Looking to avenge a silver-medal finish at the 2012 World Junior Championship, the Russians could have two key pieces to that club at their disposal for the World Under-18 Championship.

Russia has announced both Mikhail Grigorenko and Andrei Vasilevski have been named to the country’s preliminary roster for the tournament, held in Brno and Znojmo, Czech Republic, April 12-22, 2012. Grigorenko’s Quebec Remparts would need to be eliminated from the QMJHL playoffs in order to make him eligible to participate.

The preliminary roster also features Daniil Zharkov of the Belleville Bulls. Zharkov made his debut in FC’s top-30 for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in March, as well as fellow CHLers Sergei Kuptsov and Denis Kamayev.

Preliminary Roster:

Goalies: Igor Ustinski (Gazovik Tyumen), Ivan Nalimov (SKA-1946 St. Petersburg), Andrei Vasilevski (Tolpar Ufa).

Defencemen: Damir Galin (Bars Kazan), Andrei Mironov (HC MVD Balashikha), Andrei Ermakov, Yuri Kozlovski (JHL Spartak Moscow), Kirill Maslov (Loko Yaroslavl), Nikita Lisov, Nikita Zadorov (Red Army Moscow), Egor Malenkikh (SKA-1946 St. Petersburg), Alexei Bereglazov (Steel Foxes Magnitogorsk), Stanislav Gareyev (Tolpar Ufa)

Forwards: Alexander Delnov (Atlants of Mytishchi), Daniil Zharkov (Belleville Bulls, OHL), Arseni Khatsei (JHL Spartak Moscow), Alexander Lebedev (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl), Anton Slepyshev (Metallurg Novokuznetsk), Sergei Kuptsov (Mississauga St. Michaels Majors, OHL), Mikhail Grigorenko (Quebec Remparts, QMJHL), Bogdan Yakimov (Reaktor Nizhnekamsk), Sergei Tolchinski, Alexander Timirev (Red Army Moscow), Denis Kamayev (Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, QMJHL), Anton Ivanyuzhenkov (Russkiye Vityazi Chekhov), Iliya Yamkin (Seagull N. Novgorod), Viktor Komarov (Silver Lions St. Petersburg), Leonid Avtomov, Alexander Barabanov (SKA-1946 St. Petersburg), Alexei Filippov, Vyacheslav Osnovin, Valeri Nichuskin (White Bears Chelyabinsk)