Traktor season review: changes in coaching and a long playoff run
KHL.ru keeps on analyzing the season for the league’s teams with Traktor. The Southern Urals franchise had to fire its coach at the start of the campaign, but then became the sensation of the playoffs and concluded the season with a bronze medal.
Throughout the regular season, Traktor struggled with consistency: while the team played well against top clubs and teams of their level, they frequently lost points to lower-ranked opponents, such as defeats against Lada (twice), Barys, Sochi, Amur, and Neftekhimik, and this was only at the start of the season. In October, Traktor suffered from a heavy loss to Salavat Yulaev (0:4), and after this defeat, head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin was dismissed. He was replaced by Alexei Zavarukhin, initially as an interim coach and then permanently. Under his leadership, the team won six straight games, gained a bit more freedom on the ice, and modified their gameplay. However, this didn’t significantly impact their overall results: Traktor finished the regular season in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
In the elimination stage, however, Traktor became one of the main sensations. First, Zavarukhin’s team eliminated Salavat Yulaev, the third-ranked team in the Eastern Conference, in the first round. Then, in the cross-conference playoffs, Traktor faced Dynamo Moscow, the best team of the regular season and the Continental Cup holder. Once again, they advanced, sweeping the series 4-0, an outcome no one expected. In the Gagarin Cup semifinals, Traktor faced Lokomotiv, and this is where the Chelyabinsk fairy tale ended – losing the series 0-4, marking the end of their season but securing the bronze medals of the championship.
Best players
78 games, 61 (28+33) points
The 2023-2024 campaign was the best for Shabanov in his career – he became a true leader for Traktor, finishing the season as the top scorer and leading goal-scorer for the team. Maxim’s main assets are his exceptional speed and superb shot, which he utilized effectively. Additionally, his excellent understanding of the game and a healthy dose of competitive assertiveness make for a potent combination that is usually hard to deal with for his opponents.
57 games, 32 W, 93%, GAA 2.23
Some believe that one of the main reasons for Traktor’s fairytale run in the playoffs was Fucale’s play between the piping – with him, Traktor defeated Salavat Yulaev and Dynamo Moscow, but without him, the team lost to Lokomotiv. The Canadian goalie proved to be a very emotional player and a team motivator, which also affected the locker room during his absence due to injury in the series against Yaroslavl. On the ice, Zach is a confident goalie: if you let him catch his wave, it will be almost impossible to beat him, as Salavat Yulaev and Dynamo Moscow can attest.
80 games, 24 (7+17) points
The leader of Traktor’s defense this season has performed well in terms of productivity: he is the second-highest scorer and assistant among defensemen on the team after Albert Yarullin, sharing the honors of the top scorer from the blue line. A much more important indicator for Karpukhin is his plus-minus rating, as he topped Traktor with a plus-23 differential. Another quality valued in Ilya is his ability to play tough and stand up for his teammates when necessary.
66 games, 22 (17+5) points
Another confirmation of the thesis that good (naturally, in the eyes of Chelyabinsk fans) must come with fists. Sometimes Robinson’s performances backfired on Traktor, but overall, Charles played a significant role in the team’s success in the postseason: key goals, the ability to compete, and occasionally even intimidating the opponent.
Coaching
From the start of the 2023-2024 season, Anvar Gatiyatulin worked at Traktor for just over a month. His successor, Alexei Zavarukhin, won the fans’ favor, improved the microclimate in the locker room and on the bench, and became part of the “brotherly derby” with Avtomobilist and Nikolai Zavarukhin.
Certainly, Zavarukhin played a significant role in Traktor’s playoff success and the bronze medal win, and it seemed he expected to receive an offer to lead the team in the next season. However, the club decided otherwise—Benoit Groulx, who worked in the Tampa Bay Lightning system and won the World Junior Championship with Team Canada, is coming from North America to take charge of Traktor.
Best game
On Jan 26, Traktor played an away game in Nizhnekamsk, and initially, the match did not go well for the Chelyabinsk side. By the 29th minute, Neftekhimik was leading 3:1, and by the 35th minute, it was a 4:2 game. However, the Ural team didn’t give up and kept fighting: a double from Anton Burdasov and a goal from Robinson, along with a tally from the hosts by Dmitry Zhukenov, resulted in a 5:5 tie at the end of regulation. In extra time, neither team managed to score, and in the shootout, the victory for Traktor was secured by—who else?—Shabanov.
Young players
In the 2023-2024 campaign, Traktor’s coaching staff utilized eight players aged 23 or younger. The most notable performances came from defenseman Artem Shchuchinov and forward Alexander Rykov—the former played 61 games and scored 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists), while the latter appeared in 31 games, tallying six goals and providing two helpers. Additionally, Ilya Nikolayev and Artyom Shvaryov played more than 20 games during the season, while the remaining young players participated in 10 or fewer matches.
Summer work
Besides hiring a new head coach, Traktor significantly strengthened the team’s central axis by signing Alexander Kadeikin and Andrei Svetlakov. Canadian forward Dylan Sikura joined the team from Sweden, and Traktor added Alexei Lipanov, Sergei Kosovets, Marsel Ibragimov, and Alexei Shchetilin through trades.
Regarding departures, it’s worth noting the loss of Albert Yarullin—the defenseman returned to his native Ak Bars. Additionally, Jack Rodewald left Traktor to ink a deal with Admiral.
