MOSCOW, January 4. /TASS/. Roman Rotenberg has replaced Valery Bragin as head coach of SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the team’s press service reported on Tuesday.

The decision was made by the club’s board of directors with the goal to improve management of the team’s coaching staff. Bragin will work as a senior coach.

"The most crucial stage of the season is beginning, with less than ten matches left before the Olympics. The work of the headquarters has been and remains collective, we continue working together in order to achieve common goals. Over the past month, we have tested an option when Roman Borisovich acted as the head coach, and it all worked out, there is a result. Therefore, a decision has been made to consolidate this situation and formally, I will continue to work, performing the functions of a senior coach," Bragin said.

"The headquarters is facing serious tasks: on the one hand, it is necessary to bring the candidates to the Olympic team to the top of their form, on the other hand, to bring the team to the playoffs in an optimal state. It is important to maintain a balance and achieve a solution to both tasks," he noted.

Rotenberg is the first vice president of Russia’s Ice Hockey Federation. We earlier led the coaching staff of Russia’s national team. During the last season when Bragin was ill Rotenberg acted as SKA’s head coach.

SKA is ranked second in the Western Conference’s standings, scoring 62 points in 44 games. The club is due to play the next away match against Beijing’ s Kunlun Red Star on Tuesday.