Day two of the action in Magnitogorsk began with Traktor’s Lukas Sedlak potting his first goal for the club to set up a 2-1 win over Sibir. And it ended with a last-minute goal from 19-year-old Nikita Rozhkov to give Metallurg a 3-2 win over Kunlun Red Star.

Sedlak scores his first for Traktor

The first game of the day in Magnitogorsk pitted yesterday’s losers against each other. Traktor had gone down in overtime against Kunlun before Sibir suffered a heavy defeat against Metallurg. While the Siberians were also struggling against a tough schedule, Traktor was able to recall several key players rested in Thursday’s play.

It didn’t take long for two of those recalled players to make an impact. Czech strike duo Tomas Hyka and Lukas Sedlak were back on the team and combined for Sedlak to open the scoring in the fourth minute. It was his first goal for his new club, but it failed to spark a flurry of scoring. Instead, the game had a strong ‘summer’ feel about it, with neither team able to inject much pace into proceedings.

Midway through the second period Traktor extended its lead through Yegor Babenko. Sam Lofquist got one back for Sibir to keep the game alive going into the final minutes, but Traktor held on to secure the win.

Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 Sibir Novosibirsk 1 (1-0, 0-0, 1-1)

Goals: 1-0 Sedlak (Hyka 3:13); 2-0 Babenko (47:30); 2-1 Lofquist (Ruohomaa, Pervushin 58:52)

Goalies: Demchenko (Fedotov) – Sateri

Peteris Skudra, head coach, Traktor

It wasn’t a bad game. There was a lot of physical play. We need to get used to that. At home we train on a big pad but here we were playing on a Finnish-sized rink where every pass has to count. You can see where we need to adapt and it wasn’t easy at first.

We’re still taking too many silly penalties. We spent too long on the PK and that spoiled our game. We need to work on our discipline. But overall, the lads did well. Apart from the last five minutes, where we eased up with the score at 2-0, we gave the opposition a real game.

Nikolai Zavarukhin, head coach, Sibir

Today we looked a bit better than yesterday. In the second and third periods we created chances but couldn’t put them away. Our power play didn’t produce, even though we had a few opportunities to use it. Of course, it was important psychologically to get a goal, and I’m happy that we managed that. The guys worked hard, we blocked a lot of shots but right now our finishing is letting us down.

Debutant delivers late winner for Magnitka

Metallurg gave a chance to some of its young prospects, playing them on the third and fourth lines for Friday’s game against Kunlun Red Star. That gave Josef Jandac the chance to rest Eric O’Dell, who scored twice against Sibir 24 hours earlier, and have a look at the depth within the organization.

And it turned out to be 19-year-old forward Nikita Rozhkov who got the game-winning goal in the last minute of this encounter. The teenager snapped a 2-2 tie to give Metallurg its second win of the competition.

Red Star, meanwhile, showed more signs of promise after defeating Traktor in its first game. The Chinese team took the lead midway through the first period when Spencer Foo and Tyler Wong engineered a two-on-one breakout. Wong, Beijing-born, potted his first goal for the club after returning to his homeland after a spell in the minor leagues in North America. Foo, one of many summer recruits with Chinese heritage, is another reason to hope that China’s progress towards the 2022 Olympics in Beijing is picking up pace.

But it wasn’t enough to deny Magnitka. Sergei Mozyakin keeps on scoring and the Metallurg captain tied the game before Denis Parshin gave the home team the lead in the second period. Olli Palola made it 2-2 midway through the final frame and it looked like that would earn Kunlun a second overtime appearance in two days, but Rozhkov had other ideas.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 Kunlun Red Star 2 (0-1, 2-0, 1-1)

Goals: 0-1 Wong (Foo 10:06); 1-1 Mozyakin (Antipin, Kozun 26:51); 2-1 Parshin (Nekolenko, Yakovlev 33:40); 2-2 Palola (51:32), 3-2 Rozhkov (Dronov 59:05)

Goalies: Galimov – Hrubec

Josef Jandac, head coach, Metallurg

Today was more like a battle than a game. Kunlun put us under a lot of pressure and played a strong forecheck. We had problems getting out of our zone at times. In the second period we changed a few things and got better at moving with the puck. We got two goals, but then we had a spell where the momentum changed hands. First we kept puck possession better, then they did. Our power play didn’t deliver, but in the end we got the result.

Curt Fraser, head coach, Kunlun Red Star

This was only our second game of pre-season. I enjoyed watching both teams. I think the players and the spectators all enjoyed themselves. I’d like to say a special word of thanks to Metallurg for inviting us here. The people have been so hospitable and it’s a well-organized tournament. It’s great to be part of it.

The latest action in St. Petersburg began with a high-scoring encounter as Jokerit edged Avangard by the odd goal in seven. The evening game saw SKA prove too strong for Sochi, with the host suggesting it might have learned from its unhappy experience at the Sochi Hockey Open earlier in the month.

Niemi, Kontiola impress for Jokerit

Jokerit returned new goalie Antti Niemi to the starting line-up after he was rested in yesterday’s game – and Avangard wasted little time in testing out the Stanley Cup winner. Pavel Dedunov opened the scoring midway through the first period when he pounced on a defensive error.

Photo: 23.08.19. Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. Avangard (Omsk) - Jokerit (Helsinki)

Taylor Beck also gave Niemi plenty to think about. The Canadian scored two power play goals and was close to a hat-trick. But the Finn’s quality told, and a fine save denied Beck a third goal.

Petri Kontiola, another Finn returning home, albeit to less hype than Niemi, also showed his calibre. He had three assists in the game, two for Niklas Jensen and another for Brian O’Neill as Jokerit pulled off an entertaining 4-3 win. World Championship star Marko Anttila also had a helper as Matias Myttynen got Jokerit’s opener.

