Dinamo Minsk’s leaders and SKA’s star. First round top youngsters
Commentator for KHL TV channels and expert at KHL.ru, Anton Vasyatin, presents the top ten most prominent young players (U23) in the league based on their performance in the first round of the elimination stage.
The list is compiled based on the Player Ratings, which the League calculates using an extensive set of statistical metrics.
10. Arseny Koromyslov, defenseman (2003, Traktor)
Player’s rating: 1.25
Stats: 6 G, 1 (0+1) point, +2
Arseny Koromyslov, acquired by Traktor from SKA in a trade, suited up for all six games in the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. Despite limited ice time—just 16 minutes and 16 seconds per game on average—and making his first full playoff appearance in the league, the young blueliner emerged as one of Traktor’s most reliable defensemen across several key categories. He racked up nine hits, seven blocked shots, two takeaways, and three pass interceptions.
Koromyslov was a regular presence on the penalty kill, appearing in every game except the second—where Chelyabinsk remarkably never went shorthanded. In Game 3 against Admiral, he picked up a key assist on Steven Kampfer’s goal that brought Benoit Groulx’s squad back into the contest after falling behind 0-2. The defenseman also put two shots on goal in both Game 2 and Game 5 of the series.
9. Yaroslav Tsulygin, defenseman (2004, Salavat Yulaev)
Player’s rating: 1.28
Stats: 7 G, 1 (0+1) point, +4
A year ago, Yaroslav Tsulygin had already seen some playoff action for Salavat Yulaev, but his role back then was far more limited. Now, the 20-year-old defenseman has grown into a key figure for his team. In the series against Sibir, Tsulygin averaged 16 minutes and 27 seconds of ice time per game — nearly on par with the team’s top defenseman, Dinar Khafizullin.
Sharing the best differential rating on the team with a few forwards at plus-4, Tsulygin consistently made his presence felt. He registered shots on goal in every game but the sixth, averaging around two shots per game — no surprise given his offensive instincts. In the decisive seventh game, the young blueliner picked up an assist on Scott Wilson’s game-winning goal. Over the seven-game series, he also recorded five hits, eight blocked shots, and two pass interceptions.
8. Anton Silayev, defenseman (2006, Torpedo)
Player’s rating: 1.45
Stats: 4 G, 0 points, even
After the first round, Anton Silayev emerged as one of the KHL’s top players in terms of physical play. The Torpedo defenseman racked up sixteen hits over the series — averaging four per game. From Game 2 onward against Lokomotiv, his ice time never dipped below the 18-minute mark.
Silayev averaged around two shots on goal per game, blocked seven shots, and added three takeaways and three pass interceptions to his stat line. Considering how tough the opening round was for Nizhny Novgorod, an even differential stands as a solid result for the young blueliner.
Torpedo has a big-time player in every sense of the word developing in Silayev — someone who’s likely to keep growing his game in the years ahead, both in his own end and beyond the opposing blue line.
7. Ivan Demidov, forward (2005, SKA)
Player’s rating: 1.63
Stats: 6 G, 5 (2+3) points, -1
One of the most talented young players in KHL history continued to lead SKA in most major categories after a strong regular season. That includes goals (3) and total points (5), the latter of which he shared with Arseny Gritsyuk. And he did all this despite not always getting regular ice time in some games of the series against Dynamo Moscow.
His best outing came in Game 5, where he posted a goal and an assist — with the young forward playing a role in both of SKA’s leads during the match. On average, he registered nearly four shots on goal per game and also contributed on defense, blocking six shots over the course of the series. He added three interceptions, two takeaways, and five hits.
In Game 4, which went into double overtime, Demidov logged a personal high in both ice time (27:03) and shots on goal (8).
6. Alexander Pashin, forward (2002, Spartak)
Player’s rating: 1.80
Stats: 5 G, 4 (2+2) points, +1
Although Spartak wrapped up their series against Severstal in just five games, it was far from an easy ride for the Red-and-Whites. That was especially true in Game 1, where Alexei Zhamnov’s team fell behind 0:2 before clawing back to win 5:4 in extra time. One of the key figures in that comeback was Alexander Pashin. The forward, who has made huge strides this season, opened the series with a three-point performance, including a shorthanded goal.
