Vladislav Bespomoshchnov

PhD Research Fellow Department of Sport and Social Sciences

Email: vladislavb@nih.no
Phone: +47 23 26 21 49

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Background and experience

Vladislav Bespomoshchnov is the PhD research fellow at the Department of Sport and Social Sciences working on the project 'Visual Perception and Scanning in Elite Ice Hockey'.

In this poject, Vladislav aims to get a better understanding of how elite ice hockey players scan and explore their environment on the ice in games, and the extent to which scanning is related to performance and player safety. More specifically, he is interested in exploring the detailed characteristics of scanning in ice hockey, study how it varies with different contexts, and examine its impact is on performance and injury incidence.

Vladislav completed Bachelor's degree (2018) in Sports Coaching and Management and Masters degree in Physical Education and Sports Coaching (2023) from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Vierumäki, Finland). Furthermore, he completed a one-year post-graduate degree in Teaching and Pedagogy from Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Helsinki, Finland). Prior to taking the position at NIH, Vladislav was a Learning and Development Coordinator at the Sports Institute of Finland and a Lecturer in the Degree Programme in Sports Coaching and Management at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. His areas of interest and research include coach and athlete development, leadership, skill acquisition, concussion prevention, and the socio-historic context surrounding sports. He has a background in ice hockey coaching, coach development and strength and conditioning.

Research

Ice hockey, visual perception, skill acquisition, coaching

Projects

Visual Perception and Scanning in Elite Ice Hockey

Profeit, Mitchell C.; Hancock, David J.; Bespomoshchnov, Vladislav & Martin, Luc J. (2026). From observation to immersion: A comparative analysis of emerging technologies for developing decision-making in team sport. Journal of Sports Sciences. ISSN 0264-0414. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2026.2741479. Full text in Research Archive
Bespomoshchnov, Vladislav; Lemoyne, Jean; Jordet, Geir & Vater, Christian (2026). Scanning in junior elite ice hockey players: In-situ analysis of gaze behaviour. Journal of Sports Sciences. ISSN 0264-0414. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2026.2744018.
Bespomoshchnov, Vladislav; Kokkonen, Maiju; Clewer, Pekka; Lukkarila, Pyry & McCarthy, Liam (2026). Developing Coach Developers in a Finnish Ice Hockey Context: The Case of the Coach Developer Academy. International Sport Coaching Journal. ISSN 2328-918X. 13(3), p. 713–722. doi: 10.1123/iscj.2024-0107. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Recognising the important role that coach developers (CDs) can play in supporting sport coaches, national governing bodies are increasingly seeking to engage them in professional development pathways and programmes. In this article, we introduce the Coach Developer Academy (CDA), a season-long intervention that is situated in the Finnish cultural context. It is an initiative between Finnish Ice Hockey Association and Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. CDA is designed for CDs who are employed by the junior ice hockey organisations in Finland. Specifically, this article explores the three modules that are central to CDA: (a) Communities of Practice in Sports, (b) Developing Coach Developer Skills, and (c) Planning and Implementing Learning Process. As part of this, the learning tasks and assessment methods that were a part of each of the modules are discussed.We offer reflections from the CDA facilitators that highlight strengths, lessons learned, areas of improvement, and the opportunities for CDA growth. Our intention with this Practical Advances article is to share a case-based example that will contribute to the visibility and discussion of CD development efforts in the peer-reviewed literature.
Bespomoshchnov, Vladislav; Mallett, Clifford J.; Martel, Ken & Jordet, Geir (2026). Understanding scanning and development of perceptual expertise: A qualitative study using eye-tracking methodology. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology. ISSN 1041-3200. doi: 10.1080/10413200.2026.2691495. Full text in Research Archive
Lemoyne, Jean; Bespomoshchnov, Vladislav & Saarinen, Mika (2025). Relative age effects and player pathways in international ice hockey: a longitudinal multi-cohort analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. 16. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1583349. Full text in Research Archive
Bespomoshchnov, Vladislav; Mallett, Clifford J.; Saarinen, Mika; Vähälummukka, Mika & Arvaja, Markus (2025). Coaching Across Borders: Lessons From Finnish High-Performance Ice Hockey Coaches. International Sport Coaching Journal. ISSN 2328-918X. 12(1), p. 104–115. doi: 10.1123/iscj.2023-0098. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Sport coaching has become globalized. Finnish ice hockey is an example of this globalization of a coaching workforce. Indeed, the success of Finnish ice hockey teams in the international arena has been fueling the demand for coaches and players from this country worldwide. Yet, despite the increasing trends of migration of the workforce in sports, there is limited research that is conducted on the experiences of foreign coaches. Thus, in this study, we aimed to expand our understanding of the work of high-performance coaches in the globalized sports context. A case study design was adopted. The participants were 14 Finnish high-performance head coaches with transnational career experiences across 11 nations. Qualitative data were collected via semistructured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis guided how the authors made sense of these data. Three major themes were (a) preparation practices, (b) acculturation, and (c) emerging learning experiences. The findings provide helpful insights for (a) coach developers when preparing practitioners to work in different cultural settings, (b) club administrators to further inform their decisions when recruiting and working with foreign coaches, and (c) sports’ governing bodies to develop policies to support coaches’ acculturation in the new country.

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Bespomoshchnov, Vladislav; Jordet, Geir; Bahr, Roald; Nordstrøm, Anine & Krosshaug, Tron (2025). Did you see the hit coming? Examining the relationship between scanning, protective actions and concussion in elite ice hockey. Abstract book 25 years of protecting athlete health - forward together. Full text in Research Archive

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Published Aug. 19, 2024 10:22 AM - Last modified Oct. 26, 2026 11:29 AM