Press’ consistency and Nardella’s excellent debut season. Week 10 top imports
Joshua Brook helps Dinamo Minsk in its excellent season, while Bobby Nardella is having a great start of his career in the league. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.
Canada
D, Dinamo Minsk, 3 G, 3 (1+2) points, +8
The Manitoba native blueliner is quickly making his mark as one of the KHL’s premier imports. Last week, Brook notched three points (1 goal, 2 assists) across three games, highlighted by an impressive plus-8 rating. Brook played hero on Monday, firing home the decisive goal in Dinamo’s 5:2 victory over HC Sochi. His impact transcended the scoresheet: Brook laid down two hits, blocked a league-leading ten shots, intercepted a pass, and registered a takeaway, showcasing strong all-around game that makes him one of the top players in the league in the plus-minus department.
US
D, Torpedo, 3 G, 4 (0+4) points, -1
The American offensive blueliner has clearly been one of Torpedo’s best signings this offseason, and last week he was one of the best players for the Nizhny Novgorod franchise, who had two wins and one loss in the seven-day span. In Monday’s Torpedo win over Lokomotiv, Nardella posted an assist, followed by two helpers in Nizhny Novgorod’s side win over HC Sochi on Wednesday. The defenseman got to the scoresheet even in Torpedo’s losing effort to Avangard on Sunday (2:6) – it was Torpedo’s first November loss and a defeat that halted a seven-win run. Nardella is having a tremendous debut season in the KHL and his role on the ice is likely to grow further as the season goes on.
Czechia
D, Admiral, 2 G, 4 (1+3) points, +2
Admiral improved its game lately, with three wins in its last four matches, and Sulak was a big part of this success. Now on a three-game scoring streak, the blueliner posted a hat-trick of assists in Tuesday’s Admiral win over Avtomobilist on home soil – his third three-point performance in KHL history and his second assistant’s hat-trick after having the same trick in last season’s Gagarin Cup playoffs against Traktor. Sulak’s strong play continued as the Sailors claimed a win in the second Far East derby of the season, with the Czech defenseman opening the score in the first minute of play to net his third of the season. Sulak, who has recently celebrated 300 KHL appearances, is expected to step up as Admiral keeps on hunting a playoff spot.
Sweden
D, Metallurg, 2 G, 4 (1+3) points, +1
The Swedish towering defenseman had another excellent week with Magnitka. Press, in his fifth season in the league, had points in both Metallurg’s games in the seven-day stretch, including a strong three-point performance in Wednesday’s win over Lada. With Magnitka celebrating a 6:4 win, Press had a goal and two helpers with a plus-1 rating for the Magnitogorsk franchise, helping the team retain its spot at the top of the Eastern Conference’s table. In Sunday’s losing effort to SKA (3:4), Press posted an assist and avoided a negative rating in more than sixteen minutes of time on ice. The Swedish d-man is now trailing only Damir Sharipzyanov, Mitchell Miller, and Joseph Keane in scoring from the blue line across the league.
