Siryatsky’s scoring, Polyakov’s return, and Zagrebin’s strong month. October top youngsters

Commentator for KHL TV channels and expert at KHL.ru, Anton Vasyatin, presents the top ten most prominent young U23 players (born 2004-2009) in the league based on their performance in the second month of the regular season.

The list is compiled based on the Player Ratings, which the League calculates using an extensive set of statistical metrics.

10. Yegor Surin, forward (2006, Lokomotiv)

Player’s rating: 2.38

In October, Yegor Surin took the ice in eight of Lokomotiv’s nine games. The past month may not have been as eye-catching as fans have grown used to seeing from this forward, but he still managed to make the list of the best young players. His only goal came in a home game against Dinamo Minsk. It was not the game-winner, but it was the first goal of the game and helped the Railwaymen get off to a confident start. In total, Surin collected four points, adding three assists to his goal. He registered shots on goal in all but one game, averaging more than two per night. He finished with a plus-3 rating, and his trademark physical style has not gone anywhere either, with 24 hits during the month. The Lokomotiv forward also blocked five shots and recorded two takeaways and two pass interceptions.

9. Ivan Ryabov, forward (2005, Spartak)

Player’s rating: 2.40

The start of the season was not easy for Ivan Ryabov, who went a month and a half without getting on the scoresheet. What is telling, however, is that the coaching staff kept their faith in the young player, and Ryabov remains one of the few Spartak players who have not missed a single game this season. Ryabov is a very useful two-way center, and his hard work earned him the goals that finally came in the second half of October. He found the net against Admiral and Severstal, once each in two different games. His first assist of the season came in Spartak’s third game against the Cherepovets side in the space of a few days. Overall, Ryabov played eleven games in October with a plus-8 rating (with him on the ice, the team rarely conceded at even strength). He registered 18 shots on goal, eight blocked shots, eight hits, four takeaways, and one interception. He also won around 50% of his faceoffs.

8. Alexander Zharovsky, forward (2007, Salavat Yulaev)

Player’s rating: 2.41

Alexander Zharovsky played eleven games in October, recording eight points. Exactly half of them were goals, all of them at even strength, as he scored against Sibir, Amur, Metallurg, and Ak Bars. In Khabarovsk, Zharovsky assisted on Matthew Maggio’s game-winning goal, capping an impressive comeback from three goals down. The leader of Ufa’s attack is currently roughly on pace with his output from last regular season, averaging 0.7 points per game, and that is impressive in itself: for such a young player, Zharovsky set the bar quite high a year ago. The forward’s play, and especially his playmaking passes, consistently impress the fans.

7. Matvei Korotky, forward (2005, SKA)

Player’s rating: 2.43

It seems that for Matvei Korotky it does not really matter what shape his team is in, or whether it is winning or losing: he always plays consistently well. October was no exception. The SKA leader played in all ten of his team’s games, scoring four goals (one each against Dinamo Minsk and Dynamo Moscow, plus a brace against Torpedo) and adding five assists. Three of his goals came at even strength and one on the power play. The center won an impressive 58% of his faceoffs, delivered nine hits, and made two pass interceptions. Korotky takes the ice in virtually every situation, not just at five-on-five, which underlines his versatility and his importance to SKA.

6. Yegor Zavragin, goalie (2005, Metallurg)

Player’s rating: 2.44

Yegor Zavragin has not been getting much playing time so far this season, but in October he appeared in more games than in the opening month: five in total, four of them full outings. With Zavragin in net, Metallurg defeated Admiral (24 saves), Dinamo Minsk (28), and Sibir at home (20). His only loss came in Novosibirsk, but Zavragin had plenty of work there, stopping 34 shots, his best total of the season. Metallurg beat the Vladivostok side 3-0, giving the young netminder his first shutout of the season. In the next two games, Zavragin allowed just one goal in each. He finished the month with a 94.9% save percentage.

5. Maxim Zagrebin, forward (2005, Salavat Yulaev)

Player’s rating: 2.60

There are plenty of young players in the KHL, but Maxim Zagrebin can already be called one of the main revelations of the early season. The 21-year-old center had rarely appeared even in the VHL before, as a regular for Tolpar in the JHL, where, of course, he played consistently well and was one of the team’s leaders. Now, having effectively skipped the farm-club stage, Zagrebin has stepped straight into the Salavat Yulaev lineup. Tellingly, he is one of the players Viktor Kozlov has trusted with every single game of the season so far. In eleven October games, Zagrebin scored three goals, finding the net once each against Metallurg, Neftekhimik, and HC Sochi. He also has four assists, two of which came on the day of the comeback in Khabarovsk. He is currently one of the contenders for Rookie of the Year, looking more and more confident with every week.

4. Mikhail Gulyayev, defenseman (2005, Avangard)

Player’s rating: 2.63

Fans, it seems, have already grown used to Mikhail Gulyayev’s role at Avangard. Many Omsk players, including some of the leading defensemen, have missed a fair number of games through injury. Against this backdrop, Gulyayev has not only played every game but also leads the team’s defensemen in scoring by a wide margin. In October alone, he recorded seven points in ten games, scoring once each against Neftekhimik and Dynamo Moscow. His goal in Nizhnekamsk was the only one of the game, and therefore the game-winner, and on that day Gulyayev was listed as a forward. His other goal came in Moscow and sparked Avangard’s comeback. He also had five assists, one of them on Michael McLeod’s overtime winner against Dynamo. Over the month, Gulyayev registered thirteen shots on goal, blocked ten shots, and recorded four hits, two pass interceptions, and one takeaway.

3. Semyon Simonov, forward (2005, Barys)

Player’s rating: 2.73

After a standout first month of the season, in which Semyon Simonov was not only Barys’ leader but also one of the best forwards in the entire League, he scored several important goals in October as well. He had three goals in total, two of them game-winners: his overtime strike in Nizhnekamsk and the only goal of the game in Minsk. His other goal was not a game-winner, but it allowed Barys to force overtime in its road game against Admiral. Simonov also assisted his teammates on three occasions. The Barys forward finished the month with a plus-6 rating, 23 shots on goal, ten hits, six blocked shots, four takeaways, and one pass interception. He is currently the Astana team’s top-scoring domestic player.

2. Matvei Polyakov, forward (2004, Torpedo)

Player’s rating: 2.88

Matvei Polyakov missed most of September through injury, but he returned on the first day of October and immediately showed that the lack of game time was not a problem. In ten games in the second month of the regular season, the Torpedo forward recorded eight points. He assisted his teammates six times and scored once each against HC Sochi and Metallurg. Add to that 18 shots, six hits, two blocked shots, and two pass interceptions, and he finished the month with a plus-5 rating. Over the past month, Polyakov has fully settled in with his new team, producing on the scoresheet while showing his customary high speed and energy.

1. Alexander Siryatsky, defenseman (2006, Metallurg)

Player’s rating: 3.11

An uptick in Alexander Siryatsky’s KHL scoring was only a matter of time, and October brought the Metallurg defenseman nine points in twelve games. That is not only impressive for a 20-year-old blueliner, but also more than he had recorded over his entire previous career in the League. His average ice time is still well below that of the team’s more experienced defensemen, which makes his October productivity stand out even more. His only goal came in a home game against Salavat Yulaev and proved to be the game-winner. Siryatsky set up his Metallurg teammates on eight more occasions, two of them on game-winning goals. One takeaway, five pass interceptions, 13 blocked shots, two hits, 19 shots, and a plus-2 rating complete the picture of the 20-year-old’s past month.