The end of summer
The final week of pre-season saw four more tournament winners. But now it’s time for the real stuff: the season opener is coming on Tuesday, and the juniors are already in action. Further afield, we saw KHLers representing Kazakhstan, Slovakia, France and Slovenia in Olympic qualification action.
All set for opening night
The wait is almost over. The 17th KHL season will get underway tomorrow when Metallurg welcome Lokomotiv in the traditional Opening Cup curtain raiser. Magnitka swept Loko in the Gagarin Cup final back in April, winning the title for the third time. Now it’s looking for a third Opening Cup, following previous success in 2014 and 2016. Lokomotiv will play the Opening Cup for the first time since 2010, when it lost to Ak Bars in overtime.
Big games to start the season
The Opening Cup is not the only highlight of the opening days of the season. After a busy summer of trading, there are some mouthwatering games involving some of the highest-profile new arrivals. Evgeny Kuznetsov makes his SKA debut on Thursday, and immediately faces the defending champion on the road. Ilya Vorobyov’s new-look SKA, stuffed with Russians returning from North America, begins with a derby trip to Spartak, and there’s a Green derby opener for new Ak Bars boss Anvar Gatiayatulin at Salavat Yulaev.
Shoot-out success gives CSKA the cup in Moscow
CSKA took the final trophy of the summer, beating Spartak in a shoot-out to win the Mayor of Moscow Cup. The teams tied 3-3 in regulation – the third time in three games Spartak had finished with that scoreline. However, while the Red-and-Whites won their previous two shoot-outs, today it lost out. Ivan Drozdov and Konstantin Okulov, both of whom scored in regulation, beat Patrik Rybar in the extras to clinch the title on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Torpedo defeated Dynamo Moscow 4-1 to take third place in the tournament. Two goals from Yegor Vinogradov made the difference in a game that Igor Larionov’s team controlled for long periods. Vityaz secured fifth place with a 5-2 win over Avtomobilist in the opening game of the day.
Kuznetsov helps SKA to victory
Evgeny Kuznetsov helped SKA win its home tournament for the third year in a row. The stellar summer recruit took a little time to settle, but even in his first games he made vital contributions in shoot-out wins over Sochi and Ak Bars. Then he scored his first goal in open play, contributing to a 5-3 victory over Severstal. A strong performance from Russia U23s offered more good news for Petersburg hockey: many of the national team’s junior players are part of the SKA system – notably Ivan Demidov, whom many expect to make an impact in the KHL this season. Team Russia finished second overall, and signed off with a shoot-out win over SKA, despite suffering a 1-7 hammering against Kunlun Red Star early in the competition.
Controversy in Magnitogorsk
Neftekhimik won the Romazan Memorial tournament in Magnitogorsk, but the 33rd edition of the KHL’s longest-running summer competition was overshadowed by Metallurg’s refusal to complete its game against the Wolves. The host club was up 2-1 in the third period when a big hit from Roman Abrosimov left Daniil Vovchenko hurt. The officials reviewed the play and assessed no penalty, whereupon Andrei Razin led his players back to the locker room, forfeiting the game. Vovchenko was taken to hospital after the incident, but was discharged two days later. Salavat Yulaev and Metallurg’s new VHL affiliate, Magnitka, also took part in the tournament.
Amur takes Chelyabinsk prize
After an impressive second place at the Blinov Cup in Omsk, Traktor was hoping to go one better on home ice at the Chelyabinsk Governor’s Cup. However, Benoit Groulx’s team reckoned without a resurgent Amur. Both teams dealt with Lada and Ugra in the opening games to set up a winner-takes-all showdown. However, despite home ice advantage – and a lead at the start of the third period – Traktor lost that one 5-2. Amur was boosted by the arrival of Alex Galchenyuk, who overcame his visa issues to take part. He had a goal and two assists in his three games, forming a promising line with Dmitry Shevchenko and Arnaud Durandeau.
Slovakia beats Kazakhstan to Olympic qualification
Severstal’s Adam Liska was on target for Slovakia as it ended Kazakhstan’s Olympic hopes in the qualification tournament in Bratislava. The teams went head-to-head on Sunday knowing that whoever won would be going to the 2026 Games in Milan. The Kazakhs had enjoyed victories over Hungary and Austria, but found Slovakia a step too far. The host nation was up 2-0 in the first period, and Liska added a third in the middle frame on the way to a 3-1 scoreline. Kazakhstan’s goal came from Nikita Mikhailis, who finished with four in the competition. Apart from Liska, Slovakia also included defensemen Martin Gernat (Lokomotiv) and Mario Grman (Admiral) on their roster.
In Riga, Latvia secured its Olympic berth thanks to a 5-2 win over France. Avtomobilist’s Stephane Da Costa scored the second French goal, finishing the tournament with 5 (2+3) points from three games, but it wasn’t enough to deny the host. One other active KHLer, Jan Drozg of Amur, was in action for Slovenia. He had two goals and an assist in his country’s 6-2 victory over Ukraine as it finished third in Riga. In the other group, Denmark qualified thanks to a 4-1 win against Norway on Sunday. Great Britain and Japan took the minor placings.
SKA-1946 wins Junior League opener
While we’re waiting for the start of the KHL season tomorrow, the juniors are already up and running. The opening game of the JHL campaign took place Sunday and, like its KHL counterpart, saw a re-match of last year’s Grand Final. This time, Kharlamov Cup winner SKA-1946 eased to a 4-1 victory over Loko Yaroslavl. Matvei Korotkin’s goal broke the deadlock early in the second period, and extended that into a four-goal lead in the third period. Loko pulled one back late in the game but this was very much SKA’s day.
