Molodaya Gvardia
Molodaya Gvardia, Russian: Молодая Гвардия; Ukrainian: Молода Гвардія, translates to Young Guard. It is a Ukrainian junior ice hockey team based in Donetsk. The team plays in the Minor Hockey League (MHL), the major-junior league, and is the only Ukrainian team at this level. Molodaya Gvardia is affiliated with HC Donbass of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and joined the MHL in the 2013–14 season.
Ownership and staff: The club is owned by Borys Kolesnikov. The general manager is Serhiy Shakurov, and the head coach is Alexander Godynyuk, a former NHL player.
Home arena: Home games are played at Druzhba Arena in Donetsk, which seats about 4,130 spectators.
Affiliates: The team is connected with HC Donbass (KHL), Bilyi Bars (PHL), and Donbass-98 (junior).
Name origin: The name honors the World War II resistance group Young Guard, which operated in the Donbass region.
History: In 2013, HC Donbass announced plans to add a Ukrainian minor hockey team to the MHL for the 2013–14 season. The name and logo were chosen by fan vote, with finalists Donetsk Scythians and Donbass Flames. On June 19, 2013, Molodaya Gvardia officially joined the MHL, and Alexander Godynyuk was named head coach on a three-year contract.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:18 (CET).