Avangard Omsk 3 Jokerit Helsinki 4 (1-0, 2-3, 0-1)

Goals: 1-0 Dedunov (18:56); 1-1 Myttynen (Anttila 25:46); 2-1 Beck (Shumakov 26:58 PP); 2-2 O’Neill (Lepisto, Kontiola 28:57 PP); 3-2 Beck (Andrighetto, Voynov 34:13 PP); 3-3 Jensen (O’Neill, Kontiola 36:59 PP); 4-3 Jensen (Kontiola 51:19)

Goalies: Bobkov – Niemi

Bob Hartley, head coach, Avangard

We made a few changes to our lines, our plan was to shuffle the team and try out some different combinations. I liked our game, both its intensity and our attacking play. We created a lot of chances. Apart from the goal in the third period, we did well.

SKA experiments, but wins again

SKA’s head coach Alexei Kudashov kept his promise to rotate his roster after the win over Torpedo. As a result, the line-up against Sochi had an experimental look. The established top line was gone, with only Jori Lehtera involved at all, and that on the fourth line. Alexei Melnichuk was given a chance to impress between the piping.

Photo: 23.08.19. Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. SKA (St.Petersburg) - HC Sochi (Sochi)

The changes couldn’t deny the Army Men a second victory in the tournament. Oleg Li converted after Ilya Kablukov won a face-off, David Rundblad scored on the power play and Maxim Karpov finished off a penalty shot.

Sochi replied with a goal from summer signing Malte Stromwall, but never looked likely to extend its summer winning streak.

SKA St. Petersburg 3 HC Sochi 1 (1-0, 1-1, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Li (Kablukov 18:56); 2-0 Rundblad (Kagarlitsky 29:12 PP); 2-1 Stromwall (Tochinsky 31:14 PP); 3-1 Karpov (50:56 pen)

Goalies: Melnichuk – Proskuryakov

Alexei Kudashov, head coach, SKA

We’re getting ready for the season and trying out different combinations. Our young goalie, Melnichuk, did well today. There were times when he kept us on course, he did what was required of him. There are still things to work on, but the issues I talked about after the Torpedo game already looked a bit better. Dmitry Kagarlitsky just needs time. He’s a goalscorer, he’ll come good.

Last season Barys proved itself to be a key player in the Eastern Conference. Its second-place finish matched the best result in the Kazakh club’s history. Over the summer, a bunch of productive forwards left the club, but the pre-season results suggest that this might not be an immediate problem.

Last season

A strong regular season campaign saw Barys top the Chernyshev Division ahead of eventual Gagarin Cup finalist Avangard. That was achieved despite the departure of free-scoring forward Nigel Dawes; his points were replaced by a phenomenal year from defenseman Darren Dietz and a combined 90-point haul from Andre Petersson and Patrice Cormier.

However, the playoffs were a disappointment. In the first round it took seven games to see off Torpedo and the Conference semi-final brought an end to the campaign as Barys took just one game off Avangard.

Coach

Andrei Skabelka is starting his fifth season in the KHL, and his second at Barys. He has taken three teams to the playoffs but in Nur-Sultan that won’t be enough this time around. The aim is to take the team to uncharted territory and reach at least the Conference final. Skabelka himself has already achieved that feat during his time with Sibir.

It’s not an easy task. Skabelka needs to get a strong game from a new group of players, many of whom will be expected to replace last year’s leaders. But victory in the President of Kazakhstan’s Cup and a good showing in Switzerland suggests that things are moving in the right direction.

Arrivals

Goalie: Eddie Pasquale (Syracuse, AHL)

Defense: Nikita Kleshchenko (Nomad, KAZ), Leonid Metalnikov (Saryarka, VHL)

Offense: Valery Gurin (Nomad, KAZ), Talgat Zhailauov (Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, VHL), Corban Knight (Philadelphia, NHL), Iiro Pakarinen (Metallurg), Dmitry Presnov, Andrei Runov (both Nomad, KAZ), Adam Helewka (Milwaukee, AHL), Arkady Shestakov (Torpedo U-K, VHL), Kirill Shmurygin (Nomad, KAZ), Eric Tangredi (New Jersey, NHL)

Departures

Goalies: Dominik Hrachovina (Ambri-Piotta, SUI), Dmitry Malgin

Defense: Kevin Dallman (retired), Alexander Lipin

Offense: Brandon Bochenski (retired), Daniyar Gabdullin, Dmitry Grentz (Torpedo U-K, VHL), Patrice Cormier (Ak Bars), Andre Petersson (Dynamo Moscow), Matt Frattin (Ak Bars)

Roster

Over the summer Barys lost several leaders, especially on offense. Andre Petersson, Patrice Cormier and Matt Frattin were all among the top five scorers last season. In addition, club legends Brandon Bochenski and Kevin Dallman hung up their skates after long and distinguished service. It’s not going to be easy to fully replace such a wide assortment of key players.

The work of the club’s management can only properly be assessed after a couple of months of the regular season. Among the new players signed to lead the team, only Iiro Pakarinen has a track record in this league. The likes of Corban Knight, Eric Talgredi and Adam Helewka, all arrived from North America, are unknown quantities in the KHL.

Leader – Darren Dietz

This defenseman spent almost the entire regular season among the leading scorers in the KHL. And that wasn’t just leading scorers from the blue line, it was the most productive players overall. His 53 (18+35) points represented a phenomenal return at this level. At times it felt like Barys had a fourth forward on the ice when Darren Dietz was involved, especially on the power play where he was irreplaceable. By the end of the season, he was the club’s top scorer by a significant margin.

