Review of the season: Dinamo Minsk. A new coach and good youngsters
Continuing KHL.ru’s review of each team in the 2023-2024 season, we take a trip to Belarus. The Minsk franchise appointed a new coach, launched several interesting young players, and got to the elimination round for the fourth straight time.
The Belarusians started the regular season with a historic achievement: in the first game, they rallied back from a 1:4 deficit to defeat Neftekhimik (5-4 OT), and in the second game, they achieved their biggest victory in the League – a 7:0 triumph over Vityaz. However, this first spree was followed by five consecutive losses. Overall, Dinamo lacked consistency throughout the season and lost many points in games against teams that ultimately didn’t qualify for the postseason: three losses to Kunlun Red Star, two to Vityaz, and one to Sochi. In the first round, they were trailing Dynamo Moscow 0-2 and 1-3 in the series, but they fought until the end and came close to forcing a seventh game – they fell just short.
Best players
66 games, 50 (23+27) points
The Dynamo management has a knack for finding interesting players on the international market, and Anas is further proof of that: he was the team’s top scorer, sniper, and playmaker last season. Sam proved to be a very effective forward – he scored 50 points in 66 games despite having only the ninth-highest average ice time among forwards (14 minutes and 51 seconds per game). Additionally, Anas posted the highest shooting percentage on the team (14.1%).
74 games, 44 (20+24) points
Volkov, who was traded from SKA in the off-season, fit right in at Minsk – he became an indispensable leader of Dinamo’s attacks, not missing a single game. In his new team, he received more ice time and opportunities on the power play. By the end of the season, Alexander set a new personal scoring record and became the team’s leader in game-winning tallies (5).
60 games, 28 (2+23) points
Hamilton is another example of a successful trade made during the season. He fit perfectly into the system, averaging nearly half a point per game, and was effective both in offensive and defensive zones.
Coaching
In the summer of 2023, Dmitry Kvartalnov was appointed as the head coach of Dinamo Minsk. At that time, he had been out of work for a year following his departure from Ak Bars. In an interview after his appointment, he stated that “the club shouldn’t merely make it to the playoffs but also advance beyond the first round – this is an absolutely clear goal.” The Belarusian franchise managed to make it to the playoffs but did not get past the first round. However, overall, Kvartalnov can consider the season a success – it was a solid return to big-time hockey for him. Kvartalnov remained true to his style – active hockey and maximum trust in young players.
Best game
As mentioned earlier, Dinamo had a crazy start to the regular season. A comeback from a three-goal deficit in their first official game with the new head coach was a fairytale story. Previously, in the entire history of the KHL, the Belarusians rallied back from a 0:3 deficit twice – against Sibir (2016-2017 season) and Metallurg Magnitogorsk (2017-2018 season).
In Nizhnekamsk, on Sep 2, 2023, Dinamo was down by three by the 16th minute and 1:4 by the 23rd minute. However, they simply failed to give up and were rewarded for their efforts: one goal in the second period, two more in the third, and the game-winning tally by Ioannis Kaldis in extra time.
Youngsters
If Kvartalnov is not the best coach in the KHL for working with young players, he is certainly in the top three. He confirmed this once again: 12 U23 players lined up for ten or more games for Dinamo in the 2023-2024 campaign. Among those who were not widely known before the season started, valuable mentions include Daniil Sotishvili, Daniil Lipsky, Timofey Kovgorenya, Yegor Ignatenko, Oleg Pozhigan, Nikita Zhikharev, and Yegor Borikov – the latter became the youngest goal scorer in Dinamo’s KHL history, scoring at 18 years and 70 days old. Defenseman Nikita Smirnov, on loan from SKA, also performed well.
Summer work
Given that the foreign player limit doesn’t apply to non-Russian teams, Minsk has a bit more freedom in forming their roster. They are wisely utilizing this option. The signings of defensemen Josh Brook and Xavier Ouellet have already been announced. Another reinforcement for the defense is Kristian Khenkel, acquired from Barys. In the offensive zone, the return of Ilya Usov is noteworthy, and the goaltending lineup will be strengthened by Andrey Kareyev, most recently with Spartak.
The most significant loss is likely Ioannis Kaldis, who moved to Severstal after his contract ended. Vladislav Kodola was part of a trade with Barys, and Alexei Kolosov, Pavel Denisov, and Smirnov returned to their respective teams after their loan periods ended.
