Avtomobilist season preview: careful recruits and elevated aims

In the latest of KHL.ru’s club-by-club previews for the 2024-2025 season, we’re looking at Avtomobilist. The Motormen secured a best-ever third place finish last term, and will surely be looking to build on that and go even further this time.

Last season

Avtomobilist got straight down to it last season, winning the first four games, but overall the regular season was the same as usual and ended with fifth place in the East. On occasion, Avto stumbled against teams that should have provided straightforward wins, but there were also some memorable victories, such as a 5-1 thrashing of Avangard and two successes against CSKA. The season as a whole was pretty typical for a team that has only once finished higher than fourth in its conference.

But the playoffs were a different story. In round one, Avtomobilist disposed of Ak Bars in five games after racing into a 3-0 lead. Avto outplayed the three-time champion and fully deserved its progress. Next came another one of the pre-season favorites, SKA. Once again, Avtomobilist advanced, this time in six games. The semifinal was against Metallurg, and a chance to avenge a game seven loss in 2023. Here, history repeated itself: again it went to seven games, again Metallurg had the edge. However, this was the first time Avtomobilist had got this far, and the team returned to Yekaterinburg with a hard-earned bronze medal.

Recruitment

Arrivals:

Defensemen: Artyom Zubarev (Tambov, VHL), Evgeny Kashnikov (Neftekhimik). Forwards: Stepan Borisov (Norilsk, VHL), Oleg Zaitsev (Tambov, VHL), Brendan Leipsic (SKA), Nick Merkley (Dinamo Minsk), Konstantin Khremkin (Norilsk, VHL).

Departures:

Defensemen: Denis Barantsev (Lada), Vladislav Leontiev (Neftekhimik), Stepan Ostrovsky (Tambov, VHL). Forwards: Yegor Baranov (Tambov, VHL)), Pavel Voronkov (Rubin, VHL), Alexei Makeyev, Sergei Shirokov (Sibir).

Top 3 signings

Brendan Leipsic

This Canadian forward was once a key part of Ilya Vorobyov’s “soviet-style” hockey at Metallurg – quick, technical, and able to fit into a passing game. In Magnitogorsk he twice reached 55 points in a season and earned a move to SKA. Things didn’t work out so well in Petersburg, partly due to injuries, by Leipsic’s qualities are well-known to all. Another bonus: starting from this season, he will no longer count as an import after achieving Russian citizenship.

Nick Merkley

This 27-year-old Canadian spent two seasons setting the tone for the offense at Dinamo Minsk, and did a good job as a leader on that team. Based on last season’s performances, Merkley is taking a step up in joining Avtomobilist, and will be expecting a top-six role and time on the power play.  Decent speed, and a good, right-handed shot are Merkley’s big strengths.

Evgeny Kashnikov

A big defenseman is a handy addition to Yekaterinburg’s defense, particularly after Kashnikov played 60+ games for Neftekhimik in each of the past two seasons. He’s a strong player, reliable in front of his own net and capable of contributing at the other end when required – just what any team would want. Kashnikov is only 21, which means there is still more to come from him.

Coaching

The coming season will be Nikolai Zavarukhin’s fourth behind the Avtomobilist bench. He started as an assistant to Bill Peters before stepping up after the Canadian’s departure. The key moment in his coaching career here came in the 2023 playoffs: despite losing to Metallurg, he stayed in the job and immediately delivered results in the form of a bronze medal in 2024. In hockey circles, Zavarukhin is regarded as a good coach, but also a man who can create the right atmosphere within the team. On game day, his spontaneity wins the affections even of neutral fans.

Goaltending

There are no changes here: Evgeny Alikin and Vladislav Okoryak remain under contract, Vladimir Galkin signed a new one. The latter played half of the regular season for the first time, and stepped in for Alikin effectively during the playoffs. However, it would be premature to hail Galkin as the undisputed #1 ahead of Alikin, while Okoryak is clearly third in this pecking order.

Defense

It’s notable that Avtomobilist’s recruitment this summer has gone for targeted reinforcement. The D-core is no exception. Apart from Kashnikov, the club also signed Artyom Zubarev from Tambov, who will be pushing for a place in the first team. Vladislav Leontiev and Denis Barantsev moved on, but neither were leading players last season. More importantly, Avtomobilist has retained the men who did the bulk of last season’s defending.

Forwards

Here, the additions are higher profile. We wrote about Leipsic and Merkley above. Their arrivals suggest that the coaching staff wants more pace on the attack. Once again, the club’s management did a good job to secure the services of all its leading players: Stephane Da Costa, Anatoly Golyshev, Alexei Byvaltsev, Curtis Valk and Brooks Macek. Moreover, Golyshev signed a five-year contract. Avtomobilist will look to build a championship contender around him.

Youngsters

We can put together a full quintet of promising juniors from Avtomobilist, albeit without a goalie. On defense, Nikita Ishimnikov and Yaroslav Trofimov stand out as they make their first steps in the KHL.

Up front, Ilya Ovchinnikov and Vladislav Razdyakonov did themselves no harm last season during their time with the first team. Artyom Kashtanov, 19, earned even more plaudits. He played 26 games in the regular season, 19 in the playoffs and contributed 4 (2+2) points in his rookie campaign. Nikita Blednov, a 20-year-old forward, has yet to have much of a look on the first team but could be a dark horse this term.

Expectations

Reaching a semi-final was a historic achievement for Avtomobilist – but it also whets the appetite for even more. This season is a chance to demonstrate that the team is capable of a sustained push for honors. To do so, the Motormen have to negotiate a crazy Eastern Conference: in favorable circumstances, this team could even push for a top-3 finish. And in the playoffs, we’ve already seen how Avtomobilist can take on any opponent – so why not see more success against the established favorites?