Prospect – Valery Orekhov

Valery Orekhov is a young D-man who has already had two solid seasons in the KHL. He’s a good skater and rarely finds himself in the box. Still only 20, he’s closing in on 100 KHL appearances and last season brought 6 (3+3) points and a +12 rating. He’s also a rising star on the Kazakh national team, which is preparing for a return to the top level of the World Championship in May.

Expectations

The battle to boss the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be a heavyweight affair – and Barys can definitely be counted among the contenders. But there’s a caveat: it depends on the management finding the right imports. Losing four productive forwards in one summer is a tough blow for any team. In recent seasons we’ve been accustomed to lively, attacking hockey in Kazakhstan but it’s entirely possible that Andrei Skabelka will have to revise the game plan to accommodate a relative lack of top-class forwards.

Dinamo Riga made it three wins from three to set up a gold-medal showdown against Ak Bars when the Latvian Railways Cup concludes tomorrow. In Saturday’s other action, Lokomotiv downed Avtomobilist 3-0.

A tale of two Dinamos

Saturday’s program began with a clash between the Dinamos of Riga and Minsk. The teams were in contrasting form: Riga unbeaten here, Minsk struggling for wins anywhere in pre-season. Girts Ankipans chose to rest several of his leaders, giving a break to Carter Ashton and David Ullstrom. But even without their most productive players of the summer, the Latvians proved too strong for Minsk.

The game was settled in the third period when the host potted two unanswered goals. The home power play made a big impact, providing two of the three goals for Ankipans & Co.

Dinamo Riga 3 Dinamo Minsk 1 (1-0, 0-1, 2-0)

Goals: 1-0 Gillies (Marenis 13:06 PP); 1-1 Pavlenko (Stefanovich, Denisov 34:15); Jansons (Sotnieks, Marenis 42:02 PP); 3-1 Pazgals (Marshall 58:48, empty net).

Goalies: Tretiak – Enroth

First win for Lokomotiv

Neither Lokomotiv nor Avtomobilist had lived up to expectations at the Latvian Railways Cup. The Railwaymen had lost both their games, while Avto managed just one victory. Andrei Martemyanov sent out a strong roster, lacking only the injured forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Anatoly Golyshev. Loko also went with something close to a full-strength line-up and had Alexander Lazushin starting in goal.

The goalie went on to secure a shut-out as Loko sealed a comfortable win courtesy of one goal in each period. Three of the four lines found the net for Craig MacTavish’s team.

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 3 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 0 (1-0, 1-0, 1-0)

Goals: Averin (Alexeyev, Kudryavtsev 12:27); 2-0 Rattie (Sannikov, Osipov 30:53 PP); 3-0 Ivanov (Kovalenko, Cherepanov 54:38)

Goalies: Lazushin – Kovar

There was only one game at the Puchkov Tournament on Saturday, with Torpedo getting its first win of the competition at the expense of Severstal.

Severstal came to Petersburg with six full lines available and every intention of experimenting. Against Avangard, the formula was correct and the Steelmen earned an overtime win. However, a rather different roster suffered a tough time against Torpedo.

Too many fouls handed Torpedo plenty of chances to play 5-on-3 hockey. Denis Barantsev and Chay Genoway enjoyed those gifts. Mikhail Varnakov added another goal at equal strength, but only seconds after another erring Severstal man emerged from the box.

And then there was Quinton Howden, who scored two goals of his own. The Canadian only came to Nizhny Novgorod at the start of August after playing last season with Dinamo Minsk. He opened the scoring from a pacey attack and completed his double when shorthanded. On the occasion, Howden did not even need to find the net: bearing down on an empty net he was fouled by a Severstal defenseman and, according to the rules, was awarded the goal without even the need for a penalty shot.

Severstal Cherepovets 1 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 5 (0-2, 1-2, 0-1)

Goals: 0-1 Howden (Zhafyarov, Szczechura 8:45); 0-2 Barantsev (Varnakov, Alyayev 18:03 PP); 0-3 Genoway (Szczechura 27:47 PP); 0-4 Varnakov (Barantsev, Bocharov 34:00); 1-4 Khabarov (Monakhov, Yakimov 34:57); 1-5 Howden (Urakov 51:16 SH).

Goalies: Podyapolsky – Lindback

Standings

Vityaz handed CSKA a 5-0 thrashing on gameday two at the Mayor of Moscow Cup, with Joonas Nattinen potting a hat-trick. The evening game saw Dynamo beat Spartak 4-1 to move clear at the top of the table. An overtime loss or better against CSKA tomorrow would see the Blue-and-Whites lift the trophy, but if CSKA wins in regulation there could be a three-way tie at the top of the table.

Nattinen shoots down Gagarin Cup champion

After opening with a 5-2 win over Spartak, CSKA refreshed its roster. In came five new players, including goalie Lars Johansson and forward Maxim Shalunov. Linden Vey and Jiri Sekac were among the more prominent absentees. Shalunov centred a line with Kirill Kaprizov and Konstantin Okulov.

Photo: 24.08.19. Moscow mayor cup. CSKA (Moscow) - Vityaz (Moscow Region)

Vityaz brought in goalie Ilya Ezhov but he found himself somewhat underused in the opening period as Mikhail Kravets’ team got itself in front. Vityaz played almost all the game in CSKA territory and had two spells on the power play. Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi hit the post when clean through but the attacking intent got its reward late in the frame when Joonas Nattinen redirected a Ville Lajunen shot into the net.

Against Dynamo, Vityaz got in front then ran into penalty trouble. Here, the team learned its lesson and picked up just one minor in the first two periods. When CSKA made an error changing on the fly, it was little surprise that Alexei Makeyev applied the maximum punishment.

