Alisher Sarkenov celebrates one of his 20 goals scored this season in front of the Art Hauser Centre crowd. (Image Credit: Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Raiders first Kazakhstan-born player

Sit down chat with Alisher Sarkenov

Mar 26, 2026 | 2:40 PM

Over the course of the 2025-26 WHL season, Prince Albert Raiders fans have learned to love the smell of blood in the water, because it means a Sark Attack is on the way. The 18-year-old Alisher Sarkenov has won over fans in a city that doesn’t even speak the same language as him in his first year in the WHL. 

The first ever Kazakhstan-born Raider plays with a lot of confidence on the ice, posting 21G-20A-41P in 47 games this year to earn a spot on the NHL Central Scouting List. That confidence is what has allowed Sarkenov to come play hockey in a city he knew nothing about before flying over. 

“To be honest, I didn’t know about Prince Albert because, there wasn’t really any indication that I would be playing here. So I didn’t know about it, but the very first thing I heard when I realized I would be playing there was that it’s a cold city.” 

Even though it’s a cold city here in Prince Albert, it isn’t too different from what he’s used to in Kazakhstan. In fact, he sees a lot of similarities between the two countries when it comes to the amenities available to him, but there is a difference in how people present themselves in public. 

“I’d say that the difference is definitely in the mentality, 100 per cent. The mentality here is different from what I had in Kazakhstan. There’s not really anything to miss, because both in Kazakhstan and here, there’s everything you need. So I feel good.” 

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Since coming to Canada, Sarkenov has started to pick up some English from his teammates and the videos he watches on YouTube. If you watch him play the game on the ice, it’s obvious he’s found a way to communicate with his teammates and coaches. 

When he first arrived though, that language barrier was a challenge to overcome. So, he simply ignored the language and focused on what he did understand: what he could see. 

“I’d say that I didn’t really pay much attention to the language at first, because I didn’t understand it back then. Then as I started to understand bit by bit, it became clearer. But without knowing English, I tried to focus more on watching during practices and just following all the steps, and then during the games, we just found a common sports language and played together.” 

Sarkenov can speak a little bit of English, but for anything more than your typical day-to-day conversation, including this interview, he relies on an app on his phone to translate.  

As a result, Sarkenov hasn’t had many interactions with fans this year other than fans asking to take a photo. One thing he does understand though is how much the fans in Prince Albert love cheering on the Raiders, and he appreciates the chance to both perform in front of and represent this city. 

“I mean, thank you so much to them for coming, for supporting us. It’s just, I don’t know, you could say they’re just amazing, and we kind of try to delight them with our play so that they come more often, watch us, cheer for us, because their support is a really important part for us.” 

Off the ice, Sarkenov likes to stay active.  

“I really like physical activities the most. So every time I have free time, I try to keep myself occupied in a physical way. But aside from that, I also enjoy watching movies and playing video games.” 

With his translator off, Sarkenov expressed his excitement to start the playoffs using the English he’s learned. 

“I’m so excited about playoff because I never played in playoff. So it will be the first playoff I ever had. So I’m so excited to play.”

Sarkenov and the Raiders start their first round of playoffs against the Red Deer Rebels Friday night at the Art Hauser Centre.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com