Rouslan Boryssenko

What does it take to revolutionize ice-hockey? For Ruslan Borysenko, it began with an unwavering belief in resilience. Born on 1983-01-11 in Chernihiv, then in the Ukrainian SSR, he embraced a career that bridged early struggle and later recognition. He learned his craft in the youth ranks of Kyiv's hockey system and broke into senior competition at just 16 with the second team of Sokil Kyiv. He confronted structural scarcity and institutional neglect of Ukrainian hockey infrastructure in those early years.

He solidified his professional role as a defenceman, shooting left and standing 184 cm tall, playing for clubs including HK Sokil Kyiv II, HK Kyiv, Windsor Spitfires (Canada), Bridgewater Bandits (USA), Kristall Saratov (Russia), HK Liepājas Metalurgs (Latvia) - with whom he secured the Latvian championship in 2008 - then DHK Latgale, HK Beibarys Atyrau (Kazakhstan) - where he won the national title in 2011 - and later HK Donbass-2 and HK Kompanion-Naftohas Kyiv, winning the Ukrainian championship in 2012 and 2014. His club travels exposed him to scepticism from more established hockey nations, yet he persisted and leveraged these experiences into leadership roles.

Consequently, he transitioned into coaching. Since 2017/18 he served at CS Progym Gheorgheni (Romania) and later became assistant coach of Ukraine's U20 and U18 national junior teams. He thus carries the craftsmanship of his playing years into mentoring the next generation. Notably he helped guide Ukraine's junior teams in the WJC-20 D1B and WJC-18 D1A divisions. In doing so he challenged both internal cultural inertia and external expectations about Ukrainian hockey.

Despite the modest global profile of his playing days, Borysenko built a reputation for disciplined defensive play, cross-border adaptability and coaching insight. He stands as one of Ukraine's more accomplished club-hopping defencemen who converted sporting breadth into educational depth. His story offers valuable insight into how a player from a non-traditional hockey country can forge both a domestic legacy and international mobility. Their story stands as a timeless reminder that true innovation often begins with resilience, unwavering belief, and a willingness to challenge.