Avangard to GenZ – the A-Z of 2021
Another year is over, and it’s time for the traditional KHL A-Z of the previous 12 months. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights of 2021.
Avangard — the Hawks lifted the Gagarin Cup for the first time, defeating CSKA in six games in the final. It was third time lucky for Avangard, which had previously lost to Dynamo Moscow and CSKA in the grand final.
Bailen — born in Canada, adopted by Belarus and now a cult hero in Chelyabinsk, Nick Bailen finishes 2021 as the highest scoring defenseman in the league with 41 (6+35) points. He’s also second among all players for assists, and his five game-winning goals are just one behind league leader Damir Zhafyarov.
Cap — the 2020-2021 campaign was the KHL’s first with a hard salary cap in place. Already, the new rules are showing positive signs: games are tighter, more teams are in contention for the top spots and the league is getting more competitive and more exciting.
Danforth — arriving at Vityaz from a successful spell in Finland, Justin Danforth was a huge hit in his rookie KHL campaign. He posted 55 (23+32) points in 58 games to lead his team in scoring and went on to help Team Canada take World Championship gold in Riga before going to the NHL.
Evergreen — in a year when several long-serving stars hung up their skates, Danis Zaripov just keeps going. This month he completed 1,300 games in top-flight Russian hockey and the 40-year-old now finds himself sharing a locker room with prospects who weren’t even born when he first skated in the pro game.
Fedorov — as a player, there’s not much that Sergei Fedorov did not achieve. And this season, he’s back to take his coaching bow. The Red Wings legend is behind the bench at CSKA, the club where he first made his mark as a player, and he’s already raising eyebrows with his gung-ho approach in overtime.
Guslistov — Severstal’s Nikita Guslistov is yet to reach his 20th birthday, but he already owns some records that might stand for some time. On Jan. 21, aged 18 years, 236 days, he became the youngest player to score a hat-trick in the KHL. The following week, he was named captain for Severstal’s game against SKA, becoming the youngest ever to wear the ‘C’ in the league.
Hartley — foreign coaches often find it tough to adapt in Russia, but Bob Hartley seems to be well acclimatized to a different hockey environment. April’s Gagarin Cup triumph with Avangard makes him only the second Canadian to lift the KHL’s top prize, following Mike Keenan’s success at Metallurg in 2014.
Iron men — any D-man will tell you that the role involves putting your body on the line, and Avangard duo Damir Sharipzyanov (116) and Alexei Emelin (115) are proving the point. Between them, they’ve blocked 231 shots this season, with Damir stop 116 to Alexei’s 115. That puts them out in front in the league.
Juniors — one consequence of the salary cap is teams’ increased willingness to give a chance to U20 players. Juniors don’t count under the cap, and clubs with good youth systems can gain a big competitive advantage. So far this season, among 148 KHL debutants, 80 are juniors. And that contributed to the decision to make Russia’s roster at the World Juniors an all-KHL affair, the first time no North American-based players were selected since 2005.
Krikunov — when 71-year-old coach Vladimir Krikunov left Dynamo Moscow at the end of last season, it seemed retirement might beckon at last for the grandfather of the KHL. But hockey is a lifelong passion, and the chance to return to the game as head coach at Dinamo Riga was too good to miss. Krikunov took charge in Latvia on Nov. 30.
Lacrosse goal — for any player, pulling off this audacious stunt is a bit special. So it’s unrealistic to expect a 16-year-old to do it and become his country’s youngest ever international goalscorer, right? Not when you’re Matvei Michkov, the 16-year-old sensation rewriting the record books for SKA and Team Russia this season.
— Хоккей России (@russiahockey) November 13, 2021
Marjamaki — Jokerit’s long-serving head coach Lauri Marjamaki posted a 3-2 win at Vityaz on Dec. 1 and wrote his name into the history books. That verdict gave him 128 wins in the KHL, moving him ahead of Kari Heikkala, who had 127 victories in his work at five clubs and making him the winningest Finnish coach in KHL history. Could Marjamaki be the man to take Jokerit deep into the playoffs for the first time?
National records — Marjamaki wasn’t the only Finn to set national records. Teemu Hartikainen’s blistering season for Salavat Yulaev saw him post 64 (28+36) points in regular season and set a new scoring record for a Finnish player in the league. Across the Baltic, Latvia’s Kaspars Daugavins also set a new national record, compiling 49 (17+32) points for Vityaz. And Hartikainen’s record goal tally is already under threat, with Vityaz’ newcomer Niko Ojamaki up to 27 already.
