University of Connecticut Athletics
Firstov and Kuznetsov Headed to IIHF World Juniors with Team Russia
12/13/2020 1:20:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
STORRS, Conn. – UConn sophomores Vladislav Firstov (Yaroslavl, Russia) and Yan Kuznetsov (Murmansk, Russia) have earned a spot on the final roster for Team Russia for the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship.
The duo make history as the first Russian born NCAA players to make the final roster for the Russian national team at the prestigious tournament. They are also the fourth and fifth Huskies in the program under head coach Mike Cavanaugh to compete at the World Juniors tournament.
This year's tournament will be the 45th edition of the IIHF World Junior Championship. It is scheduled to begin on December 25th and end with the gold medal game on January 5th. This year's tournament will take place in Edmonton and Red Deer in the province of Alberta, marking the 14th time that Canada will host the event.
Last season, Firstov became the third Husky in program history to earn Hockey East All-Rookie honors after posting 11 goals and 12 assists in his freshman campaign. Firstov finished with three game-winners and was a +14 on the year, second on the club.
The 2019 second round pick of the Minnesota Wild ended the year tied for seventh among league rookies with 23 points on 11 goals and 12 assists. He won three Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week awards and was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Month for January after piling up five goals and five assists over an eight-game stretch.
Kuznetsov, the youngest player in all of college hockey last year, was taken in the second round of this year's draft by the Calgary Flame after enjoying a strong rookie season. Last year, Kuznetsov played in all 34 games and finished with 11 points on two goals and nine assists. He had a power play goal, a game-winner and blocked 20 shots on the year.
Firstov and Kuznetsov join three other Huskies who have played in the prestigious international tournament. Former Husky Tage Thompson played for Team USA at the 2017 event, helping the team capture the gold medal. Former goaltender Adam Huska played for Team Slovakia at the 2016 and 2017 tournaments and current teammate Jachym Kondelik was the last Husky to go, playing for Team Czech Republic in 2019.
