Gritsyuk, Khusnutdinov, and Rashevsky finalists for Rookie of the Year

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Alexei Cherepanov award, whose recipient is the top rookie of the 2021-2022 season.

The Alexei Cherepanov award recipient is determined by a vote among all the Kontinental Hockey League head coaches. Avangard’s Alexei Gritsyuk, SKA’s Marat Khusnutdinov, and Dynamo Moscow’s Dmitry Rashevsky are the three finalists for the 2021-2022 edition.

Arseny Gritsyuk (Avangard)

52 GP, 38 (22+16) points

Gritsyuk broke into the KHL and quickly became a key player for Avangard, especially in the playoffs. Gritsyuk was the second-leading scorer and top sniper for his team in the elimination stage. As a member of the Russian national team, Gritsyuk helped the Alexei Zhamnov’s squad getting back with a silver medal at the Olympic Games in China. Arseny became the first player to be named Rookie of the Month for three times in the regular season.

Marat Khusnutdinov (SKA)

48 GP, 16 (6+10) points

The youngest among the finalists for the Alexei Cherepanov Award is Marat Khusnutdinov, a forward for St. Petersburg SKA, who has become an integral part of the team this season. His time on ice increased from 7 to 14 minutes compared to last season, and he also plays in the special teams. Khusnutdinov was the captain of the Russian team at the World Junior Championship, which was not completed this winter in Canada.

Dmitry Rashevsky (Dynamo Moscow)

59 GP, 38 (21+17) points.

Rashevsky started the season with a five-game point streak, producing nine points in five appearances for the Blue-and-Whites. While Gritsyuk became the best rookie in November, December and January, it was Rashevsky who won the nomination for the very first two months of the season. The forward spent the rest of the season in the VHL, representing Dynamo St. Petersburg, where he scored 10 (4+6) points in 11 playoff games.

Ilya Proskuryakov, Anatoly Nikontsev, Pavel Zdunov, Dmitry Lugin, Valery Nichushkin, Andrei Vasilevsky, Maxim Mamin, Artem Alyayev, Vladimir Tkachyov, Vitaly Kravtsov, Ilya Konovalov, Artyom Galimov, and Yegor Chinakhov have won this award in the past.

The Closing Ceremony for the 2021-2022 season will be held on May 19, 2022.