Ilyas Sirazetdinov: «Everything happened gradually»
17.05.2025
Reaktor forward Ilyas Sirazetdinov shared his impressions of his first season in the JHL, Nizhnekamsk, his family and plans for the future.
– First of all, I went to school, I had to pass my school debts. On the holidays, I went home to my family in Mendeleyevsk. We walked around there, went to the parade. I returned to Nizhnekamsk with renewed vigor to continue our training.
– You moved to Nizhnekamsk almost 4 years ago, at the age of 14. How was your adjustment to the new place?
– I came to Nizhnekamsk in the fall of 2021 to join the team (2007) from the Neftekhimik Hockey School. Usually everyone says that it is a small town, but my native Mendeleyevsk is even smaller. It was difficult to adjust to life in a new place at first, because I changed not only the team, the city, but also the school – my entire environment. I do not regret anything: it is all for the dream of playing hockey.
– How did it happen that you ended up here?
– It turned out to be an interesting story. I played an exhibition game against Neftekhimik–2007 as part of the Mendeleyev team, and I was invited to a tryout for the Nizhnekamsk team. This was in May 2021. Then I was invited to a summer training camp with Neftekhimik. At the end of the summer, we played an exhibition game against Neftyanik Almetyevsk, in that game I broke my arm. I had 2–3 months to recover and undergo rehabilitation. Fortunately, in October–November I returned to the team and started playing for Neftekhimik. While I was studying at the Neftekhimik Hockey School, I had four coaches – Oleg Aleksandrovich Pisarev, who invited me to the tryouts, Roman Sergeyevich Agafonov, who took me to the team, then there were Ilya Sergeyevich Susloparov and Evgeny Sergeyevich Eremenko. Each of them gave me a certain experience, I am very grateful to them for this. I would like to mention my first coach at the Mendeleyevsk Hockey School – Marsel Malikovich Bagautdinov. It was he who taught me everything, I am incredibly grateful to him. He was born and raised in Nizhnekamsk, and began his hockey career here.
– How did the team welcome you here?
– They welcomed me in a great way. I knew some of the guys, because we often crossed paths at games.
– You fit in well, in terms of game performance, you have good stats, especially in recent seasons.
– Everything happened gradually. The first season was not very successful, I was just getting used to it, was a bit shy. Then I joined the team, started showing my game.
– When did your first training sessions with the youth team begin?
– I was actually worried about whether they would invite me to Reaktor. Last April, I and a few other people from the Neftekhimik Hockey School started training with the youth team. I prepared for every training session, came early, warmed up. Then after the training, I walked around the park, thought, prepared myself that I should get into the team. After signing the contract, I was happy, but not for long, because I had to fully enter the season in a league that was new to me. I had to prepare myself for serious work.
– Do you remember scoring your first JHL goal?
– Yes, I remember that day. It was the final game in 2024 before the New Year, we played at home against Sputnik. The game was a bit crumpled at first. At first, no one could score at all, and then everyone broke through, and we were leading by a big score. There was a faceoff in the opponent's zone, I won it. David Romanov passed to Vladislav Pushkov, he made a shot from the blue line, and I redirected it. I gave myself such a New Year's gift. An interesting point is that at that time, the three of us lived in the same room in our dorm.
– How do you feel after finishing your first season in the JHL?
– I was a bit overwhelmed at the beginning, especially when something was not working out. Then I realized that there was no time to warm up, I had to work hard, no matter what. And I felt the trust of the coaching staff. As a newcomer, I think I got enough playing time. Overall, I am happy with the season, even though the team failed to achieve its goals. There were a lot of emotions, I gained a lot of experience. I will have to work even harder in the new season, I understand that.
– You are a thinking, analytical and a bit closed person by nature. How does this fit in with such a dynamic game as hockey?
– I do not know, the coaches tell me that I need to be angrier during games. I need to improve a lot in this regard, in some moments I understand that I am too kind and modest.
– Do your parents live near Nizhnekamsk. Do they come to support you at the games?
