By Eva Borsuk

KYIV, Aug. 30 – Nikolai Kiselev, a Russia-born hockey player who led the Kremenchuk team to winning gold medals in Ukraine for the first time, has unexpectedly quit the team citing family reasons.

The departure of the Kremenchuk captain comes as a surprise as he has built a strong relationship with his teammates, becoming one of the top scorers in the Ukrainian Hockey League (UHL). Kiselev won the UHL’s Best Sniper Award for the 2018-2019 season.

“I needed a change for myself, for my family,” Kiselev, 27, said in an interview. “I’m getting older, and I’d like to see more of Europe, play for different teams. I had offers from different Ukrainian clubs, but at the moment I’m not thinking about going back.”

Kiselev’s strong performance on ice caught the eye of the top Ukrainian sports authority that offered him Ukrainian citizenship and a spot on the National Team with a chance to play in the Winter Olympics next year.

Kiselev declined the offer this month.

“The process took a long time, and when it was time, I realized I wanted to do something else,” Kiselev said.

Now, Kiselev has reunited with his family in Cherepovets, Russia, and is talking to agents, managers and coaches concerning his next move. He said he would prefer to join a European team.

“I’d like to go to Europe,” Kiselev said. “I played for Germany once, the league wasn’t strong, but I loved living there. If I could get a contract with a strong club, that’s where I’d really like to go.

“I’ll go where the offer is best,” he said.

The Ukrainian Hockey League is weaker than those in Russia, Germany, and Kazakhstan, but it is growing super-fast, attracting hockey talent, and increasing the number of teams playing.

“It’s just growing exponentially,” Kiselev said. “There are more clubs, more players.”

Kiselev suggested the Ukrainian sports authority should prioritize raising domestic players through minor leagues over acquiring foreign hockey talent and must work hard to eliminate corruption.

“There has to be more financing, less corruption. They [Ukraine] have to build up their minor leagues and work their way up, there should be more Ukrainian players and less hired foreigners,” he said.

Kiselev credits his father for being a ‘locomotive’ behind his early interest in hockey, as well as Nikolai Mikhailovich Kishkin, his first childhood coach who has helped to ignite passion for the sport. Kiselev later joined the hockey school of Vladimir Anatolievich Kucherov, a well-known school in the Russian hockey world, to kickstart his professional career.

Corruption, which affects many sports in the region, is a particularly serious issue that may eventually slow down growth of competitive hockey in Ukraine. Some clubs and managers often promote certain players based not on merit but on some incentive, according to experts.

“It’s horrible. There’s so much corruption, and I only see it getting worse,” Kiselev said. “Hockey in Ukraine is different than in the U.S., in Canada. The corruption is eating away at the game; it’s getting worse and in 20 years I can’t imagine what effects it’ll have.” (eb/ez)