Best Players of the 2025-2026 eighteenth week

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2025-2026 Regular Season’s eighteenth week in four categories.

The League’s teams played 28 games last week, with 513 players (38 goalies, 168 defensemen, and 307 forwards) taking part in the action. The scoring was at 5.25 goals per game.

- Best goalie for the second time in his career was Yaroslav Ozolin (Neftekhimik), who won three games from three last week. The Nizhnekamsk goalie faced 68 shots, or 34 per game, posting a 99.02% saves percentage and a goals-against average of 0.33. In the games against Ak Bars on Tuesday (2:0) and Barys on Thursday (1:0), Ozolin posted consecutive shutouts, with a shutout streak of 213:34 – a record for Neftekhimik and the second result this season.

- Best defenseman for the eleventh time in his career was Damir Sharipzyanov (Avangard), who scored 7 (4+3) points in three games last week. In Sunday’s Avangard win over Traktor (5:2), Sharipzyanov posted his second hat-trick. He also delivered four hits, blocked two shots, made one pass interception, and had two takeaways.

- Best forward for the fourth time in his career was Stephane Da Costa (Avtomobilist), who scored 7 (4+3) points in three games last week, with an impressive plus-8 rating. The Yekaterinburg forward potted the game-winning goal in Wednesday’s Avtomobilist win against Traktor (4:1). He also delivered three hits, blocked one shot, made four pass interceptions and had two takeaways.

- Best rookie for the first time in his career was 17-years-old forward Gleb Pugachyov (Torpedo), who scored 3 (2+1) points in three games last week, with a plus-4 differential. The Nizhny Novgorod forward potted game-winning goals in Torpedo’s wins over Lokomotiv on Wednesday (3:0) and Spartak on Saturday (1:0). He also delivered seven hits, blocked one shot, made one pass interception, and had two takeaways.