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Imports and Russian players find new homes as the KHL free agency phase continues.

Ende April ging mit dem dritten Gagarin Cup Titel von CSKA Moskau die 15. KHL Saison zu Ende. Im Monat Mai gab es nun für Spieler und Teams bei der Schlusszeremonie die Ehrungen. Kanada holt den Weltmeistertitel.

Last week was dominated by the World Championship, and even in Russia’s absence there was plenty of KHL-related chat. Meanwhile, Metallurg picked up one of the rising stars of that tournament after signing a promising Kazakh forward.

Latvia won its first ever World Championship medal after edging past team USA in overtime to secure bronze in Tampere.

A third period fightback lifted Canada to victory over Latvia and sends Andre Tourigny’s team to its fourth World Championship final in a row. However, the Latvians pushed the Canadians all the way, twice leading in a hard-fought battle in Tampere.

Latvia reached its first ever World Championship semi-final after a stunning win over Sweden. Two days after Arena Riga partied into the night as the co-host secured a playoff spot in dramatic style, there was even greater jubilation after a 3-1 victory over the Tre Kronor set up a clash with Canada in the final four.

Several former and current KHL players are competing at this year’s World Championships.

With 5:04 left on the clock in regulation time, Kaspars Daugavins scored a goal that raised the roof at Arena Riga. The Latvian captain delivered a tying goal for his country in a vital game against Switzerland, earning the point that put the co-hosts into the quarter final. A power play goal in the extras saw Rudolfs Balcers crown a memorable evening beside the Baltic.

Two late goals grabbed a 4-3 victory over Slovenia as Kazakhstan signed off at the 2023 World Championship. Monday’s match-up was a dead rubber as far as the competition was concerned, with Slovenia already relegated and Kazakhstan unable to make the playoffs. However, it produced an entertaining game with both teams looking to finish on a high note.

It was time to look back at the excitement from the 2022-2023 season at a star-studded closing ceremony. And it was also time to look forward, with some high-profile trades and an update on an impressive new arena.

Sunday’s opening game in Riga was a big one for Kazakhstan. If Slovenia failed to get at least a point from its meeting with Slovakia, the Kazakhs would be safe from relegation regardless of its match-up against the Slovenes on Monday.

Latvia’s push for a playoff place continues after a crushing 7-0 victory over Kazakhstan. The win gives the co-host a six-point cushion over fifth-placed Slovakia, but the champagne corks can’t start popping just yet. Slovakia would have the head-to-head advantage in the event of a tie and has winnable games against Slovenia and Norway to come. Thus the Latvians could still need a point against undefeated Switzerland in the final game to book a quarter-final spot.

Kazakhstan took a huge step towards securing its top division status at this year’s IIHF World Championship with a surprise victory over Slovakia on Friday evening.

On Thursday, May 18, the Meeting of Club Managers of the KHL took place.

At a glittering closing ceremony in Moscow, the KHL handed out its awards for the 2022 - 2023 season, the 15th since the league was established.

Roman Cervenka potted the Czech Republic’s game-winner over Slovenia. His team had to come from 0-2 to record a 6-2 verdict. That fightback was warmly welcomed by Kazakhstan, which remains two points clear of the as yet winless Slovenians.

Kazakhstan suffered a second heavy loss in 24 hours, going down 5-1 to Canada. That follows a 0-5 loss to Switzerland the night before.

Kazakhstan suffered a heavy loss to Switzerland in its third game at the 2023 World Championship. The Swiss posted a third straight shut-out to secure a 5-0 verdict and move to the top of the Group B standings.

Oskars Batna got Latvia off the mark with a winner 44 seconds from the end of an enthralling overtime period against the Czech Republic.

International hockey was the focus last week, with Russia’s U25s continuing the series against Belarus while the World Championship got underway. At home, Lada confirmed its first players on its return to the KHL, and the league announced more nominees for the big prizes at the closing ceremony on Thursday.

After an impressive opening win over Norway, Kazakhstan came back down to earth in its second game at the 2023 World Championship. A 1-5 loss against the Czech Republic leaves the Kazakhs with two points from two games in Riga, good for fifth place in Group B.

Day two of the 2023 World Championship saw Kazakhstan’s first game. This year’s Kazakh roster is shorn of the dual-nationals who have dominated in recent years. Instead, there’s a chance for home-grown talent to emerge from the Kazakh championship and prove its worth.

Gagarin Cup winner Lars Johansson, now 35, set an unlikely record for Sweden in a 1-0 victory over Germany at the start of the 2023 IIHF World Championship. This was his first game in a World Championship for the Tre Kronor, and at 35 years, 305 days, the former CSKA man is the oldest Swedish goalie to make a debut in this competition.

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Best coach award – the trophy for the top head coach of the 2022-2023 KHL season.

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Golden Stick award – the trophy for the most valuable player of the 2022-2023 KHL regular season.

This week saw two new coaching appointments, the start of the summer trading season and the first nominees for the KHL’s official end-of-season awards.

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Alexei Cherepanov award, whose recipient is the top rookie of the 2022-2023 season.

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the best goaltender in the 2022-2023 season.

KHL.ru presents the top transfers involving imports players in these first days of free agency.

From May, 1 clubs got the right to sign UFA and making trades.

KHL.ru continues its weekly column with Mikhail Grigorenko. The CSKA forward was awarded Gagain Cup MVP honors as he topped the league in scoring and tallied 12 goals – the seventh all-time performance in the league’s playoff history.

CSKA featured three imports in its squad, and either of them had a significant contribute to the team’s ultimate success. It was the first Gagarin Cup triumph for Adam Reideborn and Fredrik Claesson, and the second for Darren Dietz. KHL.ru presents the best players from the championship team.

CSKA Moskau holt sich mit dem 3:2 Auswärtssieg bei Ak Bars erneut den Gagarin Cup Titel und zieht nun mit drei Erfolgen mit Ak Bars Kazan gleich auf.

The 2023 season is a wrap. CSKA secured its third Gagarin Cup after battling through an incredible 27 playoff games to lift the trophy. Read on for reaction, plus the week’s key contract news.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the Gagarin Cup Finals in four categories.

The 15th KHL season reached a dramatic conclusion in Kazan, where CSKA secured the Gagarin Cup in game seven of the final. The defending champion did it the hard way, playing 27 of a possible 28 playoff games this season. After the presentations, we heard from some of the key players on both sides about one of the most exciting seasons in Russian hockey history.

For the first time since 2013, we have a repeat champion. CSKA did it the hard way in this year’s final, blowing a 3-1 lead before recovering to win game seven on the road in Kazan. Two goals in 76 seconds turned this battle upside down as Sergei Fedorov’s men defended the title they won a year ago.

CSKA and Ak Bars battle out to elect a winner.

We’re heading to game seven! For the second season running, the Gagarin Cup final has seen a team fightback from 1-3 to tie it up at 3-3. Last year, CSKA was the team playing catch-up; this time, the defending champion finds itself in the opposition position after Ak Bars dug deep to blank the Muscovites.

Kazan managed to cut CSKA’s lead down to just one game as the series moves back to Moscow for game six.