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Severstal season review. Razin’s last dance in Cherepovets
KHL.ru continues to review the 2022-2023 season with a trip to Cherepovets. Severstal made it to the elimination round and gave CSKA a good run for its money, losing only in the series’ seventh game.
In recent years, Severstal has already accustomed its fans to being a very bold and young team that doesn’t back down in the face of authority. The 2022-2023 season was no exception. Severstal treated the home crowd to numerous exciting matches, both in the regular season and the playoffs, engaging in a fierce battle with CSKA in the first round.
The best-of-seven series became a true highlight of the Gagarin Cup elimination stage: it featured a nail-biting game where Severstal clinched a victory in the second OT, a thrilling match in Cherepovets that ended with a crushing 9:3 victory for CSKA, and the impressive 3:0 shutout win for the Steelers in the sixth encounter. The seventh game was also a success!
However, Cherepovets fell short in that game, trailing 2:0. They couldn’t capitalize on this advantage and create a sensation. It could have been a beautiful story, as Severstal came so close to advancing to the second round, a feat the club achieved only once in the history of the KHL, exactly ten years ago.
Top players
41 (21+20) points in 70 games
It was another solid season for Daniil Vovchenko. The Severstal’s leader set a new personal record for points in the regular season (36), and at the same time broke two important club records. First, he climbed to the top of the list for most points scored for Severstal in the KHL, surpassing Vadim Shipachyov (achieving a total of 217 points at the end of the season). Later, Vovchenko became the first Severstal player to score 100 goals for the club in the League.
48 (14+34) points in 73 games
And although Vovchenko was a force for his team, Severstal’s top scorer in the past season was Igor Geraskin. However, Geraskin achieved this through his assists, as he ranked fourth in the team in goal scoring, trailing behind Vovchenko and two Alexanders, Petunin and Suvorov.
48 (13+35) in 71 games
Press had an exemplary season, playing the role of an offensive defenseman who enjoys handling the puck. The Swede made it into the top five scorers among defensemen for the season, and when it came to power play effectiveness (9 goals), he had no equal among blueliners.
Head coach
The past season marked the fifth and final one for Andrei Razin in Cherepovets. During this time, the coach transformed Severstal from a modest team that missed the playoffs into a regular participant in the first round. And not just a participant, but a highly competitive one — the seven-game series against Dynamo and CSKA in the last two seasons are a true testament to that.
“I believe that at this stage, I have exhausted myself in the Severstal hockey club. I can already feel that I sometimes say the same things, repeat myself. Motivating the guys has become very difficult. You can come up with new strategies, but motivational speeches, when you’re repeating yourself, simply aren’t going to work. I need to reset. Personally. And I think it will be beneficial for the guys as well,” Razin summarized his work in the club.
Best game
At the very beginning of the season, Severstal played an absolutely insane game against Metallurg on the road, which was talked about for a long time afterward. The Cherepovets team was trailing 0:3 during the game, but managed to equalize the score and snatch the victory! The comeback was made even more epic by the fact that Severstal scored the second, third, and winning goals in OT with an extra skater and an empty net. The game’s main hero was Alexander Petunin — not only did he equalize the score in the final minute of regulation time but also scored the decisive tally in extratime.
Youngsters
Severstal was one of the youngest teams last year. The large number of forwards who played for the team significantly influenced the average age. Among them, players like Nikita Guslistov (5+11), Alexander Suvorov (16+12), and Ruslan Abrosimov (13+17).
Additionally, Ilya Ivantsov (2+16) and Nikita Rozhkov (6+5) deserve special mention for scoring their first goals in the KHL and the Gagarin Cup this season.
Among the defensemen, the most notable U23 player was Daniil Pylenkov, who joined Severstal from SKA as part of a trade. In 29 games for Cherepovets, the 22-year-old defenseman accumulated 19 points (4+15).
Summer progress
Severstal was one of the most mentioned teams in the news this offseason. Following Andrei Razin’s departure, Robin Press and Makar Khabarov left the team to join Metallurg. Severstal also made a significant trade with Salavat Yulaev, where goaltender Alexander Samonov went to Ufa, and Severstal received a monetary compensation and promising young forward Danil Aimurzin.
Looking at Severstal’s acquisitions, it is evident that the management maintains a focus on youth. However, they also recognize the importance of signing experienced players. In the offseason, the team added 33-year-old Canadian defenseman Mark Barberio, who played for Dinamo Minsk last season.
