Imports’ help in playoffs qualification battles. 22nd week’s top imports
Kalnins a giant between the piping for Amur, Campbell finds his groove with the Dragons. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Latvia
G, Amur, 4 G, 3 W, 95.52%, GAA 1.46, 1 SO
Last week Janis Kalnins, the standout goaltender for Amur, has once again proven his worth for the Tigers. For the third time in his career, Kalnins has earned the title of Best Goalie. With a string of impressive performances last week, he led Amur to two wins and one additional shootout victory. The skilled netminder faced a barrage of 134 shots, averaging 33.5 per night, yet he remained undaunted. His saves percentage was a stellar 95.52% and his goals-against average a mere 1.46. On Wednesday, Kalnins anchored Amur to a commanding 3-0 victory over Sibir, recording his first shutout of the season. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Kalnins has been recognized for his efforts. In 2016-2017, he was named Best Goalie for the fifth week while representing Dinamo Riga and in 2019-2020, he earned the same honor while playing for Jokerit.
United States
D, Dinamo Minsk, 3 G, 3 (1+2) points, +2
The Belarusian franchise is trying to hard to get in playoffs places – just like Amur – and Duszak is giving his contribute. He’s currently one of the top-scoring defensemen in the league, being fourth for blue-line production with 37 (7+30) points. Last week, Duszak had a huge performance for Minsk when Dinamo defeated Magnitka 4:2 at home – the blueliner had a pair of helpers propelling Igor Martynov’s double, and a plus-3 differential as Dinamo had a nice, well-timed win as the fight for a playoffs place in the West continues. Two days later, on Saturday, Duszak potted his seventh of the season in a Dinamo Minsk’s losing effort against Torpedo (2:3). The Belarusian franchise needs Duszak’s production from the blue line to keep on having hopes to fall into the Western top eight.
Canada
F, Kunlun Red Star, 2 G, 4 (2+2) points, +1
Differently from Dinamo Minsk, the Dragons have lost any playoffs hope, but in their last week’s efforts Canadian forward Colin Campbell had a significant impact on the team. Differently from most of the players in the team, the forward was acquired by Kunlun Red Star with the season already going, having signed with the Dragons close to the trade deadline after starting the 2022-2023 campaign in Slovakia with HC Kosice. Last week, Campbell had two strong performances with Kunlun – despite the Dragons losing both matches. First, he had an assist when Kunlun Red Star lost to Dinamo Minsk – he also posted a plus-1 differential that night. On Feb 1, the Dragons faced CSKA in Moscow, and Campbell potted his first KHL double as he finally got the ball rolling after a quiet start. He also added a helper that night. The Dragons are now out of the playoffs, and with fewer pressure, maybe Campbell’s production will rise even further.
Sweden
D, Severstal, 2 G, 2 (1+1) points, +1
The Swedish blueliner is having a tremendous season in Cherepovets, and last week he further helped the team getting a inch closer to the postseason helping the team achieving two victories – and what opponents did they face – against Metallurg and Lokomotiv. Press posted no points against Magnitka, but he did end the game with a plus-1 differential, then had one goal and one helper in the win over Lokomotiv, assisting on Ruslan Abrosimov’s tally in the second period – the eventual game-winner, and scoring himself his 11th of the season. Cherepovets is currently the eighth seed in the West, and while the fight isn’t over yet, they have a four-point gap over Spartak.
