Man of the Week: Sam Anas

KHL.ru’s weekly column returns with Dinamo Minsk’s American forward Sam Anas. The 32-years-old has just beat Dinamo Minsk’s record for the most regular-season points in a single campaign, surpassing Charles Linglet’s long-standing mark of 58 points set in 2014–2015.

Dinamo Minsk’s Sam Anas has just had another striking week with the Belarusian franchise. Not only did he score five points in just three games, but he also established a record for Dinamo Minsk. Reaching 59 points, his performance became the best in a single regular season, surpassing Charles Linglet’s 58-point season more than a decade ago. It’s another great milestone for the Belarusians, who had Vadim Shipachyov becoming the all-time top scorer in the league last season, and Shipachyov again becoming the first man to reach 1,000 KHL points not long ago. With more than a month to be played in the current campaign, Anas can climb even higher, with his record becoming harder and harder to beat in the years to come.

Early years

Sam Anas was born in Potomac, Maryland, and he started making a name for himself in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede, where his offensive instincts were already clear. He amassed 113 points in two seasons and went on to play at the Quinnipiac University in the NCAA. Anas quickly became a top scorer for the Bobcats, leading the team in all three seasons he spent there. While playing for the Connecticut-based university, he lined up with Sibir’s defenseman Chase Priskie, among the others.

His strong play with the Bobcats brought Anas national recognition, including ECAC Player of the Year honors and a place among the Hobey Baker Award finalists as the top collegiate player of the year.

Ranking up

After his collegiate career, Anas had to go through the AHL to turn professional – he was undrafted in the NHL. Most notably with the Iowa Wild, he produced at a steady pace, highlighted by a 54-point season in 2018–2019 and 38 points in 51 games the following year. Later seasons with the Springfield Thunderbirds and the Hershey Bears only reinforced that reputation. The 2022–2023 campaign with the Bears became a defining moment, as Anas contributed to the Bears’ Calder Cup championship, playing side-to-side with several other players now in the KHL.

Anas has a total of 305 points, with 109 goals and 196 assists, in 398 regular-season games in the AHL. He can add to his resume another 34 (9+25) points in 49 career appearances in the postseason.

Move to the KHL

Two years on from leaving North American hockey for the KHL, Anas’ adaptation has been seamless. He joined Dinamo Minsk in the summer of 2023 and made an immediate impact, recording 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points in 60 games during the 2023–2024 season. He followed that up with an equally productive campaign the next year, again finishing with 46 points, this time spread across 66 games with 19 goals and 27 assists. Those back-to-back seasons firmly established him as one of Minsk’s most consistent scorers and a dependable offensive reference point on his line.

Being now a record holder, Anas has now a real chance to help Dinamo Minsk in a deep playoff run. The Bison are currently one of the top teams in the Western Conference’s standings, fighting point over point against Severstal and Lokomotiv for the lead, and will be one of the most-awaited teams in the elimination stage.