Review of the season: Metallurg. Rapid rebuild and cup final sweep
KHL.ru reaches the end of its club-by-club review of the 2023-2024 season with a look at how Metallurg lifted its third Gagarin Cup in its first season under new head coach Andrei Razin.
Razin arrived from Severstal to replace Ilya Vorobyov behind the bench and brought a reputation as a charismatic coach skilled in working with young players. He is also a Metallurg man, having won a Russian championship here as a player. However, there was a question-mark over his ability to lead a top club to a long-awaited trophy.
In addition, Metallurg radically reshaped its roster in the summer. Many assumed that this would be a season of restructuring and consolidation, but the reality was more inspiring. Magnitka took points from each of its six opening games, defending CSKA, Dynamo Moscow, Salavat Yulaev and an impressive Lada along the way. There was a blip in October with five straight losses, but that proved to be the prelude to an 11-game surge.
Overall, Metallurg was in contention for the Continental Cup, topped the Eastern Conference and went into the playoffs as one of the favorites. Not a bad restructure, right?
The first round brought a tricky series against Amur, settled by Nikita Grebyonkin’s overtime goal in game six. Grebyonkin had spent the previous season on loan at Amur. Next came Spartak in a clash of the most attacking teams in the league, but hopes of a high-scoring series were extinguished by Ilya Nabokov blanking the Muscovites on three occasions. The semi-final saw Magnitak outlast Avtomobilist in a tense seven-game battle.
Not many backed Metallurg in the final against Lokomotiv. The Railwaymen were reckoned to have greater experience, but Razin’s team was disciplined and resolute in defense, allowing just three goals in four games.
Once again, Nabokov starred. Among the skaters, Alexander Petunin had 2+2 in four games, Robin Press chimed in with three helpers and Daniil Vovchenko potted the golden goal to secure the cup. All three had previously played under Razin at Severstal. Throughout the playoffs, the most productive player was Dmitry Silantiev (5+12 points), who was completing his rookie KHL season.
Best players
The 21-year-old goalie was one of the revelations of the season. In the regular season he often confounded the opposition (43 games, 23 wins, 93% saves, 2.15 GAA and three shut-outs), then in the playoffs Ilya took it up to an incredible new level. He won 16 of 23 games, with four shut-outs.
Over the whole season, Yurov was Metallurg’s leading scorer. He had 58 (27+31) points from 85 games. The 20-year-old was prominent all year, enjoying a breakout in the regular season (21+28) and adding nine more points in the playoffs.
The Swede was the scoring leader on defense for the champions, finishing with 56 (10+46) points for the season. That’s the positive attacking influence he was hired to deliver. Maybe he didn’t block so many shots (certainly not compared with the 117 that Yegor Yakovlev charged down) but that was never Press’s job on this team.
Coaching
After he won the cup in his first season with a top club, any lingering doubts over Andrei Razin’s abilities evaporated.
It’s the culmination of a long journey for Razin, who began his coaching career in kids’ hockey and worked his way up via the VHL. Surprisingly, this year’s Gagarin Cup was the first trophy he won as a coach.
At this year’s Closing Ceremony, Razin was also named Coach of the Year for 2023-2024.
Best game
In a spectacular season, perhaps the most memorable game was the trip to Neftekhimik on Nov. 28. Despite falling behind 0-3, Metallurg managed to fight back and win it in a shoot out.
Young players
We already mentioned Yurov and Nabokov, but they were by no means the only promising young players on Metallurg’s championship team. Nikita Grebyonkin, 21, was named Rookie of the Year. After returning from a year on loan at Amur he continued his exciting progress. He featured in 90 games all season (more than anyone else on the team) and kept picking up points (22+25). His energy consistently lifted his partners on the team, while his 90 hits placed him second on the team in physical play.
Roman Kantserov also had a good season. The 19-year-old forward had 15 (8+7) points in regular season and did well in the playoffs, adding 4+9 to his tally.
Summer work
Metallurg has kept hold of almost all its golden team. There have been few ins or outs so far. Reserve goalie Alexander Sudnitsin has moved into coaching, Arkhip Nekolenko joined Lada and Maxim Mukhametov is off to Barys. Grebyonkin, meanwhile, is hoping to make an impact in the NHL, although he didn’t get a chance to feature for the Leafs before the end of the playoffs in Toronto.
So far, there are three new arrivals: Danil Bashkirov comes from Salavat Yulaev, Vityaz’s leading goalscorer Scott Wilson steps up a level in the KHL and Mikhail Shalagin is looking to build on his growing reputation after leading the Belarusian championship in goals last season.
