Welcome!

Hello everyone. This is MHL Hockey's first post. What is "MHL"? Easy question. MHL means, in Russian language, Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga, Junior Hockey League. It's a new thing for Russia, since prior this season only regional tournaments had been in place. And also, it's the first time that an under-20 league will be organized as earlier the junior leagues were under 17. All the teams will be KHL's junior affiliated. The MHL will run similarly to any other league in the world with two conferences. Even if the rule book hasn't been released yet, we know the alignments, which are as it follows:

Western Conference
Atlant Mytischi - Mytischinskie Atlanty
Vityaz Chekhov - Russkie Vityazi
Dinamo Moscow - MHK Dinamo
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl - Loko
Severstal Cherepovets - Almaz (Diamond)
SKA St. Petersburg - SKA-1946
Spartak Moscow - MHK Spartak
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod - Chaika (Gulls)
Khimik Voskresensk - Feniks (Phoenix)
HC MVD - Sherif
CSKA Moscow - CSKA - Krasnaya Armiya (CSKA-Red Army)

Eastern Conference
Avangard Omsk - Omskie Yastreby (Omsk Hawks)
Avtomobilist Ekaterinburg - Avto
Ak Bars Kazan - Bars
Lada Togliatti - Ladia
Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Stalnye Lisy (Steel Foxes)
Metallurg Novokuznetsk - Kuznetskie Medvedi (Kuznetsk Bears)
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk - Reaktor
Salavat Yulajev Ufa - Tolpar (Tolpar is a mithological flying horse)
Sibir Novosibirsk - Sibirskie Snaipery (Siberian Snipers)
Traktor Chelyabinsk - Belye Medvedi (Polar Bears)

MHL teams have already started their preparation towards the first season, which will start on September 4th with the match MHK Dinamo and CSKA-Red Army.
The following preparation matches have been scheduled:

31/07/2009: Ariada Akpars (Rus-1) - Bars Kazan
01/08/2009: Ariada Akpars (Rus-1) - Bars Kazan
07/08/2009: Bars Kazan - Chaika Nizhny Novgorod
08/08/2009: Bars Kazan - Chaika Nizhny Novgorod
14/08/2009: Chaika Nizhny Novgorod - Bars Kazan
15/08/2009: Chaika Nizhny Novgorod - Bars Kazan

There also two preseasonal tournaments, who will be played in Cherepovets and in Kazan, and you can find out informations here for the first one and here for the second one.

But a question surely crossed your mind. Who will be the MHL stars? Well, it might be not a true reply, but the KHL hosted the first MHL stars fotosession, which featured four players: Alexander Avtsin (MHK Dinamo), who has just been drafted by the Montreal Canadiens; exciting winger Alexander Khokhlachev from MHK Spartak (who has been called the new Kovalchuk), 1993-born; Arseny Kardailski from Mitishchie Atlanty and the solid defenseman Alexei Marchenko from CSKA-Red Army, 2010 draft eligible.

And here you go:
from left to right Avtsin, Khokhlachev, Marchenko and Kardailski

In MHL Hockey's second post we will discover the MHL logos...