– Yes, they come at every opportunity, they support me very much. They even go to Kazan for the games. My older brother Nafis lives there, he is a sports photographer for the Rubin football club. He also roots for me, supports me.
– Do you have such a sports–oriented family?
– My father was involved in artistic gymnastics since childhood, then in his youth he went to boxing, and my mother was involved in mountaineering. My brothers and I went to hockey, because there is a hockey rink near our house. My older brother went to hockey since childhood. Looking at him, I also wanted to learn how to skate, it was very interesting. Our younger brother tried to skate, but he did not like something. Now he goes in for swimming.
– You are finishing school this year. Have you managed to prepare for the exams?
– Yes, I am a little nervous before the Unified State Exam. I prepare every day, there was little time for this during the season.
– Have you already decided where you want to go next? What are your plans?
– I will enter the Volga Region Sports Academy, in Kazan, together with Sasha (Alexander) Kolymayev. By the way, we are now in the same class with him.
– What are your plans for the summer?
– I plan to pass my last exam on June 5 and go to the training camp in Kazan. I saved money especially for this season, I want to go there. I hope I will pass the exam well and will be able to train calmly. Then, at the end of June, I have my graduation from school. And that's it, in July there is a training camp with Reaktor.
– How do you like to spend your free time, if you have any?
– I like to walk more than sit at home. I try to spend time productively, sspecially in the summer: go to the beach, play football and ride a bike in the evening.
– Yes, I remember that day. It was the final game in 2024 before the New Year, we played at home against Sputnik. The game was a bit crumpled at first. At first, no one could score at all, and then everyone broke through, and we were leading by a big score. There was a faceoff in the opponent's zone, I won it. David Romanov passed to Vladislav Pushkov, he made a shot from the blue line, and I redirected it. I gave myself such a New Year's gift. An interesting point is that at that time, the three of us lived in the same room in our dorm.
– How do you feel after finishing your first season in the JHL?
– I was a bit overwhelmed at the beginning, especially when something was not working out. Then I realized that there was no time to warm up, I had to work hard, no matter what. And I felt the trust of the coaching staff. As a newcomer, I think I got enough playing time. Overall, I am happy with the season, even though the team failed to achieve its goals. There were a lot of emotions, I gained a lot of experience. I will have to work even harder in the new season, I understand that.
– You are a thinking, analytical and a bit closed person by nature. How does this fit in with such a dynamic game as hockey?
– I do not know, the coaches tell me that I need to be angrier during games. I need to improve a lot in this regard, in some moments I understand that I am too kind and modest.
– Do your parents live near Nizhnekamsk. Do they come to support you at the games?
– Yes, they come at every opportunity, they support me very much. They even go to Kazan for the games. My older brother Nafis lives there, he is a sports photographer for the Rubin football club. He also roots for me, supports me.
– Do you have such a sports–oriented family?
– My father was involved in artistic gymnastics since childhood, then in his youth he went to boxing, and my mother was involved in mountaineering. My brothers and I went to hockey, because there is a hockey rink near our house. My older brother went to hockey since childhood. Looking at him, I also wanted to learn how to skate, it was very interesting. Our younger brother tried to skate, but he did not like something. Now he goes in for swimming.
– You are finishing school this year. Have you managed to prepare for the exams?
– Yes, I am a little nervous before the Unified State Exam. I prepare every day, there was little time for this during the season.
– Have you already decided where you want to go next? What are your plans?
– I will enter the Volga Region Sports Academy, in Kazan, together with Sasha (Alexander) Kolymayev. By the way, we are now in the same class with him.
– What are your plans for the summer?
– I plan to pass my last exam on June 5 and go to the training camp in Kazan. I saved money especially for this season, I want to go there. I hope I will pass the exam well and will be able to train calmly. Then, at the end of June, I have my graduation from school. And that's it, in July there is a training camp with Reaktor.
– How do you like to spend your free time, if you have any?
– I like to walk more than sit at home. I try to spend time productively, sspecially in the summer: go to the beach, play football and ride a bike in the evening.
