There’s excitement in the Calgary air. After waiting more than two years to play a IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, the leading women are back on the ice. And even for the most experienced among them, getting back into action is a special feeling. Just ask Alexandra Vafina. The Team ROC forward is no stranger to elite level international competition – 10 World Championships, two Olympics – but the 31-year-old speaks with the bright-eyed enthusiasm of an international rookie.

“I can’t even explain my feelings,” Vafina said. “It was almost like we had two cancellations, last year then again in April. I can’t describe how disappointed all of us were at that point. We practised so hard, we got to the point where we were ready to fly over and play... and then it was just cancelled. That was really frustrating.

“I took as much as I could from that, as many positive feelings as I can” she said. “It’s just a really cool feeling to be back on the ice, to be with my team-mates again, playing against those teams. It’s really awesome.”

Not even five days in quarantine, isolated not just from the outside world but from teammates as well, proved to be no great hardship.

“We’re athletes,” Vafina said. “We have to do our work despite any obstacles, whatever comes our way. It’s just something else to adjust to. At this time, it’s hard for everyone so we just took it and handled it as best we can.

“And it was good. Those five days went so fast. We needed that time to relax, clear our minds and do what we can in the rooms. We had two [online] practices per day, it was great. It was an experience and I think we handled it really well.”

Closing the gap

That 2019 championship saw a breakthrough for European teams, with Finland making the gold-medal game and breaking the North American stranglehold on the top two places. Vafina’s personal collection currently numbers two bronze medals (in 2013 and 2016) and she’s hopeful that the Russians can continue to close the gap on the USA and Canada.

“Obviously we’re a little bit behind at this point, but I’m really confident in saying that we are doing much better than in previous years,” she said. “We’re doing as much as we can, maybe in little steps but they also count. We’re going in the right direction; there’s still a lot of work to be done and we are learning from our mistakes.”

But there is also a need to rethink attitudes after decades of assuming that the North Americans are untouchable.

“It’s all in our hands,” Vafina added. “We just need to take it and go with it. There’s this belief that the North American teams are usually better than us but talking from my perspective, it’s like there’s this small feed in our heads where we are thinking they are better than us. 

“But on the flipside, they are the same girls as us, they practise the same way, go to school, do the same stuff as we are doing, so why should we be any worse than them? 

“It’s a state of mind that we have to change, and it starts now, it starts from us. We will take that opportunity, as much as we can, to show the younger generation, to our supporters, to all our country that we can do our best.

“We need to mention that European hockey is rising and getting much more competitive than in previous years.”

Domestic preparations

One thing that can enhance European prospects this term – and especially team ROC’s chances – was the chance to play a full league season. Russia’s Women’s Hockey League was able to complete its full regular season program at a time when many players in North America were short of game time.

“We were lucky enough to have all our games scheduled and played,” Vafina said. “But, as you know, the final games for the championship got cancelled which was really frustrating. The girls worked so hard through the season to get to the point, but the pandemic ruined all those plans. 

“We almost had the same schedule as usual, apart from some unplanned postponements due to some COVID cases in the teams. It’s always great to play as much as we can and I’m really glad that the WHL had all those restrictions and measures to prevent COVID spreading and was still able to play those games.”

Vafina was due to play for KRS Vanke Rays, the Chinese team currently based in Russia due to border restrictions, in that final series against Agidel Ufa, where she won the championship in 2018. The final is now due to take place in early September, once everyone is back from Calgary, but Vafina will not be involved: during the summer, she moved to St Petersburg’s Dynamo-Neva, joining international team-mates Fanuza Kadirova, Liana Ganeyeva, goalie Nadezhda Morozova and Kristi Shashkina, one of the most exciting young prospects on the current ROC roster.

The Vanke Rays experience

However, a year with China’s flagship women’s hockey franchise in Russia’s Women’s Hockey League made a lasting impact. In a league with few imports, the Rays represent an eye-catching combination of talent from three continents. Here in Calgary, Vafina will come up against the likes of Alex Carpenter and Megan Bozek (team USA), Minntu Tuominen (Finland) and Alina Mills (Czech Republic), all of whom played with the Lady Dragons last season. Off the ice, too, the organization is cementing a reputation as one of the most impressive pro clubs in the women’s game – even while playing in exile on the outskirts of Moscow rather than in its home city of Shenzhen. Certainly, Vafina’s season with the team was a memorable one, even if the final series against Agidel Ufa – one of her former clubs – has yet to be played.

“I’d love to talk about it for hours,” she smiled. “It was a great experience. The whole season was eye-opening to me. I enjoyed every moment, every day, whether it was practice, a game day, or just a day off. 

“I learned so much from all my teammates, we had an incredible group of people. There were players from Europe, North America, China, and everyone brought their best to the team. The coaching staff, the organisation staff, everyone was unbelievable. This was all at the top level and I wish that every team in the Women’s Hockey League could have the same opportunity.

“That team, right through the organisation, it gives you extra strength, you want to work harder than ever. That’s the best feeling it ever could be. That’s why we’re here that’s why we want to play hockey and just enjoy the moment.”

Much of it came down to attention to detail.

“You just come into the locker room and everything is ready, everything is set up for you. That’s the level we need in our Russian league, that’s professionalism. It doesn’t take much – a lot of these things are really simple, and we can do them – but this is what needs to be done. That’s how we can bring women’s hockey to a higher level.”

Joining the Vanke Rays also brought a chance to work with a familiar coach. When Vafina was playing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA, Brian Idalski’s North Dakota – complete with the Lamoureux twins – was a stand-out team. Now Idalski is behind the bench for the Rays, and the Chinese national team, meaning a return to North American coaching.

“Brian has a similar style to what I have experienced [playing college hockey] and he met my understanding of North American coaching. It was nice to experience that again, but it was a little bit different because now we were on a pro team. In college hockey you get more surveillance, not in a bad way, it’s college hockey so you need that. At Vanke you have more opportunity to grow on your own, more freedom to work on yourself on your own skills. At this point most of our team-mates are old enough, they know they have all the package of skills and strength already. You can reach out to the coach and work with him directly on your own mistakes or whatever you think you need to do.”

An eye on Beijing

With the Olympic Games fast approaching, the background chatter at this year’s World Championship inevitably turns to Beijing. However, with the Chinese team absent in Calgary, the host nation is set to remain something of a mystery for most. Vafina, however, has the inside track after a year with the KRS Vanke Rays, and she’s confident that the People’s Republic can surprise a few people in February.

“This season especially, China can do really well,” she said. “I heard that lots of players from the Chinese national team are going to play for Vanke this year, they’re going to play in the WHL to help them prepare for their home Olympics, which is great. And I know there are a lot of young Chinese kids playing NCAA, that’s going to help them a lot.

“Also, there are some heritage players who hopefully will get the citizenship in time. They have that experience of hockey from growing up in Canada, in North America and I hope they will bring that to their team. I’m looking forward to seeing them at the Olympics.”