Torpedo season preview: Larionov’s Third Season and Rising Youth
KHL.ru keeps on previewing the 2023-2024 season for the league’s clubs. Torpedo remains a very young team, but Igor Larionov believes that it’s time for Nizhny Novgorod to aim for bigger goals.
The 2023-2024 season proved to be more challenging for Torpedo compared to the previous one. While the overall playing style remained the same — Torpedo continued to be an exciting team focused on a dynamic, attacking game — the results declined. Instead of finishing fourth in the Western Conference, they dropped to seventh, and instead of advancing to the second round of the playoffs, they were eliminated 1-4 by SKA in the first round.
The decline in performance can be attributed to several factors, including opponents’ growing adaptation to Torpedo’s offensive style, as well as changes in the coaching staff, particularly the departure of Andrei Kozyrev to Severstal. Additionally, misunderstandings that arose between the coaches and certain key players during the season had an impact — veteran defenseman Anton Sizov and forward Alexei Kruchinin, among Torpedo's most productive players in the 2022-2023 season, were sidelined at times.
Roster changes
Departures: goalie Adam Huska; defense Madison Bowie, Mark Marin (Severstal, trade); offense Nikolai Kovalenko (Colorado Avalanche, NHL), Alexei Kruchinin (Severstal), Oleg Li (Amur), Vyacheslav Malov (Avangard, end of loan), Yu Sato.
Arrivals: goalies Ivan Bocharov (Lokomotiv), Lorens Zinaddin (Avangard, end of loan); defense Denis Alexandrov (try-out, Sibir), Vyacheslav Voynov (Ak Bars), Elisei Minayev (Amur), Alexander Pelevin (Zauralie, VHL, trade), Kirill Steklov (Zauralie, VHL, trade), Keaton Thompson (Adler Mannheim, GER), Marcus Phillips (Fehervar, ICEHL), Vasily Shumilov (Severstal, trade); offense Mikhail Abramov (Springfield Falcons, AHL), Anton Berlyov (Admiral), Ilya Chefanov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL), Daniil Ilyin (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL), Dmitry Kagarlitsky (Ak Bars), Daniil Lapin (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL), Artyom Misnikov (Yugra, VHL, trade), Maxim Nevolin (Dynamo-Altai, VHL, trade), Denis Pochivalov (AKM, VHL, trade), Danil Savunov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL), Evgeny Svechnikov (Ak Bars).
Top 3 signings
Dmitry Kagarlitsky
Dmitry Kagarlitsky is a fast-moving, goal-scoring forward — an ideal combination of qualities for Torpedo. Kagarlitsky also brings a wealth of experience to the table. He has skated in 752 KHL games, scored 187 goals, and tallied 497 points — an impressive feat, considering only eight players in the league’s history have surpassed the 500-point mark.
Anton Berlyov
The 30-year-old Berlyov made his KHL debut just a couple of years ago. He spent two seasons with Admiral, helping the team reach the second round of the playoffs and accumulating 54 points (19 goals, 35 assists) in 121 games. Additionally, Berlyov is solid in the faceoff circle, performing even better in the playoffs (winning 54.4% of faceoffs) compared to the regular season (48.4%).
Mikhail Abramov
Another new center for Torpedo is Mikhail Abramov. He has previously played under Igor Larionov for Team Russia at the World Junior Championship. Abramov then won the QMJHL championship and made his professional debut with Toronto’s farm team. Last season, Abramov played for Springfield in the AHL, where he recorded 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 59 games.
Goalies
Torpedo’s goaltending duo will consist of two Ivans — Kulbakov and Bocharov. Ivan Kulbakov was Torpedo’s starting goalie during the final stretch of the 2023-2024 regular season, and he also played in the playoffs.
Ivan Bocharov, meanwhile, changed teams for the second time in his KHL career. Despite posting decent numbers, he couldn’t compete with the rising star Daniil Isayev, playing only 12 games in the 2023-2024 season.
Defense
Torpedo’s defense is primarily made up of young but highly promising players. The standout here is, of course, Bogdan Konyushkov, who has accumulated 59 points (8 goals, 51 assists) over the past two seasons. Anton Silayev, Arseny Varlakov, Dmitry Breus, and the returning Alexander Pelevin and Kirill Steklov from the VHL are all gaining momentum.
Torpedo also has some new additions on defense. Keaton Thompson’s role is clear — Igor Larionov has promised to use him on the penalty kill. However, Markus Phillips is a bit of a mystery. He only shined in the OHL during his youth, and his size and physicality aren’t particularly notable. He joined Torpedo from the ICEHL, a league featuring Austrian, Italian, Slovenian, and Hungarian teams.
While Phillips’ signing might raise some questions, the acquisition of Vyacheslav Voynov is indisputable. The 34-year-old Voynov is an Olympic champion, and a Gagarin Cup and Stanley Cup winner. A player with his experience will be invaluable both on the ice and in the locker room.
Offense
The main loss is Nikolai Kovalenko. He played 113 games over two seasons with Torpedo, scoring 100 points. Torpedo’s relationship with Alexei Kruchinin ended on a low note, but the team’s forward line remains one of the strongest in the KHL.
First, there are some excellent signings — all three spots in the “Top 3 Signings” section were taken by forwards. Additionally, Evgeny Svechnikov, who may not have fully realized his potential with Ak Bars last season, still holds considerable promise.
Second, contract extensions (or new deals) were awarded to key players who made a significant impact for Torpedo last season, including Vladislav Firstov, Maxim Letunov, and, of course, Vasily Atanasov, who recorded 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists) in the 2023-2024 campaign.
Young Players
Torpedo is among the top three youngest teams in the KHL by average age. It’s worth noting that most of the players mentioned earlier fit the “young players” category. Silayev is 18, Zinaddin is 19, Breus and Pelevin are 20, and the leaders Atanasov and Konyushkov are both 21. The roster is still far from reaching its full potential, and it’s well-known that Igor Larionov has a reputation for trusting young players.
What to expect
If Torpedo can find stability and avoid the turbulence that they experienced last season, they could once again compete for home-ice advantage in the playoffs. However, the team does seem to have a certain imbalance between the quality of their offense and defense. It appears that this imbalance could prevent Torpedo from finishing higher than 5th or 6th place in the Western Conference.
