KHL players take center stage at IIHF WC
In Latvia, the IIHF World Men’s preliminary stage ended with many surprises and unpredictable results. KHL.ru analyzes the performance of its players.
Belarus
Belarus’ last place in Group A was one of the tournament’s main surprises — or disappointments, depending on the point of view. The team led by Mikhail Zakharov had a good start and a historical win over Sweden, but little they could do once they equally sensationally lost to Great Britain on May 26. Severstal’s Vladislav Kodola was one of the top scorers for the Belarussians, with 3 (1+2) points in six games. At the same time, between the piping, Danny Taylor posted a 94.1 saves percentage and a goals-against average of 1.80, other than shutting out the Tre Kronor. The following year, the Belarussians will have another chance at the elite level, and their young team will have more experience under its belt to deliver better performance in the most-needed games.
Kazakhstan
Similar to Belarus, Kazakhstan had a strong start but failed to qualify to the postseason primarily due to a loss to an underdog — Team Norway in this case. However, the team led by Yury Mikhailis defeated Latvia, Finland, and Germany, other than stomp Italy with an 11-3 score. The team’s captain Roman Starchenko produced 7 (4+3) points for the Kazakhs, but perhaps the best was Nikita Mikhailis. The up-and-rising forward had three goals in the tournament, including a double against Team Canada. The Kazakhs ended the round-robin stage with ten accumulated points — as many as the Canadians did — but the loss in their clash (and the sensational loss to Norway) ruled them out of the playoffs. This year, the Kazakhs used less naturalized players and relied more on home-grown talent — the path is clear, and this team has the potential to repeat its success next season in Finland.
Latvia
The team led by the new Gagarin Cup champion Bob Hartley could reach the playoffs until the last second — a late regulation goal may have been enough for the Latvians to qualify for the medal round, but losses against Germany and Norway again prevented the side to enjoy the elimination stage. They only lacked a point to reach the quarterfinals from Group B. Veteran Lauris Darzins was once again the team’s top scorer, with 4 (2+2) points and a plus-3 rating. On the blue line, Dinamo Riga’s new signing, Ralfs Freibergs, led the team’s defensemen with three helpers. Between the piping, Janis Kalnins had two starts for Latvia, but despite a solid, 19-save performance, Germany had the best over them in the final round-robin game.
Finland
The Finns finished the round-robin stage in Group B’s second place at just one point behind Team USA, despite losing points against Kazakhstan and Latvia. Not surprisingly, goaltending is a substantial part of Team Finland’s success: both Leijonat goalies come from the KHL, with Harri Sateri and Juho Olkinuora splitting starts so far. The team’s third-string goaltender, Janne Juvonen, also joined the KHL this offseason, signing with Jokerit. Another Jokerit player, Saku Maenalanen, leads the team with three assists and is Team Finland’s fourth scorer. His teammate Iiro Pakarinen netted three goals at the tournament as Finland is warming up its engines for the medal round.
Russia
Team Russia led the tournament with 28 goals and ended the preliminary stage with only one loss to Slovakia. Tied for most goals is the team’s captain Anton Burdasov, with four tallies. The SKA’s forward had six points in seven games, as many as CSKA’s Anton Slepyshev and Ak Bars’ Dmitry Voronkov.
The latter is having a fantastic tournament. After risking missing the trip to Latvia due to an injury in the KHL playoffs, he ended up on the team’s first line. Youngster Ivan Morozov is also playing well, with 3 (1+2) points and plenty of time on ice. On goal, Alexander Samonov started in six games so far for the Russians, posting impressive numbers, with a saves percentage of 94.4% and a goals-against average of 1.32. Samonov also had two shutouts in the tournament.
Other teams
KHL goalies Simon Hrubec and Roman Will didn’t have their best performance in Latvia, failing to reach the 90.0% mark — yet the Czechs reached the playoffs after finishing the preliminary stage in Group A’s third place. Neftekhimik’s new signing Lukas Klok also has a strong tournament and potted the game-winner in the encounter against the Swedes.
Jokerit’s Niklas Jensen was almost unstoppable for the Danes. However, unfortunately for Team Denmark fans, the team didn’t reach the medal round despite his 8 (5+3) points — good for third place in the scoring race. He also posted a hat-trick in Denmark’s historic win over Sweden on May 22.
Torpedo’s Marek Hrivik was Team Slovakia’s second scorer with 6 (2+4) points. Unlike CSKA and Team Sweden goalie Adam Reideborn, he will have a chance to represent his country in the upcoming elimination stage.
The IIHF World Championship’s medal round starts on Jun 3 with the quarterfinals. Team Russia will take on Team Canada, with the Finns and the Czechs battling in the other evening game. In the afternoon, Switzerland will face Germany while the US battles Slovakia for semifinals qualification.