The third period brought more joy for the Moscow Region club. Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov made it 3-0 before Nattinen completed his hat-trick. It’s hard to recall the last time CSKA allowed five unanswered goals.

CSKA Moscow 0 Vityaz Moscow Region 5 (0-1, 0-1, 0-3)

Goals: 0-1 Nattinen (Lajunen, Grebenshchikov 18:39); 0-2 Makeyev (Jerabek 32:59); 0-3 Grebenshchikov (Moiseyev 42:44); 0-4 Nattinen (Lajunen, Yevseyenkov 48:32); 0-5 Nattinen (Lajunen 54:43 PP)

Goalies: Johansson – Ezhov

Nikita Nesterov, defenseman, CSKA

We’ve already forgotten about last year’s championship. Any defeat is just part of the process, nothing terrible happened. This tournament is all about preparing for the season. We didn’t create enough, we got caught out of position. Their goalie did well today but we should have got at least one goal. After our games against Spartak and Vityaz we can say that we are still not at 100%. I think we’ll get stronger as the season progresses.

Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov, forward, Vityaz

It’s always good to score against the champion, even if it’s just an exhibition game. We need to win games like this to boost out confidence and be more uninhibited. Before the game against CSKA we talked about how we needed to stay out of the box. I think we did that, so we had more energy for our game. In these pre-season tournaments, everyone is coping with a heavy workload, we’re trying out new combinations, new tactics, looking at how players work together. This competition is set up to prepare the team and check out the lines. But we’re still here to win.

Jaskin scores on his debut

Dynamo Moscow introduced new signing Dmitry Jaskin– Omsk born, Czech international, ex-Capitals forward – after completing his signing last week. And the newcomer made an immediate impact, shrugging off a lack of fitness to join the first line alongside Vadim Shipachyov and Daniil Tarasov.

Initially, though, it was Spartak who got in front. Dynamo’s forwards fluffed their lines and Ilya Arkalov showed how it was done at the other end.

Subsequently, though, Dynamo got it right. Just as against Vityaz, a first-period deficit became a 4-1 victory. Igor Polygalov tied the game before Shipachyov picked out a fine pass for Juuso Hietanen to make it 2-1 on the power play. The final stanza brought more power play chances as Jaskin converted another Shipachyov feed and Andrei Mironov wrapped up the win.

Dynamo Moscow 4 Spartak Moscow 1 (0-1, 2-0, 2-0)

Goals: 0-1 Arkalov (Zlobin 2:52); 1-1 Polygalov (Igumnov 23:44); 2-1 Hietanen (Shipachyov 30:30 PP); 3-1 Jaskin (Shipachyov, Cajkovsky 40:41 PP); 4-1 Mironov (Yefremov, Volkov 54:22 PP)

Goalies: Kuznetsov – Bespalov

Dmitry Jaskin, forward, Dynamo Moscow

I’ve already explained why I came to Dynamo. It’s done, there’s nothing to discuss. We agreed a one-year contract and that’s that. Of course, any player would be interested in returning to the NHL, I’m leaving the door open for that. But I was waiting for an offer from the NHL and I just wanted to play hockey and not wait any more.

Today’s game was a bit tougher for me, but I wasn’t just sitting on my couch at home. I was working and preparing for the season as normal. I thought I did OK, and I got a lot of game time.

Vladimir Krikunov, head coach, Dynamo

We had our traditional slow start. We came out half asleep and allowed an early goal. Luckily we got our game together after that and things more or less worked out overall. Only Kulemin’s line here is more or less settled, the others are still a work in progress.

Jaskin and Cajkovsky did well in their first games. I think Jaskin has a chance of getting a spot on the first line.

Oleg Znarok, head coach, Spartak

We started OK but then we had a load of penalties and our game fell apart. That wasn’t our game tonight. We train one way, then play another. A few things aren’t working out for us right now, but there are reasons for that. I think we can get over these problems and things will be OK.

Obviously, Dynamo’s first goal changed the game. But we didn’t play the right way. A week ago we looked physically stronger than today. In our previous game against Dynamo we looked decent, we played our hockey. Today nothing came off for us, nor for CSKA in the earlier game. We’re working towards September 2 and we’re still on course to be ready for that.

Standings

After last year's stint, Vladimir Krikunov is back with Dynamo for a second straight season. Will Dynamo's bet on captain Shipachyov and the League's most experienced coach bring results?

Last season

After a rocky start of the season, Dynamo Moscow decided to hire Vladimir Krikunov to try and rally back to a playoff spot. The experienced bench boss found a way to deal with Shipachyov and Kagarlitsky – giving them maximum freedom – and not only got to the Western Conference top eight but also moved past Jokerit. However, they couldn't stop their neighbors CSKA Moscow on their way to the Gagarin Cup.

Head Coach

Considering his age, most likely Vladimir Krikunov thought more than once to retire. But every time he starts making up some plans, a new director is calling him for help. It happened with Neftekhimik and Avtomobilist. This time, it looked like his work with Dynamo would have been temporary. Just some time to fix some mistakes made by the previous coach and see you. But no, after the last season Krikunov, who won the Russian title in 2005 with Dynamo, will be back next year for a second run, but under a new board.

After Zinetula Bilyaletdinov left Ak Bars, there are no other coaches in the League with his same level of experience. His pupils, like Nikolai Zavarukhin, are already coaching other KHL teams and as the time passes by Krikunov isn't scared of changing. The veteran coach is an adept of advanced stats, and his famed (and scared) Russian tires drills are now history.

Arrivals

Goalie: Igor Tyalo (Rubin, VHL).

