Dinamo Minsk season review: Woodcroft’s records and an unusual pair of goalies
KHL.ru continues its review of the 2022-2023 season with a look at Dinamo Minsk’s campaign: the Belarusians met SKA for the third consecutive time in the playoffs and lost again. However, the series was much more hard-fought that in the previous seasons.
In recent years, the emphasis in Minsk was on the development of Belarusian youth, and in this regard, the 2022-2023 season proved to be very successful. A significant group of local players, born in the 21st century, was involved, and not only involved but nearly half of this group secured solid positions in the lineup. The goaltending brigade deserves a special mention, consisting of 20-year-old Alexei Kolosov and 22-year-old Konstantin Shostak (the roster also included 20-year-old Alexei Snytko, although he didn’t play a single second). Even for 60-game seasons, having a goaltending duo of only two players, without imports, is uncommon. And having two young goaltenders is nothing short of exceptional. Kolosov and Shostak may not have demonstrated anything phenomenal (they only managed one shutout between them for the entire season), but overall, they played well and contributed to the team’s successful qualification for the playoffs.
In the playoffs, for the third consecutive year, Minsk faced SKA, who was undoubtedly the favorite. In the very first game of the series, the Dinamo team surprised the favorite with a 6:4 victory. After four games, the series was tied at two. The fifth and sixth matches were then won by SKA, but the competition remained intense, and in both cases, the intrigue lasted until the final shifts. With the exception of the third game (a 4:0 victory for SKA), the series was not as lopsided as it often happens in the matchups between the first and eighth seeds (within the conference; in the overall standings, the gap was even more impressive — first and eighteenth place, respectively).
Best players
Roman Gorbunov and Cedric Paquette
17+13 in 67 games and 16+13 in 62
Despite Ryan Spooner being the team’s top scorer with a comfortable lead (52 points in 70 games), Gorbunov and Paquette were more indispensable. They spent more time on the ice and consistently played in both the power play and penalty kill units. Both players did a lot of the gritty work while also regularly contributing points.
As for Spooner, although his offensive contributions are undeniable, his catastrophic differential rating (-30, second-worst in the league only to Kunlun Red Star’s Zach Leslie) prevents him from being considered among the best players. It’s worth noting that Gorbunov ended the season with a +5 rating, while Paquette had +3, which are the highest among Dinamo Minsk’s forwards.
45 (9+36) points in 71 games
Duszak also ended the season with a negative differential rating, but his −11 doesn’t compare to Spooner’s −30. Nor does it match John Gilmour’s −21, who, by the way, played multiple games as a forward during the season and scored four and a half times fewer points than Duszak. Joseph was the main playmaker for the Minsk franchise, surpassing even Spooner in the assists race. Moreover, among all defensemen in the league last season, he achieved an impressive sixth place in terms of productivity.
43 (21+22) points in 72 games
Despite some inconsistence, Merkley’s performance can be attributed to his debut season in the KHL, and in Europe in general, excluding his 19 games in Finland two years ago. Nevertheless, he emerged as Minsk’s top goal scorer.
Head coach
Over the course of five seasons with Dinamo Minsk (with a two-year break), Craig Woodcroft coached in 303 games, which is the second highest record for foreign coaches in the KHL history (excluding coaches from former Soviet countries), and the first among North Americans. The aggressive style of hockey he instilled was quite entertaining, especially in the last two seasons, but it wasn’t always effective. Woodcroft was not afraid to experiment with the lineup, doing so not only to find optimal combinations but also in line with the development concept of the local youth, integrating them into the main team. The progress of the youth players undoubtedly improved, and Craig played a significant role in that.
Best game
In March 2021, Dinamo Minsk lost the series to SKA 1-4, and in March 2022, it was 0-4. The matchup record in the regular seasons was similar. Prior to the start of the series, in March 2023, Woodcroft said (and had said before) that with each defeat, he better understood how to counter SKA. Generally, this statement was perceived as a customary phrase. However, it turned out to be true. In the very first game of the series, Minsk performed on an equal footing, twice equalizing from 0:1 and 1:2 deficits, and ultimately winning 6:4. The fact that two of the six goals were scored into an empty net doesn’t diminish Minsk’s victory. And the fact that they lost three key players early in the game only adds to its significance.
Youngsters
With an average age of 26 years and 165 days, Dinamo Minsk’s lineup was young, with only SKA, Moscow Dynamo, Lokomotiv, Torpedo, Sochi, and Severstal being younger. In total, 16 players born in 2000 or later were involved, including nine debutants, which is quite significant. Vladimir Alistrov (15+18 in 73 games), Vitaly Pinchuk (10+8 in 67), and Nikita Pyshkailo (4+5 in 65, although his value extended beyond points) performed exceptionally well. Vadim Moroz (5+9 in 39 games) also had shining moments.
Goalies were mentioned before, while in defense, Woodcroft still preferred experienced players. Oleg Pozhigan and Timofei Kovgorenya appeared on the ice episodically, and Nikita Zorkin, who started the season with Sochi and continued with SKA, joined Dynamo Minsk (albeit on loan) just before the New Year.
Summer progress
Dynamo Minsk decided not to extend their cooperation with Woodcroft, and he was replaced by Dmitry Kvartalnov, one of the coaches with the most games and victories in the KHL history. It seems that Kvartalnov will continue the development course of the club’s own young players. The losses suffered by Dinamo Minsk in the offseason are significant, while there have been only two acquisitions so far: Alexander Volkov, obtained in a trade with SKA (although his contract has not been formally renewed), and Alexander Suvorov, who has returned from his loan spell in Cherepovets.
