A creative meeting with the actors from the TV series "The Junior Team" and "The Junior Team. A New Generation" was held at the National Centre RUSSIA

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On Student's Day, January 25, the National Centre RUSSIA hosted a creative meeting as part of the "In the Spotlight" series with the actors of the iconic youth hockey TV series "The Junior Team" ("Molodezhka") and "The Junior Team. A New Generation."  Guests had the opportunity to interact with their idols and hear fascinating stories from the filming process. The evening concluded with a performance by the In2Nation band, who created the soundtracks for the series.

The actors Vlad Kanopka, Ilya Korobko, Maria Pirogova, and Asel Turdubayeva came to meet the guests of the National Centre. As a surprise for everyone, another star of the series, Andrei Nesterenko, also joined the event. The meeting was moderated by the well-known journalist and Channel One host Maxim Sharafutdinov, who asked the actors questions submitted by the National Centre's social media users.

One of the main topics of the meeting was the development of sports and the promotion of hockey in Russia. After all, the series was originally created with this goal in mind. The creators were inspired by the famous 2011 match between Russia and Canada at the World Junior Championship, where the Russian team managed to surpass their opponents in a tense battle.

"Hockey is one of my favorite sports, alongside football. It is truly a people's sport. A huge number of kids across the country play hockey. We are proud to have been part of this project 12 years ago, and now we are releasing a new season," said Vlad Kanopka.

Ilya Korobko supported his colleague, noting that the actors from "The Junior Team" have stayed connected with hockey in one way or another for more than 12 years. Ilya himself continues to play at an amateur level.

"We attend various hockey-related events and visit children’s competitions. We also have a camp that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year; it has become one of the largest children's hockey camps in Europe. It’s incredibly rewarding to see how hockey is developing. Since the release of the series, interest in this sport has increased by 40% in our country. This is a great achievement, and we are very proud of it!" noted Ilya Korobko.

During the meeting, the importance of student communities in higher educational institutions was also discussed. The young actors shared stories about their incredibly challenging yet thrilling studies at theater universities and highlighted the significance of volunteer activities among students, which are actively developing in our country. They also emphasized that student friendships remain some of the most important and enduring bonds in their lives.

The event was not without amusing stories from student life. For instance, actress Asel Turdubayeva shared how she once tried to attend a performance by the famous circus artist Vyacheslav Polunin by bringing a bouquet of carrots with greens, following a friend's advice. It turned out to be a prank, and the carrots didn’t help. However, thanks to her courage and persistence, Asel still managed to meet her idol. She advised the audience to stay determined and never give up on their goals.

The star guests were also eagerly asked about filming the series, including the most challenging and favorite scenes. For Ilya Korobko, the most difficult was a scene involving the death of a loved one. His character had to react emotionally, requiring a serious mental preparation. As a result, Ilya ended up crying almost the entire shooting day and only regained his composure the following morning. For Vlad Kanopka, the hardest challenge was dealing with the physical demands of the role.

"Even for me, an athlete and track and field enthusiast, spending 11 hours on skates was incredibly challenging," the actor admitted.

Throughout the event, the audience actively supported their idols with applause, and some even brought banners and posters, delighting everyone in attendance. The evening ended just as brightly with a heartfelt performance by the In2Nation band. Winners of the Golden Gramophone award, nominees for the RU.TV channel awards, and creators of the series' soundtracks, the band truly lit up the room, with the audience happily singing along to their hits.