Defensemen: Sergei Boikov (Colorado, AHL), Mikhail Grigoryev (Spartak), Artur Karmashkov (Admiral), Kirill Lyamin (Avtomobilist), Dmitry Ogurtsov (Neftekhimik), Maxim Ozerov (try-out), Yury Sergiyenko (Salavat Yulaev; trade), Stefan Stepanov (try-out; Orlik, Poland), Sergei Shchenkov (try-out; Izhstal, VHL), Michal Cajkovsky (Avtomobilist).

Forwards: Daniil Avdyukhin (try-out; DME Hockey Academy, USPHL), Georgi Busarov (Salavat Yulaev Ufa), Anton Vasilyev (Dynamo St. Petersburg, VHL; trade), Mark Verba (try-out; Vityaz), Fyodor Gusynin (try-out; Valk 494, Estonia), Vladislav Dyukarev (try-out; Metallurg), Andre Petersson (Barys), Alexander Petunin (Severstal; trade), Igor Polygalov (Traktor), Yegor Popov (Rubin, VHL), Pavel Tkachenko (Sibir), Ilya Shipov (Dynamo St. Petersburg, VHL), Dmitrij Jaskin (Washington, NHL).

Departures

Defensemen: Sergei Alexeyev (Khimik, VHL), Miika Koivisto (SC Bern, Switzerland), Vitaly Menshikov (Traktor), Maxim Mineyev (Torpedo; trade via Avangard), Ilya Nikulin, Alexey Pepelyayev (Humo Tashkent, VHL).

Forwards: Timur Besharov (Dynamo Tver, VHL; trade), Patrik Zackrisson (Leksands, Sweden), Dmitry Kagarlitsky (SKA), Ruslan Karlin (Traktor; via Severstal), Igor Makarov, Evgeny Mozer (Avtomobilist), Aslan Raisov (Yugra, VHL), Dmitry Sidlyarov (Admiral).

Roster

Excluding SKA and CSKA, Dynamo had the best defense in the Western Conference. This year things don't look worse, in spite of the high turnover. The team lost two of its leading defensemen in Ilya Nikulin and Miika Koivisto, and Vitaly Menshikov was also part of the top-four for Dynamo. At first, the Dynamo men had no foreigner defensemen, but then called back Michal Cajkovsky from Avtomobilist. Losing Menshikov to Chelyabinsk meant leaving some aggression on the table, but Mikhail Grigoryev should make up for the loss. The defensive corps of the Moscow-based teams got younger, even if considering the signing of Kirill Lyamin, a well-known player for the coaching staff. Krikunov and his board decided not to change the goaltending duo, with Alexander Yeryomenko and Ivan Bocharov alternating games.

Lyamin isn't the only newly signed player who already worked with Krikunov as Igor Polygalov had a good stint in Neftekhimik under the veteran coach. However, most of the signings in the attack are mostly for strengthening Dynamo's farm team and trying to develop a few players for the future. Most likely, Mark Verba, Anton Vasilyev, and Georgy Busarov - who will start the year in Tver. Nevertheless, Andre Petersson should be a fantastic acquisition for Dynamo. The technique-sound Swedish forward is already adapted to the league and last year was Barys' second top scorer after having stellar seasons in Sochi and Omsk. He will be called to replace not his fellow countrymate Patrik Zackrisson, but Dmitry Kagarlitsky. The Blue-and-Whites couldn't retain the high-scoring forward, who moved to SKA. Keeping Kagarlitsky's pace on the scoring sheet won't be easy for Petersson. Another move that should pan out for Dynamo is the signing of Dmitrij Jaskin, who is back to Europe after seven seasons in North America.

Leader: Vadim Shipachyov

One year ago, Vadim Shipachyov signed with Dynamo to revitalize his career. After his attempt to play in the NHL, he signed back to Russia with SKA and won the Olympic gold medal, but he didn't have a significant role in South Korea and missed the IIHF World Championship in Denmark. However, in the Blue-and-White uniform, he showed that he isn't done yet and that he's still the best #87 after Sidney Crosby.

Not only Shipachyov led Dynamo in points, but he only trailed Nigel Dawes and his former teammate Nikita Gusev. Someone will say that the forward only scored one goal in the postseason but watching at the dynamic duo Shipachyov and Kagarlitsky was a real pleasure for the whole season. With the departure of Kagarlitsky, Shipachyov lost one of his favorite partners, but he was promoted to the captain role. Now, everyone will expect from him strong performance in both the regular season and the playoffs.

Prospect: Artyom Volkov

This year, the Dynamo's lineup will feature many young players. Ivan Igumnov is a fixture in the team's second line. Vladislav Mikhailov, one of the candidates for the WJC squad, is already scoring points for the Blue-and-Whites. Anton Vasilyev, who led the JHL in scoring last year, is also fighting for a spot in the team. However, the best young player of the preseason so far is another player – Artyom Volkov.

Krikunov is playing the shutdown defenseman in the first pair, and he doesn't look out of place. It seems that the 22-years-old blueliner, who has a VHL title and a bronze medal at the WJC under his belt, will start the season in the senior team. And it may happen while playing side-to-side with Juuso Hietanen and behind Vadim Shipachyov.

Expectations

After Slovan left the League and Torpedo moved west, the situation got more complicated not only for Dynamo but for all the rest of the teams. Most likely, the White-and-Blues won't fight in the standings against Torpedo, but against Spartak, Jokerit, and Lokomotiv. Dynamo can boast a little advantage over them, given its roster and tactical stability. Oleg Znarok and Craig McTavish still have to feel themselves at home, while for Krikunov the process ended last year. The roster knows what its old-school coach is asking for them, and the bench boss knows what the players can give the team.

