Youngster report – seventh week
KHL.ru continues to follow U23 players’ performances throughout the league. These are the best for the seventh week of action.
Alexander Nikishin
D, SKA, 2001
Week stats: 3 G, 6 (1+5) points, +1
The SKA’s star has risen the bar last week, being very productive and helping SKA winning two games from three. After SKA was blanked by Neftekhimik on Sunday, Nikishin posted two assists when St. Petersburg won in Yaroslavl with a 3:2 score – one with the man advantage. However, his best game was yet to come, with Nikishin posting a career-high performance with 4 (1+3) points when SKA had the best over Kunlun Red Star on Wednesday. Not only did Nikishin post a hat-trick of assists – he also potted his fifth of the season as he’s back on the top of the scoring chart among all the league’s defensemen.
Yegor Savikov
D, Spartak, 2002
Week stats: 3 G, 4 (1+3) points, +3
Spartak is currently leading the Western Conference standings despite their recent loss to Sibir (3:4). In that very game, the d-man netted his second goal of the season to get the Red-and-Whites ahead in the opening frame, but Sibir then rallied back and won. That goal allowed the blueliner keep his scoring streak alive as he tallied points also in both Spartak’s wins in the Far East, 4:1 and 4:3 against Amur and Admiral, respectively. His strong offensive game was mostly noticeable in the game against the Sailors, when he assisted Alexander Pashin’s game-tying tally in the third period, following another assist he had earlier in the game. Spartak is still one of the hottest teams in the league, and Savikov is showing excellent progress.
Arseny Gritsyuk
F, SKA, 2001
Week stats: 3 G, 2 (2+0) points, even
After he started the season slower than the expectations with his new club, Gritsyuk has finally delivered a good performance on Wednesday, when he netted a double when SKA defeated Kunlun Red Star in Mytishchi with a 6:3 score. The flamboyant winger netted two powerplay tallies against the Dragons, first taking full advantage of a smooth play by Alex Galchenyuk, then converting Alexander Nikishin’s third assist of the night. Gritsyuk, who moved to SKA this summer from Avangard, signing a two-year deal, is now able to build on this achievement and start producing as his team expected him to do when they acquired him. Earlier this year, Gritsyuk also had two points in SKA’s 5:0 win over Admiral on Oct 16.
Vasily Atanasov
F, Torpedo, 2002
Week stats: 2 G, 2 (0+2) points, +1
Not the best week for Atanasov, who had however posted a two-assist game when Torpedo defeated Amur on Saturday Oct 21 (4:2), adding a plus-1 differential. The productive forward assisted Maxim Letunov’s opening tally in the first stanza, then gave his contribution when Alexei Kruchinin sealed the deal in the closing frame as Torpedo celebrated a win in front of a packed arena. Atanasov and Torpedo, however, were blanked by Salavat Yulaev on Tuesday, when Ufa snagged a 1:0, hard-fought win. Despite the loss, Torpedo remains one of the top teams in the Western Conference, and Vasily Atanasov is one of the leaders of the squad.
Vladimir Alistrov
F, SKA, 2001
Week stats: 3 G, 2 (2+0) points, even
Similar to Gritsyuk, Alistrov potted a double in the week, with a striking performance when SKA defeated Lokomotiv on Monday, Oct 23. The Belarusian forward was hard to contain that night, and not only did he post two goals for SKA, but his tally in the closing frame was the game-winner for the St. Petersburg franchise on a tough, road game against the Railwaymen – always a difficult client to deal with. Nevertheless, Alistrov posted a strong performance when SKA needed it more, as the team could celebrate a well-deserved victory. The forward is currently tied with Alexander Nikishin as the team’s top scorers.
