Rinel Fakhrutdinov: «You have to be confident»

Reaktor forward Rinel Fakhrutdinov talks about his final season in the JHL, reading the game and friendship in sports.

– Rinel, who put you on skates?

– I was playing hockey since I was five years old. My father and I visited Neftekhimik hockey school. Dad was fond of football and hockey as a child, my elder brother played hockey here too. I was coached by Yuri Ivanov. I think he is a great coach. A year ago, I have signed contract with Reaktor. My family supports me. I am grateful to my family. You know, there are obvious differences between children's hockey and youth hockey in terms of speed, reading the game – physical plays; you need to move faster and make decisions as fast as possible.

– How would you rate your last JHL season?

– I do not think that it was successful one for me, I scored 16 (6+10) points. The good thing is that I got experience. I want to become a leader, and I hope to do my best in order to help my team. Moreover, by age I have the last year in the JHL.

– Reaktor played two exhibition games against Tolpar during preseason. What are your thoughts about these games?

– We try to play offensive style hockey. The first game was a good one because we won. I got one assist. It goes without saying that you want to play great in every game, score points and help the team. The second game was not a successful one because we lost. It means that we have work to do.

– How is the preseason going?

– You know, there are new players on the team; some guys from the youth hockey league joined our team. We are getting ready for the upcoming season. We have on-ice practice once or twice a day. Our team is working in the gym.

– In your opinion, what kind of qualities should a hockey player have, in order to achieve a success?

– I think that working-hard comes on the first place. We must always work on ourselves. Some people have natural talent. Anyway, everything accomplishes through the hard work. This is the only way to go further, to the team first team (Neftekhimik). You need to keep a cool head. Even if an opponent took a lead, it is important not to give up and continue to play to the very end and execute the coaching staff’s tasks.

– What are your strengths on the ice?

– Probably game reading and the fact that I focus on a game every time. You have to be confident, do your best and prove that you deserve to play, then the coach's confidence increases. It is also important to be a team player.

– With whom do you communicate often in the team?

– Of course, I talk a lot with Timofei Urakov, Nikita Khoruzhev and Renard Mustafin. I try to keep in touch with everyone.

– Do you study somewhere?

– Yes, I study at a pedagogical college. Perhaps I will be a coach in the future. There should always be a second plan. I hope that everything will be good with my hockey career. This is my dream.