Kazakhstan’s top hockey club phases out foreign players

As of today, the club has already terminated contracts with seven foreign players / Photo: hcbarys.kz, photo editor: Arthur Aleskerov

Astana’s Barys hockey club is set to remove all foreign players from its roster. Moving forward, all key positions on the team will be held by Kazakhstani athletes, who will be expected to take responsibility for the team’s performance, according to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Although a few North American players still remain on the team, they are expected to depart soon.

In parallel, the ministry has expressed its expectation for Barys head coach Galym Mambetaliyev to lead the team to new successes. Ending contracts with foreign players is seen as a step toward this goal.

«We expect Kazakhstani players to fill key roles within the team in the upcoming seasons, playing in critical matches and bearing responsibility for the final results. We have set a course toward making the team fully Kazakhstani. However, this transition will take time and may span several seasons,» the ministry said in a statement.

The club has already terminated contracts with seven players, including Michael McLeod, Nathan Beaulieu and Alex Grant from Canada, as well as Will Butcher and Chase De Leo from the U.S., Daniil Apalkov from Russia and Vladislav Kodola from Belarus.

«Once this process is complete, Barys will have no North American players, as they will be replaced by Kazakhstani players from the Nomad club, which competes in Kazakhstan’s championship,» the ministry added.

The ministry has not yet indicated whether the government intends to impose limits on foreign players, noting that the Mazhilis, Kazakhstan’s lower house of parliament, is currently reviewing a draft law aimed at restricting public funding for foreign athletes.

Barys began terminating contracts with foreign players in October after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested eliminating the practice of hiring foreign players to open positions for Kazakhstani athletes. Additionally, the Anti-Corruption Agency has criticized Kazakhstani sports officials for excessive spending on foreign athletes.

MP Nartay Aralbayuly later announced that the cabinet approved his proposal to ban the use of state funds for financing foreign athletes. Established in 1999, Barys is Kazakhstan’s primary hockey club, supported by Samruk-Kazyna through the Tourism and Sports Industry Support Fund.