January’s finest: Sorokin, Robinson, Shipachyov and Ustinsky

– Best goaltender was Ilya Sorokin (CSKA), who enjoyed 8 outings in total and helped his team win 7 of them, ending the month with 3 shutouts (including 2 on the road), a goals against average of 0.98 and a save percentage of 96.08; 

– Best defenseman was September’s winner, Mat Robinson (Dynamo Moscow), with 9 appearances, 8 victories, 15 blocks, 10 hits and a brace in the game versus SKA. Robinson did not receive a single minus on his way to earning a +10 for the month; 

– Best forward was Vadim Shipachyov (SKA), with a haul of 17 points (5+12), including two game-winning goals, from 11 games. Shipachyov’s 12 assists was the highest January total of any player in the League; 

– Best rookie was 21-year-old Avtomobilist goalie Igor Ustinsky, who played in 8 games, 6 of which were victories, and twice kept the opposition off the scoreboard. Ustinsky guarded the net for every minute of every game since January 13, and ended the month with a Sv% of .9325 and a GAA of 2.11.