HC Donbass Hockey Club Donbass ( ; , " tr . Khokeinyi Klub Donbas " ) is a Ukrainian professional ice hockey team based in Donetsk . They are members of the Russian Major League ( VHL ) , and are the reigning Ukrainian national champions . Following the 2010 - 11 season , Donbass split into two teams with their affiliate , HC Donbass - 2 , representing the club in the Professional Hockey League of Ukraine . The team takes its name from its geographic location in the heart of the Donets Basin ( " Donbas " ) . Donbass has stated aspirations to join the Kontinental Hockey League . Franchise history . Origins . Donbass made its first appearance in 2001 , participating in Belarus ' and Ukraine ' s respective entry divisions , earning bronze medals in each league ' s finals . The team would be dissolved shortly thereafter , however . In 2005 the team was reformed , reapplying for participation in the 1st division of the Ukrainian Major League . A lack of artificial ice in Donetsk forced the team to practice on Lake Yasinovataya . On only three weeks of practice , the team still managed to win goal in its respective division . Donbass would lose to ATEK Kyiv the following March , failing to earn promotion to the top national division . In the years that followed , though the team was promoted , it remained near the bottom of the standings on an annual basis . Kolesnikov era . Fortunes for the club changed in 2010 when owner Borys Kolesnikov gained full control of the team , making them the most financially secure team in the history of Ukrainian hockey . The first influential addition to the club was former Sokil Kyiv head coach , Aleksandr Kulikov . Under Kulikov , the team would extend a record 27 - game win streak in the Ukrainian Hockey Championship on their pace to winning the national championship for the first time . With the win , Donbass became the first non - Kiev based team to win the national title . The win also secured the club entry to the 2011 - 12 IIHF Continental Cup , the third round of which Donetsk will host . Following the 2011 Ukrainian League season , Donbass applied for and was given membership to the Russian Major League . A vast majority of championship winning roster from the 2010 - 11 season were cut from the roster as the team rebuilt for its freshman year in the VHL . While the primary team would compete in Russia , Donbass also iced a team in the newly formed Professional Hockey League of Ukraine . In July , 2011 , Donbass trained for the upcoming season in Ontario and held an exhibition game against the Ontario Hockey League all - star team . Donbass won the fight - filled game 4 - 1 and was reported to have garnered overwhelming fan support from the local Ukrainian diaspora , accounting for approximately 500 of the 550 in attendance . Team identity . Logo . The team ' s original colors of 2001 were blue and grey and featured a logo representing a hockey puck , with a hockey stick overlain . On November 14 , 2008 the club changed their logo and team colors to the current scheme of red , black , and white . As part of this change , the team ' s name was changed from the Ukrainian spelling ( Хокейний Клуб Донбас , " Khokeinyi Klub Donbas " ) to Russian ( Хоккейный Клуб Донбасс , " Khokkeynyi Klub Donbass " ) . The team again altered its logo in 2010 , where it remains currently . The modern Donbass logos feature prominently two spoil tips , which represent the city ' s strong ties to the steel and coal mining industry . The change from a metallic script to white is meant to symbolize " a blank page " .