Fife Flyers coach: ‘I’ll take responsibility’ after cutting Artur Gatiyatov from team

The forward was released this week after struggling to make his mark in the Elite League with just one point from a dozen league and cup games.

He came to Kirkcaldy with a good hockey CV, but was on the periphery of too many games, and the decision to call time on his spell with Flyers came as no surprise to fans.

Coolen said: “I take responsibility for it. I’m the guy who brought him in. Knowing the league and the budget we have, we do have to think outside the box, and there are no guarantees things go as you want them to. Artur was a great kid, and he came here as a top scorer in his team and the most valuable forward in the Continental Cup - that’s a good level, but it just didn’t figure out.”

Gatiyatov, 24, was one of the stand out players in the Continental Cup, and he came across Coolen’s radar on a trip to the world championships at the end of last season. Along with countrymen Maxim Musorov and Nikolai Shulga, he formed a powerful line for Nomad Astana as the club won the Continental Cup, eliminating Cardiff Devils en route to the silverware.

At Astana he was voted top forward of the tournament with two goals and six assists to his credit. He played at all levels with the team, and also skated in Finland in 2022-23. The left shooter led the team scoring for Nomad in all Kazakhstan competitions last year with 58 points and his 15 goals and 33 assists in the championship was fourth best overall.

Coolen hoped he would be a stand out skater for Flyers, but the UK game seemed to be a step too far, and the decision was made to release him after Sunday’s game against Guildford Flames - although it had been on the cards prior to that 7-4 loss given his minimal points production.

Gatiyatov’s departure opens the door to a new recruit, but Coolen can only make two more moves under EIHL rules - outwith placing anyone in the Injury Reserve (IR) list

“I know we have to get better and I know what needs to be done - I could bring someone in tomorrow but it has to be the right guy for us. Last year we made changes and got better - I believe I have a history of building good teams.”

"But when you only have a few moves that you can make you have to be careful and really think about each one.”