Sochi season preview: Zubov’s return and a continued emphasis on youth

KHL.ru continues its traditional club-by-club previews ahead of the coming season. In Sochi, after five years without making the playoffs, the Leopards are reunited with the last coach to take them there.

Last season

Sochi made a strong start last term, taking 23 points from 17 games in the first six weeks. Along the way there were memorable wins against the likes of Ak Bars, Lokomotiv, Traktor, Spartak and SKA. But when Borna Rendulic was traded away, everything changed. Despite the arrival of Marat Khusnutdinov, a seemingly capable replacement, Sochi’s form fell off a cliff. From fourth place in the overall standings, the Leopards plummeted and dropped out of the playoff zone even before the first winter frosts arrived. They would never return.

Recruitment

Departures:

Goalies: Mikhail Berdin (Avangard), Nikita Bogdanov (Admiral), Maxim Tretiak (Lada). Defensemen: Danila Galenyuk (SKA), Sergei Kosovets (Traktor). Forwards: Jeremy Bracco, Matvei Michkov (SKA, returned from loan), Alexander Morozov (Ryazan, VHL), Artyom Nikolayev (Admiral), Alexander Perevalov (Lokomotiv, returned from loan), Anton Sagadeyev (Admiral)

Arrivals:

Goalies: Sergei Ivanov (SKA, loan), Alexei Krasikov (Liptovski Mikulas (SVK), try-out). Defensemen: Vadim Antipin (Zauralye, (VHL) try-out), Danil Mokrushev Rubin, VHL), Akim Trishin (Tambov (VHL), try-out), Maxim Fedotov (SКА). Forwards: Alexei Vasilkov (Lada, returned from loan), Denis Vengryzhanovsky (Avangard), Nikolajs Jelisejevs, Donat Stalnov (Lada, returned from loan), Alexander Suvorov (Dinamo Minsk), Dmitry Timashov (Ajoie, SUI), Ilya Fedotov (SКА), Igor Shvyryov (Ugra, VHL).

Top 3 signings

Last season Mikhail Berdin played a huge role for Sochi and his summer move to Avangard might prove even more damaging than Rendulic’s departure last season. But the club has a worthy replacement lined up – Sergei Ivanov. Last season, on loan from SKA to Admiral, he looked very secure. Notably, he joined the Sailors after the departure of the similarly irreplaceable Nikita Serebryakov. And while he could not improve on his predecessor’s form, he never looked obviously weaker.

For Maxim Fedotov, last season’s move from Torpedo to SKA proved to be a backward step. Although he got to play with more skilled colleagues, he suffered a big reduction in game time. Maxim didn’t do badly with the time he had, but he never looked like the player we saw in Nizhny Novgorod. A move to Sochi should bring plenty more ice time and that, in turn, is great opportunity for further progress.

Alexander Suvorov is a flashy, unpredictable forward. In a perfect world, he might have been the headline signing of Sochi’s summer. However, injuries saw him miss the whole of last season and it’s now tough to assess how that enforced absence will affect his development as a player. It’s clear that there are few positives to take from the situation, but adopting an optimistic viewpoint, Alexander is capable of playing a similar role to the one that Matvei Michkov played for Sochi last season.

Coaching

In recent season, Sergei Zubov has worked with various national teams and joined SKA’s staff. However, for almost three seasons he hasn’t been seen behind a bench in the KHL. Nonetheless he remains Sochi’s all-time most successful head coach: twice he took the team to the playoffs and even managed to win a few games there. After Zubov’s departure in 2019, nobody else has managed to match those feats while none of his predecessors were able to win a playoff game.

Goaltending

It’s an all-new netminding brigade this season in Sochi. As well as Ivanov, mentioned above, Alexei Krasikov is likely to be invovled. He arrived on a try-out contract after playing in Slovakia last season. There’s also the young but highly-rated Yegor Zavragin, who turns 19 at the end of this month. Like Ivanov, he’s on loan from SKA. He will be looking to get his first taste of KHL action.

Defense

Sochi largely kept hold of its defensive core and Maxim Fedotov promises added strength at the back. However, that may not be enough. The team’s defense was problematic last season and with a similar group of players it’s reasonable to expect similar performance levels. Fedotov’s qualities are more apparent in his offensive game than in defensive play. The same is also true of another newcomer, Akim Trishin, who makes the step up from Tambov in the VHL. Vadim Antipin, another player on a try-out contract, might add more weight to the defensive game, but he’s unlikely to transform the team on his own.

Offense

Keeping hold of Artur Tyanulin, regularly among the team’s leaders, is a big plus. The signings of Suvorov, Dmitry Timashov and Igor Shvyryov are additional bonuses. Denis Vengryzhanovsky could also become an asset if he can find some consistency. Ilya Fedotov (Maxim’s younger brother) may or may not make progress. Michkov remains the outstanding loss, although Jeremy Bracco’s departure could also be noteworthy. Overall, it seems that the offense is slightly stronger, but maybe not significantly.

Youngsters

Sochi already has a tradition of icing one of the youngest rosters in the KHL. Several of the U23 players – Ivanov, Vasily Machulin, Fyodor Kroshchinsky, the Fedotov brothers, Suvorov – all have decent reputations, and are all primed for further progress. Among the new faces, 19-year-old Artemy Kuznetsov stands out. He made his debut last term and could be poised for a breakout season this time.

Expectations

Although this year’s Sochi looks better than last on paper, we also have to consider the competition. At least two playoff rivals – Vityaz and especially Dinamo Minsk – look to have improved even more while Kunlun remains entirely unpredictable. Therefore, the immediate prospects for the Leopards are not all that encouraging: a battle for a playoff place seems as much as anyone can hope for.

On the other end, as the KHL as a whole gets more competitive, each year throws up a dark horse or two to defy pre-season pessimism. We’ll almost certainly see somebody do it this year, so why couldn’t it be Sochi’s turn?