Best Players of January: Konovalov, Svedberg, Gusev and Dzierkals
The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best player of the fourth month of the Regular Season – January – in four categories.
- best goalie was Ilya Konovalov (Lokomotiv), who won eight games of nine, including five shutouts. The Yaroslavl goalie posted a saves percentage of 97.02% with a goals-against average of 0.83. His longest shutout streak reached 157 minutes and 37 seconds. In January, Konovalov climbed up to the top of the shutout rankings, with 10 shutouts.
- best defenseman was Viktor Svedberg (Barys), who won seven games of 12 with his team, scoring 5 (1+4) points and posting a plus-8 rating. The Swedish defenseman had 31 shots on goal, recorded six hits, and blocked 12 shots from the opposition.
- best forward was Nikita Gusev (SKA), who won 11 of 12 games with his team, scoring 19 (2+17) points (best results of the month), and posting a plus-13 rating. The St. Petersburg forward scored points in ten games and had seven multiple-point games. Today, Gusev leads the League in points and assists.
- best rookie was Martins Dzierkals (Dinamo Riga), who scored 6 (3+3) points in 12 games. The 21-years-old Latvian forward had 14 shots on goal, recorded five hits, blocked five shots from the opposition and had an average time on ice of 13 minutes and 59 seconds.