Dynamo may even compete with SKA, although they lack high-end quality outside of the top unit. Even there, Krikunov may have some headaches. What if Petersson will fail to replace Kagarlitsky? Who to ice on his place? Dmitrij Jaskin? Andrei Alexeyev? Daniil Tarasov? Miks Indrasis? Or maybe Maxim Afinogenov, if he'll stay away from injuries? It looks like Dynamo lacks some depth, even if the recent acquisitions of Cajkovsky and Jaskin have certainly improved the situation.

The decisive game of this competition in Magnitogorsk was won by Traktor. A 2-1 victory over the host clinched the title in the final action of the tournament. Earlier, Sibir edged Kunlun by the same scoreline to take third place ahead of its Chinese opponent.

Sibir wins at last

Before Sibir’s final game here in Magnitogorsk it was reported that Sam Lofquist had left the club. Head coach Nikolai Zavarukhin was unwilling to comment on unconfirmed reports, but the American was certainly not involved against Kunlun. Curiously, he played in China last season, but did not line up against his former colleagues.

The game meant little in terms of the tournament standings. Neither team had a chance of winning the cup, but Sibir had arguably the stronger motivation as it looked to escape a winless trip to Magnitogorsk. In the early stages, we saw a goaltending duel with Red Star’s newcomer Jeremy Smith trading stops with Sibir’s Harri Sateri.

Sibir was perhaps a little more active on offense, even if its power play continued to misfire. Even a spell of 5-on-3 did not generate much danger for Smith, but around the midway point of the game that steady build up of pressure finally told. The Siberians thought they had the lead when Evgeny Chesalin’s blocked shot looped up over Smith’s shoulder, but a replay showed that it did not cross the line. That was a momentary reprieve; Andrei Yermakov fired home the opening goal from the next attack.

The teams traded goals in the third period, with Jake Chelios scoring his first goal for his new club. The defenseman is the son of IIHF Hall-of-Famer Chris Chelios, and joined Red Star during the summer.

Kunlun Red Star 1 Sibir Novosibirsk 2 (0-0, 0-1, 1-1)

Goals: 0-1 Yermakov (Milovzorov, Sharov 28:50); 0-2 Loginov (Kazakov, Alexeyev 48:18); 1-2 Chelios (Sustr, Wong 48:50)

Goalies: Smith – Sateri

Nikolai Zavarukhin, head coach, Sibir

The team did what we asked of it. The plan that we prepared for this game worked well in the first two periods. Then in the third there was a bit of a panic. But the guys did well and battled it out until the end. All our goals in this tournament came from defensemen, we’ll be working with our forwards to get them playing more aggressively. I’m not going to comment on unconfirmed reports about Lofquist leaving Sibir.

Curt Fraser, head coach, Kunlun Red Star

Today we sent out a lot of young players, gave them a chance to prove themselves. Plus Mathew Maione played his first game of pre-season. He’s fit again after his injury and we could see him in action at last. Our goalie, Jeremy Smith, also recovered from injury. We have high hopes for him, he’s a really good goaltender. As for the game, we were let down by our mistakes. Unnecessary penalties – we took too many of them again. We need to be careful of our discipline, it’s an important part of the game.

Traktor edges Metallurg in second showdown of the summer

Just as in Chelyabinsk at the Governor’s Cup, Metallurg and Traktor played off for the trophy here in Magnitogorsk. And this time, once again, Traktor came out on top to win the Romazan Memorial Cup and take home a second piece of summer silverware.

The tournament host knew that taking the game to overtime would be enough to secure the cup, and rested Eric O’Dell and Sergei Mozyakin while giving a chance to the reserves. Traktor sent out an almost full-strength roster and reaped the rewards with a 2-1 victory. As a result, the 28^th edition of the Romazan Memorial Cup went to Chelyabinsk. Magnitka came second and Sibir claimed third place by virtue of that win over Red Star.

Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1 Traktor Chelyabinsk 2 (1-1, 0-0, 0-1)

Goals: 1-0 Lyubimov (Yakovlev, Parshin 10:03); 1-1 Sedlak (Hyka 15:15); 1-2 Konkov (Glinkin, Bailen 42:02)

Goalies: Koshechkin – Demchenko

Josef Jandac, head coach, Metallurg

I’d like to thank my team for the way they battled through the whole game. Unfortunately, we allowed one goal more than the opposition. That’s the end of the tournament, the end of our exhibition games. Now we’re ready to prepare for the first game of the regular season. We hope Sergei Mozyakin will be available but right now I can’t say anything concrete [about his fitness].

Peteris Skudra, head coach, Traktor

Thank you, Magnitogorsk, for arranging a great tournament. The level of play at the Romazan was very high, good tempo, good energy. We did what we came here to do, and we’re pleased to go home with the cup. It puts everyone in a good mood, but in the bigger picture it doesn’t mean all that much. Now it’s time to go home and get ready for the new season.

Roman Lyubimov, forward, Traktor

We started well and got the first goal. But then, somehow, we lost the initiative. We stopped playing with the puck and it’s always hard to recover when you’re on the back foot. Now our coaches will make their final adjustments and we’ll get into battle at the start of the season.

Standings

The final day of the Latvian Railways Cup brought a gold-medal showdown between Dinamo Riga and Ak Bars. The two teams were unbeaten in their previous three games, setting up a winner-takes-all clash in the Latvian capital. The game lived up to the billing, and the home crowd had plenty to celebrate after Dinamo edged a 3-2 verdict. Earlier, Dinamo Minsk’s power play put the pressure on Lokomotiv, but the Railwaymen secured a 5-3 victory.

Minsk gets goals, but can’t find a win

Dinamo Minsk had already suffered three losses in Riga and scored just one goal along the way. And in the early stages it seemed that the Belarusians were in for another long afternoon against Lokomotiv. The Railwaymen jumped to a 2-0 lead midway through the second period and seemed to be on course for a routine victory.

