Youngster report – sixth week
KHL.ru continues to follow U23 players’ performances throughout the league. These are the best for the sixth week of action.
Danila Yurov
F, Metallurg, 2003
Week stats: 3 G, 3 (2+1) points, even
The 19-years-old forward has made a huge stride forward this season and is currently leading Magnitka for scored points, tied with Denis Zernov. It has been another successful week for Yurov, who scored points in all games, including opening the score for Metallurg in Tuesday’s 4:0 win in the Ural Derby against Avtomobilist – a goal that later became the game-winner for Magnitka. Yurov also scored in Metallurg’s 4:3, OT win over Barys, and had an assist two days later, when Metallurg lost to Traktor 1:2 in Chelyabinsk. Metallurg is currently the Eastern Conference’s leader, and Yurov is playing a big part in his team’s success.
Ilya Nabokov
G, Metallurg, 2003
Week stats: 3 G, 2 W, 94.89%, 1.65 GAA
The arrival of Andrei Razin behind Metallurg’s bench meant more chances for the younger players, who didn’t hesitate to take full advantage of them. We’ve already talked about Danila Yurov, and another such a player is goalie Ilya Nabokov. The netminder, who is the same age as Yurov is, has stolen off Artyom Zagidulin the starting goalie position and played all three games last week, posting his first career shutout as Magnitka blanked Avto 4:0 on Oct 17. Nabokov had 29 saves that night, the same number as he posted on Sunday in Metallurg’s win over Barys. On Thursday, the goalie had 35 saves on 37 shots, but it his stunning performance proved to be not enough for Magnitka to secure a win over Tratkor. For his efforts, Nabokov was awarded the Best rookie honors for the week.
Daniil But
F, Lokomotiv, 2005
Week stats: 3 G, 2 (2+0) points, +2
Lokomotiv is another team whose youth academy is a productive one – one of the best products in the latest few years is Daniil But. The large-framed forward has showed his class in Lokomotiv’s 6:0 win over Barys on Friday. In that game, But potted his first double at the KHL level as he cemented his position as one of Lokomotiv’s top prospects. He first opened the score in the first period when he picked up a rebound just in front of the opposition crease. Then, he made it a 5:0 game in the closing frame, finalizing a combination that saw he, Maxim Shalunov, and Artur Kayumov. But is undoubtedly growing as a player, and he needs to find a bit more consistency to have an even bigger impact.
Daniil Gutik
F, Admiral, 2001
Week stats: 3 G, 2 (2+0) points, -3
It wasn’t the best week for Gutik numbers-wise – just as for the Sailors – yet he managed to keep the ball rolling and was also selected to participate at the Fonbet 2023 KHL All-Star Game. The productive winger posted two goals for Admiral in his team’s losses to Lada (1:2) and Neftekhimik (3:4), failing to score points as SKA blanked them 0:5. It has been a rocky season for Admiral, who is struggling to repeat last year’s success, but Daniil Gutik is one of the few bright spots of the Vladivostok side’s season.
Alexander Nikishin
D, SKA, 2001
Week stats: 2 G, 3 (1+2) points, +2
The defenseman had a tremendous week this time around, with SKA winning both matches and Nikishin finding himself on the scoresheets against Dinamo Minsk and Admiral. The blueliner has recently increased his production as he’s gearing up for a more intense reminder of the season. Other than his striking performance last week, Nikishin is climbing up in the defensemen scoring charts, having broken into top ten with his 11 points accrued so far. Last week, the D-man posted his second multipoint game of the season when SKA thumped Admiral 5:0 at home – Nikishin had a goal and an assist, and finished the game with a plus-2 rating. He also posted an assist in the St. Petersburg side’s 3:2 victory over Dinamo Minsk. SKA isn’t having his best season so far, but the team is climbing up as Nikishin’s production increases.
