Rising star shines, veteran hits 650 points
The first week of 2025 brings a scoring landmark for one star forward, while a bright prospect continues to dazzle. And a goalie got his first KHL shut-out, almost 11 years after making his debut.
Demidov hits top form
We’re less than a week into 2025, but it’s already looking like a good year for Ivan Demidov. The SKA forward, a first-round draft pick for the Habs back in the summer, has been in electric form. He started with two goals against CSKA, including a masterpiece that saw him streaking past Nikita Nesterov to lay the foundations of a 6-3 win. And the 19-year-old was at it again on Sunday, with a well-worked assist and another goal in a 5-2 home win over Vityaz. The current hot streak is up to six games, with 11 (7+4) points in that run. With 31 points from 40 games, the youngster is currently fourth in team scoring.
Comeback kings
SKA’s win over Vityaz saw Roman Rotenberg’s team recover from 0-2 for the fifth time this season. Only Severstal can match that achievement. However, SKA has successfully clawed back 31.2% of the two-goal deficits it has faced this season (5 from 16); Severstal’s strike rate is more modest at 26.3% (5 from 19).
Gusev reaches 650 points
Nikita Gusev, the fifth highest scorer in KHL history, reached 650 points last week. He had two assists in Dynamo Moscow’s win at Severstal to reach that mark. In his next game, Nikita added three more points and now has 653 (233+420) points. Gusev has played 673 games for CSKA, Amur, Ugra, SKA and Dynamo. He is closing in on Danis Zaripov’s 685 career points.
Dynamo starts 2025 well
Gusev’s landmarks coincided with an upswing in Dynamo’s form. Alexei Kudashov’s team struggled before the New Year break, failing to score in its last two games of 2024. The holiday clearly did it some good. After that 7-2 verdict over Severstal, the Blue-and-Whites followed up with a 5-1 victory at Sochi. Back-to-back wins and a 12-3 goal differential looks like a Happy New Year.
CSKA winning streak ends
In contrast with Dynamo, CSKA might be wishing it was still 2024. Ilya Vorobyov’s team finished the old year in fantastic form, reeling off 11 straight wins. That lifted the Muscovites to second place in the overall standings, banishing memories of the team’s slightly uncertain start under a new head coach. But 2025 has been hard work. Friday’s opener in St. Petersburg saw CSKA down 0-4 after two periods. Things improved a little in the third, but ended in a 3-6 loss. Then it was on to Yaroslavl and a 1-4 loss to Lokomotiv.
Trushkov’s wait is over
Goalie Alexander Trushkov recorded his first KHL shut-out on Sunday, blanking Barys in Lada’s 5-0 road win. Nothing too unusual there, except that Trushkov had to wait more than 10 years from his debut to achieve that personal landmark. The 29-year-old made his debut for Spartak on Jan. 29, 2014 and suffered a rough start in a 0-7 loss. Since then, he has mostly been used as a back-up, playing just 81 KHL games in his career to date. However, with Vladislav Podyapolsky’s departure from Lada last month, Trushkov now has a chance to cement himself as first choice with the Motormen.
Bitten bites back
Another former Spartak man, forward Will Bitten, is thriving after leaving the Red-and-Whites. Although his new club, HC Sochi, continues to struggle at the foot of the Western Conference, the Canadian has scored in each of his four games since his move. Previously he found the net just once for the Red-and-Whites this season, suggesting that sometimes it’s about finding the right place to show your skills.
Torpedo changes coaches
After a poor run of form in late 2024, Torpedo brought in Igor Ulanov as a new defensive coach. He replaced Eduard Zankovets, who has left the club. As a player, Ulanov spent 14 years in the NHL, playing more than 700 games for eight different clubs. He finished his career in the first KHL season, playing for Dinamo Minsk. The 55-year-old has worked as an assistant coach at several KHL clubs, most notably Avtomobilist and Spartak.