Then everything changed. Jakub Nakladal took a high-sticking minor and Stefan Elliott reduced the deficit. Next, Anton Lander got a major for roughing and was ejected from the game. Within 30 seconds, Artyom Demkov and Francis Pare turned the game around to put Dinamo 3-2 in front with one period left to play.

But that double blast drew a response in kind. Late in the third frame, Lokomotiv grabbed two goals in 26 seconds through Artyom Kayumov and Alexander Polunin did the damage before Kayumov’s empty netter wrapped it up.

Dinamo Minsk 3 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 5 (0-1, 3-1, 0-3)

Goals: Lander (Osipov, Averin 18:41); 0-2 Kudryavtsev (Kronwall, Alexeyev 28:15 PP); 1-2 Elliott (Shore, Gotovets 33:41 PP); 2-2 Demkov (Kostitsyn, Stepanov 36:06 PP); Pare (Shore, Gragnani 36:32 PP); Kayumov (Rattie 54:20); 3-4 Polunin (Kraskovsky 54:46); 3-5 Kayumov (Kronwall 59:54 empty net)

Goalies: Enroth – Konovalov

Riga takes top spot

Dinamo Riga head coach Girts Ankipans boosted his team for this decisive game, bringing back first-choice goalie Kristers Gudlevskis and restoring his leading summer scorers Carter Ashton and David Ullstrom to the team.

His opposite number, Dmitry Kvartalnov, also went with a strong team as both outfits looked to claim the silverware in this clash of the two unbeaten teams. All of his top players were involved, including Danis Zaripov and Swedish defenseman Mikael Wikstrand, the star of the previous game. Ak Bars also switched goalies midway through the game, starting with Adam Reideborn and ending with Timur Bilyalov.

That looked like a pre-planned change: when it happened the game was tied at 1-1 and the early exchange of goals was a distant memory as neither side created too many threatening moments. The play seemed to suit the host more and Dinamo moved to a two-goal lead midway through the third period. There was one final surge as Ak Bars fought to save the game in the closing stages but, despite a last-minute goal from Andrei Pedan, Dinamo held on to take the honors.

Dinamo Riga 3 Ak Bars Kazan 2 (1-1, 1-0, 1-1)

Goals: 1-0 Dzerins (Marenis, Gillies 1:29; 1-1 Abrosimov (Lukoyanov, Mikheyev 2:19); 2-1 Darzins (Marshall, Redlihs 38:10; 3-1 MacMillan (Berglund 51:39); 3-2 Pedan (Cormier, Zaripov 59:40)

Goalies: Gudlevskis – Reideborn (Bilyalov 32:48)

SKA powered to a 4-1 victory over Jokerit and secured top spot in the Puchkov Tournament with a game to spare. Sunday’s other games in St. Petersburg brought wins for Avangard and Severstal.

Avangard hits five in one period

Torpedo’s fans are anxious about Jordan Schroeder. At the Puchkov Tournament the American has played just one game and missed three games on the bounce. But another newcomer has made his case for the right to lead the offense – Quinton Howden. On Saturday he scored twice against Severstal and on Sunday he followed that up with a great shot from the blue line to open the scoring against Avangard. Unusually, it wasn’t a traditional point shot, set up after careful play in the offensive zone, but a mighty blast to rip past the goalie on a quick break.

Photo: 25.08.19. Nikolai Puchkov memorial tournament. Avangard (Omsk) - Torpedo (Nizhny Novgorod)

But Howden’s bright start was outshone by Avangard’s second period. The Shirokov– Zernov– Andrighetto line unnerved Torpedo in the first period without finding the net; in the second it was a devastating force. Andrighetto and Shirokov scored one apiece, Zernov potted a double and the Hawks fired in five in the middle frame.

That proved decisive, even though a third-period pair from Mikhail Varnakov kept the game alive until the very end. Avangard claimed its first win of the tournament.

Avangard Omsk 5 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod 4 (0-1, 5-1, 0-2)

Goals: Howden (Varfolomeyev 19:51); 1-1 Andrighetto (Chudinov, Shirokov 20:13); 2-1 Zernov (Shirokov, Andrighetto 28:35); Belevich (Ilyin 32:10); 3-2 Shirokov (Shumakov, Voynov 36:53 PP); 4-2 Dedunov (37:06); 5-2 Zernov (Pooka, Andrighetto 39:18 PP); 5-3 Varnakov (Belevich, Bocharov 40:21); 5-4 Varnakov (Volchenkov, Belevich 54:25)

Goalies: Sudnitsin – Lindback

Petersburg prospects impress in other colors

HC Sochi has looked strong in pre-season, but as August wears on a few things have started to go astray. In the Czech Republic there was a surprise loss against Karlovy Vary, then here the Leopards lost out against SKA. That can be explained, at least in part, by a demanding schedule of three games in four days plus a flight. In that context, it might be more appropriate to focus on the win over Torpedo rather than the losses elsewhere.

It’s also notable that Sergei Zubov has resisted the temptation to shuffle his pack overmuch in pre-season. The top line of Krikunov, Rosen and Stromwall played the first two games in Petersburg and today’s meeting with Severstal saw just one of the three rested as Krikunov made way for Sean Collins. However, it was a local favorite who delighted the Petersburg crowd with Sochi’s first goal: one-time SKA prospect Andrei Altybarmakyan tied the game with a power play goal after Vladislav Provolnev opened the scoring on a Severstal power play.

However, Severstal also found a Petersburg native who knew his way around the power play. Sergei Monakhov converted his chance early in the third period and that goal proved sufficient to bring a 3-2 win for the Steelmen.

