September’s stars

The stattos have reached their verdict, and Ilya Proskuryakov, Konstantin Korneyev, Kirill Knyazev and Sergei Belokon were the top players from the first month of the season.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk had goalie Proskuryakov to thank as they took an early lead in the championship – he helped them to six wins from seven games, keeping three clean sheets and conceding just 0.71 goals per game. His save ratio was an impressive 97.3 per cent – the best in the league.

The top defender was Korneyev of CSKA Moscow, who averaged almost 23 minutes on-ice in his seven games and notched five points (two goals, three assists) to score a +6 index value.

Up front, Spartak’s Knyazev (pictured) caught the eye with a princely return of six goals and two assists, and an index score of +5.

Vityaz Chekhov’s Belokon was rookie of the month, with two goals and two assists from his eight appearances.