Dinamo Minsk preview: in search of playoff progress

Dinamo Minsk has been one of the busiest clubs this summer, making substantial changes to the roster. Will that be enough to take the Bison beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time? KHL.ru investigates.

Last season

The regular season had its ups and downs, with the team at times pushing towards the top of the conference but also briefly dropping out of the top eight. Overall, there was a lack of consistency. Notable wins over Ak Bars (4-3 OT), Traktor (5-0), Metallurg (1-0) and other leaders were interspersed with losses against the likes of Torpedo (1-2 and 0-4), Vityaz (1-4) Amur (0-3) and Sochi (3-4 OT). Ultimately, Dinamo finished eighth in the West with 54 points from 47 games (57.45%) and faced SKA in the first round of the playoffs.

The series began with a painful 3-8 loss in Petersburg. The Belarusians made a partial recovery from that blow but were unable to win a single game in the series.

Roster

Arrivals

Goalie: Konstantin Shostak (Severstal, loan)

Defense: Mark Barberio (Ak Bars), John Gilmour (CSKA), Alexei Emelin (Avangard), Shawn Lalonde (Assat, FIN), Ilya Sushko (Brest, BLR)

Forwards: Roman Gorbunov (Shakhter, BLR), Valentin Demchenko (Spartak), Daniil Ilyin (Admiral, try-out), Brandon Kozun (Lokomotiv), Nik Merkley (New Jersey, NHL), Cedric Paquette (Montreal, NHL), Vitaly Pinchuk (Metallurg, BLR), Dmitry Sokolov (Avangard, loan), Ryan Spooner (Avtomobilist), Mikhail Shalagin (AKM, VHL, loan)

Remaining

Goalie: Alexei Kolosov

Defense: Dmitry Deryabin, Dmitry Korobov, Sergei Sapego, Ilya Shinkevich

Forwards: Vladimir Alistrov, Dmitry Buinitsky, Pavel Varfolomeyev, Sergei Kuznetsov, Igor Martynov, Denis Mosalyov, Nikita Pyshkailo

Departures

Goalie: Sergei Bolshakov (AKM, VHL), Patrik Rybar (Spartak)

Defense: Adam Almqvist, Rinat Valiyev (Admiral), Pavel Denisov (Severstal), Vladislav Yeryomenko (Metallurg), Anton Lindholm (Leksands, SWE)

Forwards: Taylor Beck (Sibir), Kirill Voronin (Torpedo), Tyler Graovac (Vityaz), Artyom Demkov (Spartak), Mario Kempe, Alexander Kogalev (Ugra, VHL), Alexander Suvorov (Severstal, loan), Mattias Tedenby (HV71, SWE), Ilya Usov (Tampa Bay, NHL)

Dinamo had a very successful time on the transfer market, attracting several top quality players with KHL experience (eg Emelin, Gilmour, Spooner, Kozun) as well as interesting new imports such as Cedric Paquette, who won the Stanley Cup in 2020.

Among the departures, apart from the imports who left, Vladislav Yeryomenko and Ilya Usov will be missed. Both established themselves as big players at a young age. In Yeryomenko’s case, Dinamo did not match the offer made to an restricted free agent; Usov opted to take his chance to play in North America.

Coaching

Craig Woodcroft is a good representative of the foreign coaches in the KHL. Under his guidance, Dinamo has played fast, aggressive hockey and repeatedly made the playoffs. The only thing missing in the Belarusian capital is the chance to see more than a first-round exit. 

Woodcroft himself has the same target: “In its history, this club has never won a playoff series. It seems to me that it’s time to change that. In recent years we’ve made it to the knock-out stage but haven’t made it past the first round. Step by step, we’ll achieve that aim. We want to be successful, to make Belarus proud of us,” he said in an interview with the Belarusian Hockey Federation.

Goalies

In pre-season, Dinamo acquired Konstantin Shostak from Severstal and he should form an interesting goaltending partnership with Alexei Kolosov. Neither of these two young goalies have had a season as first choice for their clubs. The question is whether either of these guys has the experience to overcome difficulties over the course of the season. It’s possible that we’ll see another netminder arrive before the deadline, but for now young Yan Shostak is training as the third goalie.

Defense

This is where Minsk has most notably strengthened this summer. You can judge for yourself: Gagarin Cup winners Alexei Emelin and John Gilmour, plus Mark Barberio, who made a good NHL career for himself before joining Ak Bars, albeit briefly. Moreover, Shawn Lalonde returns to the KHL from Finland and Woodcroft still has Dmitry Korobov and Ilya Shinkevich to call on. Clearly, competition for places on Dinamo’s blue line will be vigorous.

Offense

Vladimir Alistrov’s eye-catching progress last season makes him stand out among the returnees. Pavel Varfolomeyev has six goals in pre-season, and Denis Mosalyov continues to bring vast experience. Among the new faces, two are returning to the club: Ryan Spooner and Brandon Kozun both produced 30+ points in their seasons with Minsk. It will be interesting to see how Paquette and Nick Merkley get on. For both NHLers, quick adaptation to a new team and system will be crucial. Finally, Dmitry Sokolov will hope for a chance in the KHL after arriving on loan from Avangard. Last season he performed well in the VHL.

Youngsters

Dinamo’s roster has several players who have established themselves at the age of 20 or 21. Kolosov (20) and Alistrov (21) lead the way, while 22-year-old Nikita Pyshkailo made his debut last season. The management continues to seek out promising youngsters. Vitaly Pinchuk returns from Metallurg Zhlobin, while Mikhail Shalagin comes from the VHL. Given Woodcroft’s willingness to trust young players, both are likely to get a chance to build on their brief existing experience in the KHL.

Expectations

In pre-season, Dinamo won four and lost four. That won’t be enough to secure a higher finish than last season. However, if things go well, the Bison can hope to push for a top-five finish in the West. That would keep them away from the top teams in the West at the start of the playoffs. However, several factors are at play: how quickly the new imports fit in, good fortune with injuries and consistency over a 68-game regular season. However, the upcoming season looks like as good a chance as any for Dinamo to finally get beyond the first round of the playoffs.