Top players of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs’ first round

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs’ first round in four categories.

The League’s teams played 40 games in the first-round series, with 384 players (24 goalies, 125 defensemen, and 235 forwards) taking part in the action. The scoring was at 4.85 goals per game.

- Best goalie for the first time in his career was Zach Fucale (Dinamo Minsk), who won four games from four against Dynamo Moscow. The Bison’s netminder faced 108 shots throughout the series, or 27 per night, posting a 96.30% saves percentage and a goals-against average of 0.89.

- Best defenseman for the first time in his career was Mitchel Miller (Ak Bars), who scored 6 (2+4) points in five games against Traktor, with a plus-7 differenzial. The Kazan blueliner netted the game-winning goal in Game Two. He also delivered seven hits, blocked seven shots, and had five takeaways.

- Best forward for the first time in his career was Denis Guryanov (CSKA), who scored 7 (6+1) points in five games against SKA, ending the series with a plus-6 differential. The CSKA forward netted the game-winning goal in Game Four. He also delivered fourteen hits, blocked three shots, and made one pass interception.

- Best rookie for the first time in his career was 19-years-old forward Mikhail Fyodorov (Metallurg), who scored 2 (2+0) points in five games against Sibir, ending the series with a plus-1 differential. Fyodorov also delivered one hit, blocked one shot, and had one takeaway.