Daniil Trakht, a forward for the Ukraine national ice hockey team, put forward a proposal that could become one of the key steps in popularizing hockey in the country. The athlete, who became the top scorer at the 2026 World Championship in Division IA, called for holding the national team's training camps at home, following the practice of the Ukraine national football team. This was reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing the YouTube channel 'Hockey Pulse'.
The Idea: The National Football Team's Experience as a Benchmark
Trakht drew attention to the fact that, in wartime conditions, it is especially important to find effective mechanisms for developing sport and engaging young people. He cited the Ukraine national football team as an example to follow, noting that it had held a preliminary camp in the homeland. 'Of course, football is on a different level from hockey, but perhaps this kind of popularization would help us a great deal. So that young guys can see what it actually means to play hockey, how training sessions are run. So that they can talk to the players and see something new,' the forward explained. In his words, it is precisely the team's live presence on home ice that can foster a lasting interest in hockey among the younger generation, one that is hard to recreate through television broadcasts or news reports.
The Visibility Problem: Why Interest Fades
The hockey player emphasized that after the Ukraine national team's promotion to the top division, hockey was indeed widely discussed in news programs. However, the lack of an opportunity to watch the game live led to a rapid decline in public interest. 'When we won the World Championship, everyone was talking about hockey. There was a lot of hockey in the news. But people couldn't see live what it was like... After the World Championship everyone talked about it, and then everyone forgot,' the player noted. Thus, Trakht points to a systemic problem: without regular visual contact between the audience and the players and the preparation process, it is impossible to retain fans' attention in the long term.
Performance at the 2026 World Championship: Arguments That Carry More Weight Than Words
With his performance on the international stage, Daniil Trakht confirmed his high class and became one of the main heroes of the tournament. At the 2026 World Championship in Division IA, held in Sosnowiec (Poland), the Ukrainian finished first in the scoring rankings among all players at the tournament. In five matches, the forward scored four goals and recorded four assists, totaling eight points under the 'goal+assist' system. Notably, six representatives of Ukraine made it into the top 30 of the tournament's top scorers, which testifies to the collective rise of the national team.
Context: The Last Home Camp and Current Preparation
It is worth noting that the last time the Ukraine national ice hockey team held training in full strength at home was in December 2021, when Trakht was 18 years old. More than four years have passed since then, during which the team has made its way from the lower divisions to the top level. At present, according to available data, the 'Sokol' club has begun preparing for appearances in two championships and has signed Ukraine's best hockey player, which creates an additional impetus for the development of club and national hockey in the country. Trakht's proposal to hold camps in the homeland could become a logical next step in this process.
