Players of the Month: Melnichuk, Wikstrand, Zhafyarov, and Zhuravlyov

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best player of the first month of the Regular Season in four categories.

- Best goalie was Alexei Melnichuk (SKA), who won six of eight games in September, including three shutouts (best numbers of the month). The St. Petersburg goalie posted a saves percentage of 96.08% and a goals-against average of 0.82. Melnichuk’s longest shutout streak was 149 minutes and 41 seconds.

- Best defenseman was Mikael Wikstrand (Ak Bars), who won 9 from 11 games with his team, scoring 10 (3+7) points. Wikstrand posted no negative ratings for the whole month, ending September being plus-7. He also had 17 shots on goal, recorded one hit, and blocked 5 shots from the opposition.

- Best forward was Damir Zhafyarov (Torpedo), who won 8 of 13 games with his team, scoring 13 (6+7) points. The Nizhny Novgorod forward scored points in 10 played games. Zhafyarov had 45 shots on goal, recorded 3 hits, blocked 3 shots from the opposition, gained 4 penalties, and accrued zero PIMs.

- Best rookie was defenseman Daniil Zhuravlyov (Ak Bars). The Kazan blueliner ended only one game with a negative rating, posting a plus-5 for September (best result among all rookies). The 19-years-old defenseman had a time on ice of 14 minutes and 40 seconds. He also had five shots on goal and blocked seven shots from the opposition.

Photo credits: Ak Bars' official website