O’Neill — American forward Brian O’Neill is an adopted son of Helsinki these days. Last season, his fifth in the Finnish capital, saw him ranked the most effective player in the KHL with a +30 rating. He was also second in the league for assists with 42 helpers in regular season. Running at a point a game again, O’Neill looks poised for a second Olympic call-up with Team USA.
Pasquale — another likely Olympian, Eddie Pasquale, found his move to Lokomotiv went well. Last season he improved the numbers he had with Barys, claiming 32 wins across the season and boasting a GAA of just 1.24 in the playoffs. That all helped the Toronto-born netminder to win the goalie of the year prize.
Queens of the ice — it was a tough season for the Women’s Hockey League, with the grand final postponed due to COVID and ultimately played as a pre-season event immediately after the Women’s World Championship. Agidel recovered from its corona cases in the spring to sink defending champ KRS Vanke Rays in the deciding game of the final series. Olga Sosina was the talisman as the Ufa club secured its third championship in four seasons.
Retirements — the end of the 2020-2021 season was the end of two great careers. Sergei Mozyakin, Russian hockey’s all-time leading goalscorer, hung up his skates at the age of 40. In his final campaign, the two-time Gagarin Cup winner fulfilled a special ambition and played on the same line as his 20-year-old son Andrei. Pavel Datsyuk, triple gold member and magic man, also called time on his illustrious career, captaining his hometown team, Avtomobilist, in his final season before retiring at the age of 42.
Shipachyov — Dynamo’s captain continues to dominate KHL scoring. Last season he landed a pile of individual awards after piling up the points and this term he’s continued in the same vein. He goes into 2022 with a comfortable lead atop the scoring chart — his 64 points have him 14 ahead of closest challenger Andrei Kuzmenko. And he’s broken through the 800-point barrier, only the second player to do so in the KHL.
Traktor — after a shrewd summer recruitment campaign, Traktor looked like it could be a dark horse in this year’s championship. After four months’ action, it looks like a serious contender. Chelyabinsk goes into 2022 as the pacesetter, while Nikita Tertyshny’s 21 goals so far make the 23-year-old one of the arrivals of the season.
UAE — in December the KHL World Games went to Dubai and brought our hockey to a 15th country. Avangard played Ak Bars in a desert classic, attracting more than 5,000 fans in a country with limited hockey heritage. Given the COVID restrictions on capacity at the game, that’s the highest proportion of tickets sold at a World Games event so far. Ak Bars enjoyed its sunshine break more than Avangard, claiming a 3-1 win.
Veterans — the prospect of no NHLers at the upcoming Olympics has changed the game for many international hopefuls. Suddenly, the KHL is poised to provide the bulk of the players in Beijing — and that surely helped persuade Canadian duo Jason Demers and Eric Fehr to sign up for Ak Bars. The two had not played all season before going to the Channel 1 Cup, and after linking up in Moscow they agreed to stay in Russia and ink deals in Kazan.
Wideman — Justin Danforth was not the only KHL rookie to play himself into a trip to the World Championship. Torpedo’s defenseman Chris Wideman finished his debut season as the league’s top-scoring D-man with 41 (9+32) points in 59 games. That saw him join Team USA to win bronze in Riga before sealing a return to the NHL with the Canadiens.
X-factor — some players just have that happy knack of steering a team over the line and winning long-awaited trophies. Ilya Kovalchuk is undoubtedly one of them: last season he joined Avangard just before the deadline and helped the club win its first Gagarin Cup. That adds to helping SKA win its first title in 2015, ending Russia’s 15-year wait for World Championship gold back in 2008 and contributing to his country first Olympic gold roster since 1992. That’s quite an X-factor.
Ying — amid the preparations for Beijing, the KHL has been helping Team China finesse its roster. Kunlun Red Star has endured some uneven results, but there are signs that its youngsters are making progress. And Beijing-born forward Rudi Ying could be poised to grab headlines in his home town — earlier this month he became the first Chinese-born player to see a goal ranked in the top 3 for the week after scoring a beauty at Barys.
Generation Z — the KHL continues to invest in detailed research about our fans. The evidence suggests that the average age of KHL followers is 35. That’s great, but it also highlights the need to capture the attention of younger fans — so-called Generation Z — and ensure that our game stands out in a crowded social media environment. Which is why all clubs are being encouraged to devise specific promotions and offers to bring 0-18-year-olds into the arenas and get them involved in top-level hockey. It’s the future of our game, on and off the ice.
