Russian Olympic Committee names final roster for 2022 Olympics

On Monday, the Russian Olympic Committee named their final 25-man roster for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China.

Due to doping sanctions, Russia will be known as the Russian Olympic Committee and they won't be able to have their flag or national anthem playing following gold medal winning events. This is the same situation they were in back in 2018, but they participated as "Olympic Athletes from Russia".

"We have guys who we see as top six players, and the third and fourth lines have a different task. We need to preserve that balance. It's a short tournament, so we'll be relying on everyone to play a part. We need players who will fit into the system we're going to play," head coach Alexei Zhamnov said.

When talking about 17-year-old Matvei Michkov and the decision not to name him to the roster, Zhamnov said, "I hope he'll keep progressing. But right now I don't think it would be right to take him. He would have been in our camp, but it's a different situation right now with the pandemic and we decided not to call him up. Life goes on, and he will have other chances to play at the Olympics."

ROC will be in Group B for the 2022 Winter Olympics and will take on Switzerland (February 9th at 3:40am ET), Denmark (February 10th at 11:10pm ET) and the Czechs (February 12th at 8:10am ET).

Let's take a look at the 25 players that will be representing the Russian Olympic Committee in Beijing in just over two weeks from now. ROC's roster includes seven returning players from the gold medal winning team in 2018

*- indicates returning player

Forwards (14)
Sergei Andronov - CSKA Moscow*
Artyom Anisimov - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Andrei Chibisov - Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Mikhail Grigorenko - CSKA Moscow*
Arseni Gritsyuk - Avangard Omsk
Nikita Gusev - SKA St. Petersburg*
Pavel Karnaukhov - CSKA Moscow
Artur Kayumov - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Kirill Marchenko - SKA St. Petersburg
Sergei Plotnikov - CSKA Moscow
Kirill Semyonov - Avangard Omsk
Vadim Shipachyov - Dynamo Moscow*
Anton Slepyshev - CSKA Moscow
Dmitri Voronkov - Ak Bars Kazan

Defencemen (8)
Artyom Minulin - Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Nikita Nesterov - CSKA Moscow*
Alexander Nikishin - Spartak Moscow
Damir Sharipzyanov - Avangard Omsk
Sergei Telegin - Traktor Chelyabinsk
Vyacheslav Voinov - Dynamo Moscow*
Yegor Yakovlev - Metallurg Magnitogorsk*
Alexander Yelesin - Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

Goalies (3)
Timur Bilyalov - Ak Bars Kazan
Ivan Fedotov - CSKA Moscow
Alexander Samonov - SKA St. Petersburg

Seven defending Olympic champions🥇 from #PyeongChang2018 made it to the roster of #ROC for #Beijing2022 in their quest for gold.

Read more 👉 https://t.co/kIpZTcT9w2#hockey #icehockey #хоккей @russiahockey @russiahockey_en @Olympic_Russia pic.twitter.com/af4V9W3TlC— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 24, 2022

MUST READ

1 hour ago  |  By Tom Banks Vancouver Canucks GM Opens Up on J.T. Millers Personal Absence From the Team

2 hours ago  |  By TJ Tucker Former Montreal Canadien and Toronto Maple Leaf Under Fire for Vicious MMA Move During Game

3 hours ago  |  By TJ Tucker New York Rangers' Jacob Trouba Comments on Rampant Trade Rumours Involving Him and Chris Kreider

4 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Pittsburgh Penguins Place Player on Waivers Day After Trade With the Nashville Predators

5 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Paul Bissonnette Comes Forward With What Really Happened in the Violent Arizona Fight That Hospitalized Him

8 hours ago  |  By TJ Tucker Former Edmonton Oilers Goalie Prospect Unexpectedly Drops Dead at the Age of 44

9 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks New Jersey Devils Star Timo Meier Likely to Face Suspension for Vicious Cross Check to the Face

22 hours ago  |  By Tyler Ball Beloved TNT Analyst Paul Bissonnette Hospitalized After Horrible and Violent Crime: Six Arrested

MORE STORIES