UNDERDOG HOPE

– RYAN KENNEDY

THE LAST TIME Kazakhstan played at the WJC in Canada, they became the darlings of Victoria, with fans in B.C. cleaning out the gift shop of their jerseys along the way. We’ll see if the merch flies off the shelves as fast in Ottawa, but the Kazakhstanis will obviously be focused on the ice again either way. After earning promotion by winning the Div. I-A title last year, Kazakhstan will undoubtedly be an underdog in the big bracket – as they have been whenever they’ve made the top tier – but there are some positive markers for the program. Perhaps most important for Kazakhstan is the fact the team can return 14 players from last year’s Div. I-A championship squad, including leading scorer Davlat Nurkenov. But if the team is going to…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, World Juniors Special 2025

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