Best Players of the 2025-2026 twenty-sixth week

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

The League’s teams played 28 games last week, with 521 players (37 goalies, 171 defensemen, and 313 forwards) taking part in the action. The scoring was at 4.57 goals per game.

- Best goalie for the first time in his career was Nikita Boyarkin (Barys), who won two games from two last week. The Astana goalie faced 66 shots, or 33 per game, posting a 98.48% saves percentage and a goals-against average of 0.50. Boyarkin posted his first shutout of the season in Barys’ 3:0 win over Amur on Tuesday.

- Best defenseman for the sixth time in his career was Daniil Pylenkov (Dynamo Moscow), who scored 6 (1+5) points in three games last week, with a plus-1 differential. The Blue-and-Whites’ blueliner also recorded three hits, blocked seven shots, made two pass interceptions, and had three takeaways.

- Best forward for the first time in his career was Maxim Shalunov (Lokomotiv), who scored 6 (5+1) points in four games last week, with a plus-2 rating. In Friday’s Lokomotiv win over Lada (4:2), Plotnikov netted his second KHL career hat-trick. The Yaroslavl forward also recorded four hits, blocked one shot, and made two pass interceptions.

- Best rookie for the fourth time in his career was 19-years-old forward Alexander Zharovksy (Salavat Yulaev), who scored 2 (1+1) points in three games last week, with a plus-1 differential. In Saturday’s Salavat Yulaev win over the Shanghai Dragons (5:3), Zharovsky potted the game-winning goal. He also delivered one hit, blocked two shots, and made one pass interception.