Grebyonkin, Konyushkov, and Nikulin finalists for Rookie of the Year

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Alexei Cherepanov award, whose recipient is the top rookie of the 2022-2023 season.

The Alexei Cherepanov award recipient is determined by a vote among all the Kontinental Hockey League head coaches. Amur’s Nikita Grebyonkin, Torpedo’s Bogdan Konyushkov, and Lokomotiv’s Stepan Nikulin are the three finalists for the 2022-2023 edition.

Nikita Grebyonkin (Amur)

53 GP, 26 (9+17) points

Grebyonkin started the 2022-2023 campaign with Metallurg, but was then loaned to Amur. For the Khabarovsk side, he played 45 games, becoming one of the team’s top scorers. Grebyonkin was awarded best rookie of January and twice the best rookie of the week.

Bogdan Konyushkov (Torpedo)

74 GP, 30 (2+28) points

Konyushov was among the league leaders for time on ice and passes percentage throughout the season. Last year, the defenseman lined up for Dizel in the VHL, earlier playing in the NMHL for the Penza organization. He ended the season with Chaika in the MHL, helping Torpedo’s junior team lifting the Kharlamov Cup. During the 2022-2023 campaign, Konyushkov was awarded best rookie of the week and best rookie of the playoff’s second round.

Stepan Nikulin (Lokomotiv)

73 GP, 39 (16+23) points

Nikulin was the top scorer among all the rookies in the league. Moreover, he managed to achieve such a feat in a team with a high level of internal competition. During the season, he was named the best rookie in December and the best rookie of the week three times.

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

The Closing Ceremony for the 2022-2023 season will be held on May 18, 2023.