Torpedo season preview: learning from the Professor

At the very beginning of the offseason, Torpedo impressed the fans with the appointment of Igor Larionov as head coach. Now the famous Professor will try to get the team back to the playoffs. KHL.ru continues its report on the summer activity around the league with a look at Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

Last season

Torpedo, staking on attacking hockey, failed to make its style truly effective. Nizhny Novgorod became the team with the most shots in the league, but the then David Nemirovsky’s troops had serious problems with their execution. As a result, Torpedo finished only ninth in the West, five points behind Dinamo Minsk with the same number of games. For the first time in nine years, Torpedo was left without a playoff spot.

Roster

Arrivals

Goalkeeper: Ivan Kulbakov (Dynamo Moscow);

Defense: Daniil Bokun (Shakhtar, Belarus, try-out), Ziyat Paigin (Timra, SHL), Anton Sizov (Dizel, VHL, try-out)

Forwards: Alexander Daryin (Lokomotiv), Nikolay Kovalenko (Ak Bars), Lev Komissarov (CSKA, losn), Alexey Kruchinin (Sibir, try-out), Igor Larionov (Mora, Sweden-2, try-out), Yu Sato (Lincoln, USHL), Alexey Sergeyev (Rulav Odd, Ukraine, try-out), Kirill Voronin (Dinamo Minsk), Denis Yan (Grand Rapids, AHL);

Remaining

Goalkeeper: Andrei Tikhomirov;

Defense: Danil Butenko, Mark Marin, Georgy Misharin, Mikhail Orlov, Maxim Fedotov;

Forwards: Kenny Agostino, Andrei Belevich, Sergei Goncharuk, Artyom Mikheyev, Denis Pochivalov, Kirill Urakov, Danil Veryayev, Denis Vengryzhanovsky.

Departures

Goalkeeper: Alexey Murygin (Neftekhimik);

Defense: Yegor Martynov (Dynamo Moscow), Pavel Turbin (Amur);

Forwards: Ivan Chekhovich (Lokomotiv, trade), Mikhail Varnakov (Lada, VHL), Damir Zhafyarov (SKA).

The Nizhny Novgorod boards made a couple of interesting moves this summer. For example, Nikolai Kovalenko, who has grown into a solid player over the past couple of seasons, transferred from Ak Bars to Torpedo. The lineup also added a very exotic import – the first in the history of the KHL Japanese player Yu Sato, who once played for the famous Krylya Sovetov academy. The problem, however, is that Torpedo lost a few very good players this summer. For example, Mikhail Varnakov. Last season didn’t go well at all, but he is a cult player for the club and the city, and his leaving will not pass without a trace. One of the leading defensemen, Yegor Martynov, left to Dynamo Moscow, while the talented forward Ivan Chekhovich moved to Lokomotiv. But the biggest loss for Torpedo this summer is Damir Zhafyarov’s move to SKA. The Torpedo management could not compensate for the departure of such a productive player by inviting an equal star to the side’s lineup.

Coaching

Torpedo became the author of one of the most-chatted-about moves of the offseason – the talk here is not about players, but about the head coach. The day after the seventh game of the Gagarin Cup finals, Nizhny Novgorod drew attention to itself with the announcement of the appointment of Igor Larionov as the team’s new head coach. The legendary Professor has not yet worked as a head coach in club hockey, but it seems that Torpedo is the perfect place to start his career as a coach of a KHL side. First, there are plenty of young and win-hungry guys on the roster, and it was with young players that Larionov worked with in the national team system. Second, Larionov’s offensive style of play coincides perfectly with his philosophy: “Our game will be aimed at attacking. We are not interested in playing for a 1-0 result. We want to score a lot in every game. That is what our trainings are already aimed at.”

Goalies

Andrei Tikhomirov and Ivan Kulbakov will play at the last line for Torpedo. Before the start of the season, Tikhomirov looks more like a potential number one for Nizhny Novgorod. His entire career is inextricably linked to Torpedo, and last season he showed solid play, proving that Andrei is ready for the role of a KHL starter.

At the same time, Kulbakov’s last season was uneventful – a couple of games for Vityaz and a move to Dynamo Moscow, where the goalie immediately found himself on the sidelines behind Alexander Yeryomenko and Ivan Bocharov. Kulbakov can certainly make up for lost time in Nizhny Novgorod, however. Especially since the Torpedo goalies will be working under Nikolai Khabibulin – the list of true legends on the Torpedo staff doesn’t end with Larionov.

Defense

Ziyat Paigin returned to Torpedo after a spring trip to Sweden. He has two seasons in Nizhny Novgorod, in each of which he scored at least 15 points. Not only does he score, but he also effectively shut down opposing offenses – last season’s 75 blocked shots speak for themselves. Mark Marin is also good on offense. The 26-year-old large-framed blueliner led all Torpedo defensemen in hits, and his current contract with the club is valid through 2024.

Georgy Misharin is Torpedo’s top veteran and one of the few who has played in every KHL season. Misharin begins his fifteenth year in the League with 702 games played on his career card. Of those, 132 were for Torpedo. Torpedo’s defense didn’t change much, and the newcomers are still on try-out contracts: Daniil Bokun, who played in Dinamo Minsk, and Anton Sizov, who played six seasons for Severstal, but played in the VHL last term.

Offense

If excluding Zhafyarov, Kenny Agostino was Torpedo’s top scorer last season (20+20 in 46 games). The contract with the American was extended by the club back in the winter, but in the current circumstances Torpedo fans couldn’t help but worry – will Kenny return this summer? He did. And he is ready to rock again in the blue jersey.

Torpedo has plenty of forwards who seem to be out of the prospects category, but who clearly haven’t reached their peak yet. For example, this list could include Sergei Goncharuk, Danil Veryayev and Andrei Belevich. Each of them has their own strengths, which Larionov will try to develop: “Our job is to give the guys confidence that they can play. If everybody is 10-15% better than they are now, it will be a big result.”

Youngsters

As a result of the trade with Lokomotiv, Torpedo lost Chekhovich, but gained Loko’s Kharlamov Cup winner Alexander Daryin. The 21-year-old has yet to really get used to the KHL level. In his two seasons with Lokomotiv, he has played only 16 games.

In general, Larionov’s selection of young players is incredibly rich. The club can count on a dozen of players born in 2002 and almost a dozen more who are a year or two older. For example, Denis Vengryzhanovsky. The 21-year-old forward played nine games for the last two seasons, but now he is desperately fighting for a place in the squad and is effective in preseason games. The Fedotov brothers are also worth a mention. The older one, 20-year-old Maxim, plays on the blue line. He has already played 20 games in the KHL, where he scored 2 (1 +1) points. The younger one, 19-year-old Ilya, is a forward. He has two goals in 35 games in the league. They spent part of last season in the JHL with Chaika, with Maxim scoring 14 points in 24 games, and Ilya producing 15 in 20.

Expectations

Experimentation from Larionov, charming and reckless play, and a return to the playoffs. Having lost its biggest star of recent years, Torpedo is unlikely to fly very high, but the team can definitely compete for a trip to the elimination stage (even if getting there from the eighth seed).