Big hockey back in Armenia 

ArmInfo. Big hockey is returning to Armenia. This was stated in an interview with the  Armenian Hockey League by the head coach of the national team Vadim  Guskov, commenting on the team's capabilities before the World  Championship in the fourth division, which will be held in Yerevan  from April 13 to 19. 

According to the head coach, there is no anticipation of the upcoming  tournament, because the main work now is to study the opponents, look  at the rosters, and complete organizational issues related to  preparation.  "Therefore, the fewer thoughts, the better the work  will be. I try to start from this. Against this background, it is  almost impossible to assess the readiness of the national team,  because almost half of the roster is in question for legal reasons.  The guys have an independent training program. We expect to hold  another cycle of training camps, after which we will be able to draw  some unambiguous conclusions," Guskov emphasized.

He added that the favorites of the upcoming tournament definitely  include the national teams of Uzbekistan and Kuwait, which are at the  highest level and can potentially compete with teams from the top  league. "It will be very difficult here. They are the clear leaders,  clear favorites, 100%. But at the same time, Indonesia also has guys  with experience playing in the VHL and KHL. Both Malaysia and Iran  are also actively preparing. Therefore, there will be no easy walk in  any match. And everywhere they will have to "steal" the victory with  their teeth," Guskov said.

He added that the national team will be playing after a very long  break and without the support of the stands, it has absolutely no  chance. "Therefore, we are really looking forward to everyone getting  to know hockey, supporting their favorite athletes and cheering for  their favorite country," said the head coach of the Armenian team.

On September 26 last year, the International Ice Hockey Federation  Congress was held in Greece, where it was decided to hold the World  Championship in the fourth division in Yerevan. The tournament will  be attended by teams from Armenia, Iran, Kuwait, Malaysia, Indonesia  and Uzbekistan. The championship will be held from April 13 to 19,  2025.