New leader, new signings
While one traditional powerhouse celebrates its rise to first place, another is refreshing its imports after a run of unconvincing form. And it’s less than a week until the beginning of the All-Star Week.
Six-point game for Mikhailis
Metallurg’s Kazakh forward Nikita Mikhailis became only the eighth KHL player to score six points in a single game. The 23-year-old had a hand in every one of his team’s goals in a 6-3 win over Traktor, scoring one and assisting on the other five. That puts him in some elite company. Only Albert Leshchyov (Atlant), Brandon Bochenski (Barys), Ryan Gunderson (Jokerit), Alexander Radulov and Stephane Da Costa (both CSKA at the time), and Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikita Gusev (both SKA) had previously managed six in a game. Mikhailis’ line-mate Alexander Petunin also had a big game, scoring a hat-trick and collecting an assist.
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Metallurg hits the front
That South Urals derby triumph also sent Magnitka to the top of the KHL standings, a position it holds as week 14 of the season gets underway. Following a win over previous leader Spartak in the next game, the Steelmen are now one point ahead of Western Conference top dog Dynamo Moscow. Spartak is a further two points behind.
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Two imports for Ak Bars
After a run of indifferent form, last season’s beaten finalist Ak Bars has dipped into the transfer market. The Kazan club acquired Barys forward Riley Barber, with defenseman Kristian Khenkel going the other way. Barber was one of the bright spots in a poor season in Astana, where he had 23 (10+13) points from 28 games.
The second addition is an intriguing one. Mitch Miller is a 21-year-old defenseman with strong offensive instincts. He joins on a long-term deal from Slovakia’s Liptovsky-Mikulas, where he had 29 (9+23) points in just 19 games this season. Earlier he had a similarly productive campaign in the USHL, scoring 83 points in 60 regular season games for the Tri-City Storm. However, Miller also sat out two of his last three seasons after he was found delinquent in a juvenile court on charges related to bullying at an Ohio school. Ak Bars GM Marat Baliullin admitted that the club had considered the player’s off-ice problems, but explained that things have changed.
“This guy accepts all the mistakes he’s made and has been punished for them several times over,” Baliullin said. “Mitchell is ready to set an example on and off the ice.”
Miller’s deal in Kazan runs through the end of the 2025-2026 season.
Khudobin joins Sibir
Veteran goalie Anton Khudobin, who played 14 seasons in the NHL and won a World Championship with team Russia, is back in the KHL after 11 years. The 37-year-old’s last appearance came in December 2012 when he was on a temporary contract with Atlant during the NHL lock-out. Last week, though, he signed up with Sibir having begun the season at VHL outfit Sokol Krasnoyarsk. Khudobin is yet to make his debut for David Nemirovsky’s team, but had two shut-outs in 11 games for Sokol.
Sulak returns to harbor
Czech defenseman Libor Sulak was a key figure as Admiral made the playoffs last season. His success with the Sailors earned him a move to Avangard, but now he’s back to where it all began for him in the KHL. This season, the 29-year-old had 12 (4+8) points from 31 games but hadn’t featured for Mikhail Kravets since Nov. 17 – ironically in a shoot-out win over Admiral. Last term, the blue liner led the Sailors in scoring with 40 (13+27) points in regular season and two more goals in 12 playoff outings.
One week to go
There’s less than a week until the star of the latest All-Star Week, with Tula getting ready to host the Women’s and Juniors’ games next weekend. The Women’s Hockey League All-Star Game is up first on Saturday, starting at midday, local time. There’s a free internet stream of the action on the WHL app and YouTube channel. The following day, Russia’s top juniors clash in the Challenge Cup. As well the on-going battle between East and West, four top performers on the day will get invites to the KHL All-Star action a week later in St. Petersburg. Once again, it all starts at midday and can be streamed via the JHL app or YouTube channel.
