About

Barys Hockey Club (Kazakh: Барыс хоккей клубы, romanized: Barys Hokkei Kluby), commonly referred to as Barys Nur-Sultan (formerly Barys Astana) or simply Barys, is a professional ice hockey team based in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. It is one of the founding members of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). They play in the league's Chernyshev Division of the Eastern Conference. Their home arena is the Barys Arena, where they have played since the 2015–16 KHL season. Prior to 2015, the team played home games at the Kazakhstan Sports Palace for 14 seasons, beginning in 2001. The head coach is Andrei Skabelka and the president is Boris Ivanishchev. The club was founded in 1999 as a member of the Kazakhstan Hockey Championship. In 10 seasons of national competition, Barys has won two Championships in 2007–08 and 2008–09. In 2004, Barys was admitted into the Russian ice hockey system, joining its third tier the Pervaya Liga. Their win in Ural-Western Siberia Zone in 2007, led to promotion to the Vysshaya Liga. After a single season of play in the Vysshaya Liga, Barys joined the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League in 2008. In 2013, Barys joined the Astana Presidential Club, a coalition of sports clubs supported by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Samruk-Kazyna. However, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy remains main sponsor of the club. The team serves as a base club for the Kazakhstan national ice hockey team.