This week saw two new coaching appointments, the start of the summer trading season and the first nominees for the KHL’s official end-of-season awards.
Imports decide futures
May 1 saw the start of this summer’s trading among unrestricted free agents. Almost immediately, several imports were on the move. Two Slovaks, forward Michal Kristof and defenseman Michal Cajkovsky, are looking forward to new challenges. Kristof is swapping Admiral for Sochi. The forward had 34 (8+26) points in 58 games last season. Cajkovsky, a familiar figure in the KHL, is going from Sibir to Spartak. Czech d-man Libor Sulak, Amur’s leading scorer last season, is on the way to Avangard while another blue liner, Sweden’s Robin Press, is swapping Severstal for Metallurg.
Two North American players clarified their futures as well. Cedric Paquette, who played his first KHL season with Dinamo Minsk last season, is going to Dynamo Moscow. Paquette, 29, a former Stanley Cup winner, had 29 (16+13) points in 62 games including playoffs. Anthony Camara, meanwhile, agreed an extension at Neftekhimik where he scored 33 (14+19) points in 69 games last term.
Severstal unveils head coach Andrei Kozyrev
Severstal announced Andrei Kozyrev as its new head coach. The 49-year-old is taking on his first head coach role in the KHL as he steps up to replace Andrei Razin. Previously, Kozyrev served as an assistant for Severstal in 2016-2017, and also worked at Vityaz, Lokomotiv, Torpedo and several teams within SKA’s system. As a player, the defenseman spent five seasons in Cherepovets in a much-travelled career around Russia, Ukraine, the USA, Sweden and France.
Martemyanov goes back to Amur
Andrei Martemyanov returns to Khabarovsk, replacing Vadim Yepanchintsev as head coach. Martemyanov, who left Sibir at the end of the season, previously worked with the Tiger from 2-16-2018. A familiar figure on the KHL circuit, the 60-year-old has also led Avtomobilist, the club where he spent much of his playing career.
First nominees announced
The season’s official closing ceremony is planned for May 18. Last week saw the first nominees for the end-of-season awards. The top goalie will be chosen from Nikita Serebryakov (Admiral), Daniil Isayev (Lokomotiv) and Maxim Dorozhko (Vityaz). Meanwhile, rookie of the year is a choice between Bogdan Konyushkov (Torpedo), Stepan Nikulin (Lokomotiv) and Nikita Grebyonkin (on loan to Amur from Lokomotiv).
Three wins for Russia U25s
Russia u25 enjoyed a week of good results against Belarus and Kazakhstan. Roman Rotenberg’s team played four games, beginning with back-to-back wins over Belarus in Chelyabinsk. The opening game saw the Russians win 4-0, with two goals from Valentin Zykov and a shut-out for Daniil Isayev. The following day, Zykov collected four more points in a 6-2 victory. Then the action moved to Kazakhstan, with Russia winning 3-0 on a shut-out from Nikita Serebryakov and two goals from Nikolai Polyakov. Then came the only loss of the week when Russia went down 4-7 against Belarus. Marat Khairullin scored twice for Russia, with Dinamo Minsk prospect Timofei Kovgorenya matching that for the Belarusians.
WHL shortlists MVP contenders
The Women’s Hockey League named the three candidates for this year’s MVP. Goalies Anna Prugova (Agidel) and Daria Gredzen (Biryusa) will compete with Dynamo Neva forward Alexandra Vafina for the prize, which is due to be awarded on May 18. Prugova, 25, backstopped Agidel to the title, with three shut-outs in the playoffs on top of six in the regular season. She also had 230-minute shut-out streak, the best in the league this season. Gredzen had a league-leading 21 wins in the regular season, and matched Prugova’s six shut-outs. Vafina got the nod after hitting top form in the playoffs to drive Dynamo to the final. She scored six goals in 10 games, the best in the competition, and converted 25% of her shots in post season.