He scored again in Game 2, this time at even strength to break a 1:1 tie. Pashin has been a regular presence in all situations and is averaging around 16 minutes of ice time per game. He recorded shots on goal in every match of the first round, totaling 10 shots overall. Over the five-game series against Severstal, the young winger also delivered four hits, two takeaways, six pass interceptions, and blocked three shots.
5. Sergei Kuznetsov, forward (2002, Dinamo Minsk)
Player’s rating: 1.83
Stats: 5 G, 4 (1+3) points, +3
Sergei Kuznetsov finished as the fourth-highest scorer among young players in the first round of the playoffs, representing Dinamo Minsk. The forward played five out of six games in the series against CSKA, recording four points. His only goal came early in the series at even strength — notably, it was the first goal of the playoffs for Dinamo and sparked a comeback in Game 1.
Kuznetsov also picked up an assist in Game 6, setting up Joshua Brook’s game-winning goal — the one that sent Minsk to the second round of the Gagarin Cup for the first time in club’s history. The Dinamo forward registered seven shots on goal, six hits, four blocked shots, as well as one takeaway and one interception.
Considering he ranked only 11th among Dinamo forwards in average ice time (11:12), Kuznetsov made the most of his minutes with an efficient and impactful showing.
4. Vitaly Pinchuk, forward (2002, Dinamo Minsk)
Player’s rating: 1.93
Stats: 6 G, 5 (2+3) points, +4
Vitaly Pinchuk was one of several players who shared the title of Dinamo Minsk’s top scorer in the series against CSKA, finishing with five points — three of them goals. The center opened the series with two assists in Game 1, then scored in Games 2, 4, and 6.
His impact wasn’t limited to offense. Pinchuk added five interceptions, three blocked shots, a takeaway, and a hit. He averaged about two shots on goal per game and firmly established himself as the team’s top-line center — a player integral to Minsk’s success in the playoffs.
Known for his solid play around the crease, Pinchuk also posted the best passing accuracy among the team’s forwards in the first round, finishing with an impressive 88% completion rate.
3. Daniil Sotishvili, forward (2003, Dinamo Minsk)
Player’s rating: 2.02
Stats: 6 G, 3 (0+3) points, +8
After the first round of the Gagarin Cup, forward Daniil Sotishvili stood out as the top under-23 player in plus-minus with a remarkable plus-8 — second only to his teammate Xavier Ouellet among all skaters. Every time Sotishvili was on the ice at even strength, Dinamo Minsk managed to score in each game of the series against CSKA, except for Game 4. Remarkably, he didn’t finish a single game with a negative rating.
Despite averaging just 9:58 of ice time — ranking only 20th on the team — the young forward made the most of his shifts. He picked up three assists, tying him with Chris Tierney and Sergei Kuznetsov for the team lead in assists among forwards.
Sotishvili also contributed defensively, registering two takeaways, three pass interceptions, three blocked shots, and six hits.
2. Yegor Borikov, forward (2005, Dinamo Minsk)
Player’s rating: 2.03
Stats: 6 G, 5 (5+0) points, +2
Young Dinamo Minsk forward Yegor Borikov became one of the top goal-scorers of the first round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs, not only within his team but across the entire tournament. In six games against CSKA, Borikov scored five goals, spread across three different matches, all of which were victories for Minsk.
He netted the game-winning goal in the opening game of the series and followed up with two goals each in Game 5 and Game 6. In the 7:0 win in Game 5, Borikov scored the first goal, making it the decisive one. All of his goals came at even strength.
Despite having a relatively modest average ice time of under twelve minutes per game, Borikov also registered four hits, two takeaways, two pass interceptions, and blocked two shots. The forward became one of the fastest players on his team in the series, both in terms of top speed and average speed.
1. Maxim Motorygin, goalie (2002, Dynamo Moscow)
Player’s rating: 2.05
Stats: 5 G, 3 W, 93.0%, GAA 2.39
For most of the series against SKA, Maxim Motorygin was the starting goalie for Dynamo Moscow. The 22-year-old netminder played five full games, helping his team to three victories. In each game, Motorygin made at least 30 saves, and in the first two home games of the series, he posted around a 97% save rate.
Game 4 was a personal milestone for the young goaltender, as he set several career records — both for ice time (92:43) and for the number of saves (57), a figure he hadn’t previously reached in his career, including in the VHL and JHL.
