to allow players to compete in the Winter Olympics. Chernyshekno says the league will stop from the end of January through the month of February to allow adequate time for players to prepare with their national teams.

The midseason break is instark contrast from that of North America's National Hockey League, which announced it will not stop during the 2017-18 season. The decision was one that provoked widespread disappointment from the hockey world including NHL players. Many, including Chernyshenko, say they hope a last minute deal is brokered to allow NHL players to compete in PyeongChang.

Chenyshenko says that the KHL will continue to abide by its memorandum of understanding with the NHL and honor the league’s contracts, but admits the KHL will provide a better environment for would-be Olympians. So do not expect NHL star Alexander Ovechkin to be playing outside of Washington, D.C. next year. It does mean any global free agent wanting to play at PyeongChang 2018 could find a home with one of the league’s 29 teams.

"We are aware that the KHL clubs will probably become the main providers to the national Olympic teams," Chernyshenko said to ATR. "It is a great chance to demonstrate the excellence of our players to the world audience."

In its decision to withdraw from Olympic participation, the NHL cited that there was no "discussion that may make Olympic participation more attractive to clubs" in its decision to not accommodate a schedule break. Subsequent international reports have shown that the NHL asked the IOC to be included as a commercial partner to make up for potential lost revenue.

Chernyshenko said that the KHL has taken a holistic approach to this problem, and has strategically worked at increasing marketing in Asia to bolster the league. Ahead of the 2016-17 season the league added a franchise in Beijing that plays in the same arena that will be used for the 2022 Olympics. That team, Kulun Red Star, may soon be joined by other initiatives in the region.

"As for the forthcoming era of consecutive Olympics in Asia, we realize that this region is a promising and challenging market that is ready to absorb and develop non-traditional sports, including ice hockey," Chernyshenko said.

"An important step towards bringing Asia closer to KHL has recently happened, as a newly founded Chinese club, Kunlun Red Star, joined the league. We expect further boost of interest in ice hockey and KHL in Asian countries during the following years."

After coming to the end of the latest three year development plan, Chernyshenko says the league will continue to be aggressive. He said a wide range of new sponsors have joined the league, giving it solvency to combat years of financial uncertainty for some clubs. The league will now undergo a seven year development plan aimed at continue to court world-class players.

"We aim to foster the KHL position of the strongest and commercially successful ice hockey league on the Eurasian space," Chernyshenko said. "KHL has been one of the most represented leagues at major international competitions, including world championships. We are proud that many world-class players from different countries choose our league as an interesting and challenging option for their career prospects."

Written by Aaron Bauer

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