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Dietz’s commanding play and Huska’s saves. Top imports
CSKA and Torpedo had good weeks, and so did their leading imports. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Canada
D, CSKA
3 G, 4 (2+2) points, +7
The CSKA D-man claimed the title of Best defenseman for the eighth time in his KHL career, this time donning the CSKA jersey. In just three games, Dietz showcased his skills with 4 points (2 goals and 2 assists), while maintaining an immaculate plus-7 rating for the week. His goal in the commanding victory against Vityaz (9:1) not only contributed to the scoreline but also sealed the game for CSKA.
Dietz’s impact extended beyond the scoresheet as he confirmed his defensive acumen by blocking six shots. Notably, his previous seven Best defenseman accolades came during his tenure with Barys, and this was thus the first time that he got the award with the Muscovites.
Slovakia
G, Torpedo
2 G, 2 W, 94.34%, 1.51 GAA
The Slovakian netminder had an excellent week last time around, winning the starting goalie position off Ivan Kulbakov. He first stopped 26 shots when Torpedo collected a win in Mytishchi over Kunlun Red Star – he allowed two goals, with the Nizhny Novgorod squad grabbing a 4:2 victory on Thursday. Two days later, Huska was excellent again, just like the whole Torpedo team. Igor Larionov’s young guns secured a sensational 7:1 win in Moscow over Dynamo, with the Slovak netminder stopping 24 shots. Torpedo is currently the second seed in the Western Conference, and Huska is a huge part of the team’s success.
Canada/Germany
F, Avtomobilist
3 G, 3 (3+0) points, +1
The Canadian-born forward was as usual one of the top offensive weapons in the Motormen’s arsenal contributing with one goal in each of last week’s games – all won by Avtomobilist. The Yekaterinburg franchise is currently trailing only Metallurg for the leadership in the Eastern Conference, and Macek’s goals have been instrumental to the cause. The forward’s victims last week were Admiral, Amur, and Sibir, and Macek has also accumulated a plus-1 rating in Avtomobilist’s OT win over the Tigers on Tuesday. Macek is now the second scorer for the Motormen, behind Stephane Da Costa.
United States
F, SKA
3 G, 3 (2+1) points, +1
It wasn’t the best week for SKA, but Galchenyuk is finally finding his groove in St. Petersburg, as last year he contributed with three points despite the team won only one game. The forward had a multi-point game in SKA’s 4:5 loss to HC Sochi, contributing with a goal and an assist, and ending the contest with a plus-1 differential despite his team’s loss. Galchenyuk also had a tally two days later when SKA lost to Dinamo Minsk (2:4). SKA’s season has been full of up and downs, but Galchenyuk’s game has been steadily improving. He’s currently his team’s third scorer, behind Vladimir Alistrov and Sergei Tolchinsky, and top goal scorer.
