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More wins for Russia, Worlds start in Finland and Latvia — the KHL week in review
International hockey was the focus last week, with Russia’s U25s continuing the series against Belarus while the World Championship got underway. At home, Lada confirmed its first players on its return to the KHL, and the league announced more nominees for the big prizes at the closing ceremony on Thursday.
Three wins for Russia over Belarus
With no World Championship action, Russia’s U25s played three more games against Belarus as its national tour continues. The sequence began in Krasnoyarsk on May 9, where two goals from SKA’s Vasily Glotov set the team on the way to a 5-1 victory. Then Roman Rotenberg and his players moved on to Tula for two more meetings. On Friday, the Russians came from behind to win 4-1. Valentin Zykov had a goal and an assist, moving to 9 (6+3) points from four games. Saturday brought a 2-1 victory in OT with Glotov potting the game-winner. The teams meet again in Minsk next week, playing two games on May 15 and 16.
Kazakhstan pulls off a shock
As the 2023 IIHF World Championship got underway in Finland and Latvia, Kazakhstan produced an early sensation. The Kazakh roster was badly affected by changes that prevent dual nationals from holding a Kazakh passport. As a result, many established senior players are no longer available and the team drew heavily on players from the Kazakh league, seasoned with KHL veterans. That mix proved effective in the opening game, inspiring a fightback from 1-3 down to defeat Norway in a shoot-out. Roman Starchenko potted the decisive attempt in the extras.
Amur forward impresses at Worlds
Slovenian international Jan Drozg, who played last season with Amur Khabarovsk, made an impact at the World Championship this week. He scored twice on Canada, giving newly-promoted Slovenia a surprise lead against one of the tournament favorites. It wasn’t enough to inspire a shock victory, but Drozg insisted his team could take positives from a 2-5 loss in Riga.
HC Sochi signs Graham
Canadian defenseman Jesse Graham is on his way to Sochi after signing a two-year deal with the Leopards. Last season, the 29-year-old played for Barys. He had 19 assists in 66 games in his rookie KHL campaign. Prior to that, Graham had five seasons in the AHL before moving to Europe and representing clubs in Slovakia, Finland and Germany.
Lada names first signings
As it prepares to rejoin the KHL next season, Lada confirmed its first signings of the summer. Defenseman Nikolai Glukhov has an extension with the team after playing in the VHL last season. The 28-year-old has 119 KHL appearances for Avangard, Traktor, Sibir and Admiral. The other two are very much future considerations. Twenty-year-old goalie Daniil Zakharov has played the past three seasons in Lada’s junior team, while defenseman Matvei Krivonozhin, 16, is another MHL prospect.
The old faces the new
The nominees for the KHL’s Coach of the Year award are a fascinating trio. It’s little surprise to see the Gagarin Cup finalists, Zinetula Bilyaletdinov and Sergei Fedorov, on the shortlist. They are joined by Igor Larionov. Collectively, this troika represents vast coaching experience in the shape of Bilyaletdinov, an authoritative figure behind the bench throughout the KHL’s 15-year history. Yet it also includes two of the most exciting new coaches, with Larionov and Fedorov just beginning to translate their renowned playing skills into the new challenge of developing players and building winning teams. The prize will be awarded at the KHL’s official closing ceremony on May 18.
Bilyaletdinov, Fyodorov, and Larionov named finalists for Best Coach award
Three MVP candidates
The KHL also announced the nominees for the Golden Stick award, which goes to the regular season MVP. This year’s top trio are SKA’s impressive young defenseman Alexander Nikishin, his free-scoring team-mate Dmitrij Jaskin and Ak Bars forward Alexander Radulov, who was third in KHL scoring behind the Czech.
Nikishin, Radulov, and Jaskin named finalists for Golden Stick award
