Whether Vilnius' Siemens Arena becomes the home turf for a KHL team is up to league officials in Moscow.
VILNIUS — Vilnius’ chances of next year hosting a Kontinental Hockey League team now appear slim, despite the efforts of local organizers.
Last year, a consortium of Lithuanian businessmen announced their ambitious plans to have a KHL franchise based out of Vilnius. The team would be directly linked to the Vėtra football club and subsequently play under the same name.
But at a recent KHL board meeting in Moscow, it was revealed that out of the six teams vying for a spot in arguably [private_supervisor]Europe’s strongest league, Vėtra sat low amongst the candidates. Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, Gazovik Tyumen and Krylya Sovietov Moscow from Russia, Hradec Králové of the Czech Republic, and Budivelnyk Kyiv of Ukraine are the other teams vying for a position in the league.
KHL bosses have indicated that currently Yugra and Budivelnyk have put forward the best plans to gain accession into the league. If they do decide to look outside of Russia for a new franchise, the fact that Lithuania does not currently have a strong league of its own or a history in hockey can not bode well for their bid. For the future of the KHL, a club from the Czech Republic would be much more enticing, give the strength and support of hockey in that country.
It has not yet been clarified how many new teams will be accepted to the league next year, with it currently looking like teams will replace teams already in the league, rather than seeing the competition expand. The team most likely to dissolve is Lada Togliatti who find themselves in the difficult position of struggling to raise the funds to pay their players.
Bringing a KHL team to Vilnius would be a financial boost for the city as games would bring more visitors to hotels and restaurants. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]Europe’s strongest league, Vėtra sat low amongst the candidates. Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, Gazovik Tyumen and Krylya Sovietov Moscow from Russia, Hradec Králové of the Czech Republic, and Budivelnyk Kyiv of Ukraine are the other teams vying for a position in the league.
KHL bosses have indicated that currently Yugra and Budivelnyk have put forward the best plans to gain accession into the league. If they do decide to look outside of Russia for a new franchise, the fact that Lithuania does not currently have a strong league of its own or a history in hockey can not bode well for their bid. For the future of the KHL, a club from the Czech Republic would be much more enticing, give the strength and support of hockey in that country.
It has not yet been clarified how many new teams will be accepted to the league next year, with it currently looking like teams will replace teams already in the league, rather than seeing the competition expand. The team most likely to dissolve is Lada Togliatti who find themselves in the difficult position of struggling to raise the funds to pay their players.
Bringing a KHL team to Vilnius would be a financial boost for the city as games would bring more visitors to hotels and restaurants. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]Europe’s strongest league, Vėtra sat low amongst the candidates. Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, Gazovik Tyumen and Krylya Sovietov Moscow from Russia, Hradec Králové of the Czech Republic, and Budivelnyk Kyiv of Ukraine are the other teams vying for a position in the league.
KHL bosses have indicated that currently Yugra and Budivelnyk have put forward the best plans to gain accession into the league. If they do decide to look outside of Russia for a new franchise, the fact that Lithuania does not currently have a strong league of its own or a history in hockey can not bode well for their bid. For the future of the KHL, a club from the Czech Republic would be much more enticing, give the strength and support of hockey in that country.
It has not yet been clarified how many new teams will be accepted to the league next year, with it currently looking like teams will replace teams already in the league, rather than seeing the competition expand. The team most likely to dissolve is Lada Togliatti who find themselves in the difficult position of struggling to raise the funds to pay their players.
Bringing a KHL team to Vilnius would be a financial boost for the city as games would bring more visitors to hotels and restaurants. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]Europe’s strongest league, Vėtra sat low amongst the candidates. Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, Gazovik Tyumen and Krylya Sovietov Moscow from Russia, Hradec Králové of the Czech Republic, and Budivelnyk Kyiv of Ukraine are the other teams vying for a position in the league.
KHL bosses have indicated that currently Yugra and Budivelnyk have put forward the best plans to gain accession into the league. If they do decide to look outside of Russia for a new franchise, the fact that Lithuania does not currently have a strong league of its own or a history in hockey can not bode well for their bid. For the future of the KHL, a club from the Czech Republic would be much more enticing, give the strength and support of hockey in that country.
It has not yet been clarified how many new teams will be accepted to the league next year, with it currently looking like teams will replace teams already in the league, rather than seeing the competition expand. The team most likely to dissolve is Lada Togliatti who find themselves in the difficult position of struggling to raise the funds to pay their players.
Bringing a KHL team to Vilnius would be a financial boost for the city as games would bring more visitors to hotels and restaurants. [/private_subscription 1 year]
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