New leader in the East, All-Star rosters set

There’s a surprise new name at the top of the standings, a rising star set a KHL record for scoring before the age of 18, and the All-Star line-ups were set. Read all about it in this round-up of the latest week of KHL action.

Motormen in pole position

Lada climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference last week – and did so in style. Consecutive victories over Ak Bars (6-3) and Metallurg (4-3) saw Oleg Bratash’s team defeat its two closest rivals to stand one point clear on Sunday evening. The Togliatti team only returned to KHL action this season after a few years in the minor leagues. However, some strong recruitment over the summer – with imports Troy Josephs and Scott Kosmachuk especially impressive – added class to a solid VHL roster and there have been few problems adapting to life at a higher level. Kosmachuk’s last-minute winner over Metallurg took Lada to the top, and the team can assume outright leadership of the KHL on Monday when it takes on Admiral.

Lada leads the East. October 29 round-up

Spartak’s hot streak ends

After nine straight wins that lifted the Red-and-Whites to the top of the Western Conference, Spartak suffered defeat at Sibir. Alexei Zhamnov’s team went down 3-4, beaten by third period goals from Fyodor Gordeyev and Nikita Shashkov. Sibir extended its own winning run to four games, despite falling behind in the second minute and seeing Nikolai Prokhorkin ejected from the game in the first period. Before that loss, the free-scoring Goldobin-Poryadin-Morozov line moved to 31 goals for the season, setting a new club record. The previous best, 30 in 69 games, was shared between Slovak trio Branko Radivojevic, Martin Cibak and Stefan Ruzicka.

Spartak’s hot streak halted at Sibir. October 26 round-up

Artamonov’s league record

Torpedo youngster Nikita Artamonov had a day to remember when his team beat Avtomobilist 4-2. The 17-year-old had a hand in all four goals, scoring twice and assisting on the other two. That makes him the youngster KHL player to enjoy a four-point game. With 13 (4+9) points already this season, Artamonov is second only to Vladimir Tarasenko for scoring before the age of 18. However, the teenager’s 18^th birthday is on Nov. 17, making it unlikely he will reach Tarasenko’s 28 (17+11) points as an under-18 as he began his career with Sibir.

Best Players of the 2023-2024 eighth week

100 goals for Pulkkinen, 100 points for Nikishin

Teemu Pulkkinen, currently the only Finnish player active in the KHL, scored his first goal for Kunlun Red Star, and the 100^th of his career in the league. Pulkkinen, whose previous clubs in Dinamo Minsk, Dynamo Moscow and Traktor, found the against SKA as the Dragons opened a 3-1 first-period lead. However, the visitor recovered to win 6-3 and defenseman Alexander Nikishin’s four-point game brought up 100 career points for the 22-year-old.

In and out

Metallurg’s head coach Andrei Razin is never shy of an unorthodox decision. Against Traktor, he surprised everyone by pulling starting goalie Artyom Zagidulin just 12 minutes into the game. Zagidulin was caught out by a shot from the boards that bounced off him for the opening goal. If replacing a goalie after allowing one goal raised eyebrows, Razin continued to spring surprises: at the start of the third period, Zagidulin returned to the game, albeit with his team now down 0-4 and heading for a 1-5 reverse.

All-Star rosters set

After the fans had their say last week, KHL journalists and league representatives selected their candidates for this year’s All-Star Game. In a season with many new players making names for themselves, the final rosters boast an impressive number of first-time All-Stars. In total, 26 of the 40 selected players will be making their debuts at the big event. These include the likes of Lokomotiv’s Slovak defenseman Martin Gernat and Barys’ American forward Riley Barber, both of whom are making an impact in their first season in the KHL. But there are also long-serving players, such as goalies Jeremy Smith and Anton Krasotkin from Kunlun Red Star and Sibir, who have earned the call after several seasons in the competition. The Fonbet KHL All-Star Game will take place in St. Petersburg on the weekend of December 9-10.

The League made its choice! Full rosters for the Fonbet 2023 KHL All-Star Game!

Channel 1 Cup heads north

After hosting the All-Star Game, Petersburg is also looking forward to staging international action. The Channel 1 Cup was traditionally played in Moscow each December. This year, with many of the players involved in the Russian team likely to in St. Petersburg for the All-Star Game, the Russian Hockey Federation decided to stay in the northern capital for the competition. Russia U25s will take on Kazakhstan, Belarus and China in a four-team round robin event. In previous years, there have been one-off international games in Petersburg – most notably Channel 1 Cup match-ups played in front of record-breaking crowds at the city’s soccer arena – but this is the first time the city will stage the whole competition.