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Usually, import players come from hockey giants like Canada, the US, or the Nordic Countries. The Czech Republic and Slovakia also provided and keep on providing the league with plenty of talent. However, four countries also contributed with some of the finest performers in the years of the league’s existence and even Gagarin Cup champions. Today, the talk is about Austria, Norway, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

From a Stanley Cup winner to a forward who has played all 12 KHL seasons at one club, Latvia’s leading players in the league cover all bases. Here’s a rundown of the all-time stars, including one forward inspired by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Tre Kronor produced many fantastic hockey players who gave a lot to the KHL. The best is perhaps Linus Omark, but he’s definitely in good company when it comes to excellent Swedish players. One of them even had a chance to go on with Kazakhstan for his international career.

Earlier in this series, we looked at the imports who enjoyed the most productive KHL seasons compared with their compatriots. Today the talk is about Germany, Denmark, and France. Many players proved that you don’t have to come from Russia, North America, or a Nordic country to be a high-level player. Moreover, many of these talents keep on delivering today.

Among the KHL’s leading Czech players of the last 12 years, we find two brothers at opposite ends of the ice, multiple Gagarin Cup winners and a clutch of players from the only non-Russian team to a reach a Grand Final.

Earlier in this series, we looked at the imports who enjoyed the most productive KHL seasons compared with their compatriots. Today the talk is about the USA. America gave the KHL a lot of top talent, including players who then decided to represent their new countries on the international stage. One of them recently became a mayor in the US.

Earlier in this series, we looked at the imports who enjoyed the most productive KHL seasons compared with their compatriots. Today the talk is about Finland, a country that gave the league high-level goalies, smooth defensemen, and an elevate number of Gagarin Cup winners.

Some of the biggest names in Slovak hockey — Pavol Demitra, Miroslav Satan — have played in the KHL. However, they don’t feature on the list of Slovakia’s All-Time leaders in the KHL. For Satan, his spells with Dynamo Moscow and Slovan Bratislava were late in his illustrious career; for Demitra, tragically, his time at Lokomotiv was cut short after one brilliant season. But Slovakia has contributed many more fine players to the KHL — from Spartak’s contingent in the early years to the Red-and-Whites’ current goalie via several stars who represented Slovan.

Earlier in this series we looked at the imports who enjoyed the most productive KHL seasons compared with their compatriots. Now we’re moving on to record the All-Time leaders from each country represented in the league. Once again, we’re starting with Canada — a land that supplies us with long-serving goalies, prolific defensemen and the highest-scoring import in the KHL era. Many of the players listed here have settled for long enough to take dual citizenship and represent the likes of Belarus and Kazakhstan in World Championship play but, for the purposes of these articles, we’re interested in players’ countries of origin.

June brings a new series, delving into the archives to bring the leading KHL players from the different countries that have contributed to the league since 2008. Today, the talk is about four countries. Austria, Norway, Slovenia, and Switzerland didn’t give the KHL a lot of quantity. Still, the quality often was outstanding as some of the best-ever performers in the league come from these countries.

Latvia has been part of the KHL since day one, with Dinamo Riga representing the Baltic State through all 12 seasons so far. Not surprisingly, then, many of the top Lativan performers in the league have worn the distinctive maroon jersey of their homeland. But the country’s hockey fame stretches beyond its borders: big-time Latvian stars have performed with distinction in Helsinki, Khanty-Mansiysk, Moscow and beyond.

June brings a new series, delving into the archives to bring the leading KHL players from the different countries that have contributed to the league since 2008. Today, the talk is about Sweden. The Tre Kronor had an incredible influence on the league, and some of the most productive players in the history of the league represented this country on the international stage. However, you will need to scroll down quite a bit to finally find Linus Omark.

June brings a new series, delving into the archives to bring the leading KHL players from the different countries that have contributed to the league since 2008. Today, the talk is about the United States. Let’s discover the best single-season performance among players who represent the Stars and Stripes.

Slovakia has always had a strong presence in the KHL. In the inaugural season, there were 17 Slovaks in the league — only Canada and the Czech Republic had more players without entering a team in the competition. Later, with the advent of Lev Poprad and Slovan Bratislava, the numbers increased. However, the brightest stars from Slovakia appeared early in the KHL’s history, although Michal Cajkovsky and Martin Bakos produced strong seasons last time to suggest that another storm might soon be unleashed from beyond the Tatras.

June brings a new series, delving into the archives to bring the leading KHL players from the different countries that have contributed to the league since 2008. After Canada, we have a look at Finland, a land brimful of love for hockey, and a steady producer of high-level players. Here are the best Finnish performers in a single season.