Anton Kuryanov: From Avangard System Graduate to Gagarin Cup Winner

Continuing our series on league legends, this article tells the story of Anton Kuryanov, a world champion, Gagarin Cup winner as a coach, and his significant career path.

Path to the Main Team

Anton Kuryanov is a notable representative of the 1983 birth year team that, in 1995, almost entirely relocated from Ust-Kamenogorsk, Kazakhstan, to Omsk, along with coach Sergei Gersonky. Besides Kuryanov, the team included other future top-level players like Alexander Perezhogin, Alexei Bondarev, Alexander Golovin, and Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev, who joined local talents Vyacheslav Belov, Denis Kulyash, and Andrei Taratukhin. This Avangard team of 1983 became a powerhouse in youth hockey, winning the Russian championship for their age group in 1999.

Shortly after this success, the most promising players moved up to “Avangard-VDV” in the First League. Two years later, they advanced another level to “Mostovik” in the Major League. In 2002, Omsk management loaned Kuryanov, Golovin, Belov, and Kirill Sidorenko to “Sibir”, a Superleague team that wasn`t contending for major titles. It was only after this multi-stage development system that Kuryanov finally established himself as a regular in Avangard`s main roster.

“I`m surprised myself!” Kuryanov said in a 2006 interview with “Sport Day After Day”, when asked how he managed to break into Avangard`s lineup at a time when the club heavily relied on experienced veterans.

Kuryanov earned his place in the main team under the same Gersonky who became Avangard`s head coach in June 2003. The new coach was appointed partly to integrate the young players he knew well from their Ust-Kamenogorsk days into the main squad. However, the club also brought in a group of experienced players, notably Oleg Tverdovsky, who had just won the Stanley Cup with New Jersey, making his return to Russia a sensation. Despite this, Avangard started the season at the bottom of the standings, and Gersonky was dismissed in late October.

The experienced new head coach, Valeri Belousov, didn`t dismantle everything. He brought back goaltender Maxim Sokolov and forward Maxim Sushinsky, who had previously been released. He built rapport with the veterans while continuing to trust the youth. It was then that the key line of Kuryanov and Alexander Popov formed in Avangard`s main team; Anton recalled they first played together in 1996. Perhaps Alexander Perezhogin would have joined them in 2003, but he had moved to North America in the offseason. Therefore, another Avangard system graduate, Konstantin Baranov, played right wing on this line.

Playing Career at Avangard

Kuryanov`s first four full seasons with Avangard were exceptionally successful. During this period, he won more titles at the club level than throughout the rest of his playing career.

In 2004, Kuryanov became a champion. Avangard`s results soared immediately after Belousov`s arrival. The team finished the regular season in third place and swept Dynamo and Lada 3-0 in the playoffs. The final was particularly dramatic. Metallurg won the first two games at home. The next two games in Omsk went to Avangard. In the decisive fifth game in Magnitogorsk, the winner was determined by a shootout, which the visitors won more accurately.

Before the start of the following season, Perezhogin returned to Omsk. This marked the first time the line of Perezhogin – Kuryanov – Popov played together for Avangard. They served as the third line, both in terms of ice time order and scoring. Jaromir Jagr also played for Avangard that season. It was the Czech forward`s precise shot that secured the team`s victory in the European Champions Cup final against Finnish club Kärpät, giving Anton his second title in two years.

In the 2005/2006 championship, Avangard delivered the biggest upset. For the third consecutive season, Omsk eliminated Magnitka from the playoffs, even though in the regular season, Magnitogorsk, led by Canadian coach Dave King and Evgeni Malkin, had finished 29 points ahead of their closest competitor. This season earned Anton a silver medal.

In 2007, Kuryanov completed his set of Russian championship medals by winning bronze. It was in this season that Anton emerged as a leading player for Avangard. He had his most productive season, tallying 46 (24+22) points. In the following four seasons, the forward finished as the team`s second-highest scorer twice and fourth-highest twice.

In 2012, Kuryanov had a chance to win the Gagarin Cup. Avangard seemed to hold a dominant 3-1 lead in the decisive series against Dynamo Moscow. However, the final`s momentum completely shifted, resulting in a victory for the Muscovites.

In total, Kuryanov played 12 full seasons and two partial seasons for Avangard. During this time, he scored 153 goals, becoming the 14th highest goal-scorer in club history. Interestingly, Anton scored his 100th goal in the same city where he scored his first – Novokuznetsk. He scored this milestone goal on October 17, 2009, against future two-time NHL Vezina Trophy winner and World Champion Sergei Bobrovsky.

Coach and Manager

Despite his scoring achievements at Avangard, national team coaches did not frequently call upon Kuryanov. He played in the World Championships only once, in 2009. But what a performance it was! First, Anton won a gold medal. Second, he registered 6 points (3+3) in 9 games and finished among the team`s top five scorers.

Towards the end of his playing career, Kuryanov played for Yugra and also for Kladno, where he reunited on the ice with his old acquaintance Jagr.

Shortly before retiring, while playing for Kladno, Kuryanov, when asked about having a dream, stated: “Someday I want to get a chance to return to Avangard in a new role and make the Omsk club feared by everyone again.”

Six months after these words, Kuryanov was appointed as Avangard`s development coach. He then became an assistant coach for the youth team and soon after, an assistant coach for the main team. In 2023, Anton took on the role of general manager. He assumed this functional position during a far from simple time. Chairman of the Board of Directors Alexander Krylov left the club. Attempts to bring back head coach Bob Hartley and negotiations with other North American specialists failed. Sergei Tolchinsky and Arseni Gritsyuk did not sign new contracts. Corban Knight unexpectedly departed. The team roster had to be assembled in a hurry.

Nevertheless, Kuryanov largely managed the situation. The team finished second in the East, and in the playoffs, they lost in the quarterfinals to eventual finalist Lokomotiv only in the seventh game. Of course, such results are unlikely to fully satisfy the ambitions of Omsk fans and management. But, considering all the complexities, that season should not be underestimated.

Kuryanov began the 2024/2025 season as Avangard`s general manager, but during the championship, he left the post and once again became one of the team`s coaches. In December, he departed the club and moved to Lokomotiv`s coaching staff, with whom he won the Gagarin Cup.

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