Metallurg season review: the end of the Vorobyov era and a rebuild under Razin
KHL.ru continues its rundown of the 2022-2023 season with a look at Metallurg. Magnitka didn’t last the distance in the longest ever KHL regular season and, after Christmas, dropped from one of the leaders down to mid-table. Nonetheless, the Steelmen battled through the opening round of the playoffs before falling to Avangard in the second.
The season started with a painful Opening Cup reverse at CSKA: Metallurg lost 2-6, despite leading 2-0 after the first period. That early disappointment seemed to galvanize the team: in 24 games through September and October, only four ended with Magnitka failing to get at least a point. That put Ilya Vorobyov’s team on top of the Eastern Conference going into November. Then came the first warning sign — a run of four straight losses. The team put that right, and finished the year in the top four. However, it lost its grip on the lead.
In the new year, though, Metallurg came down like the Christmas decorations: in January and February the team only managed back-to-back wins on two occasions. That was good for 83 points, level with Avtomobilist and Sibir. On the tie-break, the Steelmen fell between the two in fifth place and went into the first round against Avtomobilist as the lower-ranked team.
There was little between the teams in the regular season, and little again in the playoffs. Seven games, three of them — including game seven — going to overtime, and Metallurg made it to round two to face Avangard for the third season in a row. But the draining battle with the Motormen took its toll and Magnitka could not lay a glove on the Hawks in a 0-4 reverse. That series sweep was harsh: in the opening game Metallurg fought back to tie the game but lost in OT. Game two saw a fightback from 0-3 fall just short. Game three followed a similar pattern on its way to overtime and only in game four did Avangard enjoy a relatively comfortable win.
Best players
59 (23+36) points in 77 games
Metallurg’s most active forward had an average of 18:30 per game. He led the team in goals and points, and was second for assists. In addition, he won 60% of his draws. There’s not much more you can ask from your first center.
27 (6+21) points in 70 games
There are plenty of instances where a North American stay-at-home defenseman reinvents himself in Europe. Kodie Curran did the opposition: at home, and in Scandinavia, he put up big points. In Magnitogorsk, though, he turned into a shot-blocking machine. He was among the top 10 in the league for blocked shots in the regular season. And his offensive contribution was nothing to sneeze at either, with only Yegor Yakovlev outstripping his 27 points from the blue line.
60 games, 27 wins, three shut-outs
Pasquale probably wouldn’t regard last season as his best in the KHL. He was a solid contender for the top 10 netminders in the league, but probably not the top five. That said, he did his work effectively and, notably, was one of the most active goalies in the league. Only Vasily Demchenko played more than Pasquale’s 50 games in the regular season.
Coaching
Ilya Vorobyov has spent almost his entire coaching career with Metallurg, missing only his first season at Lokomotiv and a one-year sabbatical with SKA. He started as an assistant coach here back in 2012 and in that time he’s been involved in four Gagarin Cup finals, winning two of them. The most recent final was in 2022, where he saw his team blow a 3-1 lead and lose to CSKA in seven games. After that, Metallurg retained the core of its team and went into this season as a clear contender for honors. However, there were changes off the ice as assistant coaches Viktor Ignatiev and Mark French moved on. During the season, Metallurg recruited Dmitry Ryabykin after his departure from Avangard. Ryabykin’s arrival had an instant effect, with Magnitka winning 7-4 against his former club. However, Ryabykin also carried the can for the team’s struggles in the New Year and, after his dismissal, the Steelmen managed rare back-to-back wins.
Despite a little-changed roster and the same head coach, Metallurg’s class of 2023 was very different from the previous season. The club management was not impressed with the outcome and Vorobyov was released from his contract at the end of the campaign. Andrei Razin, successful on a tight budget at Severstal, will take charge for the coming season.
Best game
In the first round of the playoffs, Avtomobilist were up 3-2 after five games. Moreover, Magnitka’s two wins came in OT, while the Motormen won games four and five by a combined score of 10-3. The sixth, with Metallurg in the last chance saloon, was nip and tuck for two and a half periods as the teams traded goals. Nick Ebert cancelled out Pavel Akolzin’s opener, Sergei Shirokov wiped out Semyon Koshelev’s marker, then Curtis Valk tied it up after Grigory Dronov again gave Metallurg the edge. Akolzin struck again, giving the home team the lead for the fourth time. This time, it held and Denis Zernov sealed the win with an empty-netter. Two days later, an overtime win in Yekaterinburg sent Metallurg to the next round.
Youngsters
Metallurg had the oldest roster in the league, with an average age of 28 years, 280 days. Only veteran goalie Vasily Koshechkin was over 35, but at the other end of the scale Danila Yurov was the only youngster to feature regularly. Indeed, he didn’t always get much ice time, but he made an impact when given the chance. As Metallurg rebuilds its offense, Yurov is likely to get more opportunities but at present it’s hard to say whether he is ready for an upturn in game time and a bigger role on the team. However, it’s clear that Nikita Grebyonkin will be staking a claim for a place on the team after returning from his loan to Amur with the Rookie of the Year award.
Summer work
A major rebuild awaits in Magnitogorsk. The goaltending brigade is set for a complete revamp and so, in all probability, are the imports. On defense, there are relative few losses and these have already been addressed: Razin brought Robin Press and Makar Khabarov with him from Severstal. Nikita Mikhailis’ arrival from Barys is another clear plus, but at the moment he faces the impossible task of replacing four of last season’s top six scorers after the departures of Maillet, Brendan Leipsic, Nikolai Goldobin and Andrei Chibisov.