HC Sochi 2 Severstal Cherepovets 3 (1-1, 0-1, 1-1)

Goals: 0-1 Provolnev (Alexeyev 7:23 PP); 1-1 Altybarmakyan (Kapustin, Arkhipov 18:26 PP); 1-2 Nikolishin (Yakovlev 39:08); 1-3 Monakhov (Morozov, Kodola 44:42); 2-3 Stromwall (Rosen 48:24)

Goalies: Shikin - Podyapolsky

The game between SKA and Jokerit always looked like a key fixture in this tournament. It wasn’t just the history – two Baltic neighbors, two teams who regularly lock horns in this competition. It was also the fact that Sunday’s winner would be set to claim the title with a game to spare.

Both teams trusted young goalies. SKA went with Pyotr Kochetkov, while Jokerit turned to Janis Kalnins, who is likely to be understudy to Antti Niemi in the coming season.

Kochetkov put in a good performance, but SKA’s hero on the day was forward Roman Rukavishnikov. Something of an unheralded figure on the Army Men’s blue line, he grabbed the first two goals of the game to set SKA on its way to a 4-1 win. Viktor Loov got one back for the Finns, but Nail Yakupov and Vladimir Tkachyov sealed the result.

Monday sees a battle for second place, with Jokerit, Severstal and Avangard all in contention.

SKA St. Petersburg 4 Jokerit Helsinki 1 (1-0, 1-1, 2-0)

Goals: 1-0 Rukavishnikov (Plotnikov, Tkachyov 3:46); 2-0 Rukavishnikov (Barabanov, Rundblad 21:30); 2-1 Low (Eronen, Ikonen 22:23); 3-1 Yakupov (Zub, Kemppainen 43:42); 4-1 Tkachyov (59:47 empty net)

Goalies: Kochetkov – Kalnins

Vladimir Tkachyov, forward, SKA

I’ve picked up a few points in pre-season but I’m not getting carried away. It gives me some confidence, but let’s see what the season brings. I feel like I’ve settled in well at SKA, I already knew a few of the guys before I arrived here. I like the smaller ice that we’ll be playing on this season. In the past I played in Canada and in Vladivostok, where they have this kind of rink. It makes the game faster, it makes you think faster, there’s more goal action.

Igor Yefremov, coach, SKA

We played against a strong team today. It wasn’t easy to get into the game, but Pyotr Kochetkov did well and made some big saves for us. There was no special order for Rukavishnikov to get forward more often, we all play on the offense. Today things worked out for him; his partners set him up nicely and he found the right shot. He could even have had a third goal, there were more chances for him.

The final day of action in Moscow’s pre-season tournament generated a three-way tie of teams on four points. That prompted some confusion about the overall winner: Dynamo’s Twitter feed initially lamented that the cup had been close before updating a few minutes later to celebrate the ‘surprising but happy’ news that the Blue-and-Whites were, in fact, kings of Moscow. Spartak, meanwhile, failed to win a single game and recorded its worst ever result at the Mayor of Moscow Cup.

Victory over Spartak gives Vityaz a chance

Going into the final day, Vityaz knew that it was in with a chance of victory in the tournament if it could beat Spartak in regulation and then get help from CSKA in the evening game against Dynamo. In a situation where the overall result was out of their hands, Mikhail Kravets men went out and did what they had to do.

Photo: 25.08.19. Moscow mayor cup. Spartak (Moscow) - Vityaz (Moscow Region)

The first period had few chances. Vityaz newcomer Ivan Larichev dinged one off the piping, while Spartak’s Patrik Hersley clipped the crossbar in response. But a match penalty for Maxim Goncharov right on the hooter presented Vityaz with the chance to snatch the initiative at the start of the second period. And so it proved: Alexander Semin looked for Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi on the slot but the puck went straight to Alexei Makeyev whose one-timer flew in at the near post. Makeyev thought he had another at the end of the second period, but the officials ruled it out for a foul by Larichev.

The start of the second period brought contrasting fortunes for the goalies. At one end, Alexander Samonov pulled off one of the saves of the summer to deny Martins Karsums; at the other, Julius Hudacek blundered when he allowed a shot to squeeze through his kit for Pavel Chernov to tap in. Late in the game, Denis Kokarev got Spartak on the scoresheet but there was nothing more for the Red-and-Whites. Spartak finished dead last, without a point and with just four goals scored.

The result meant Vityaz had to wait for the outcome of the evening game. A two-goal (or better) win for CSKA would make Vityaz champion for the first time ever; a seven-goal victory for the Army Men would give it the prize.

Spartak Moscow 1 Vityaz Moscow Region 2 (0-0, 0-1, 1-1)

Goals: Makeyev (Semin 20:39 PP); 0-2 Chernov (Stasenko, Grebenshchikov 48:05); 1-2 Kokarev (Stolyarov, Vishnevsky 59:05)

Goalies: Hudacek – Samonov

Oleg Znarok, head coach, Spartak

I usual, my team finished last in this tournament. It’s nothing to get excited about. Today we skated better than in the previous game, we just didn’t manage to get back into it. The only thing I’m worried about at the moment is our power play. We’re paying a lot of attention to this and in practice it’s looking quite good but despite that we’ve only managed one power play goal in the whole of pre-season. I think we’ll get over that soon.

We’re still working on our defense. In the last three games we allowed five, four and two goals. Our discipline isn’t quite right either. By my reckoning we took 16 penalties that cost us six goals, and that’s not counting today’s game.

Mikhail Kravets, head coach, Vityaz

We made too many mistakes today but luck was on our side. The guys battled, they gave us everything and, most important, they stood up on the PK and got us the win. I have to admit that Spartak had more of the initiative.

It’s still early to talk about which goalie will be our starter. We wanted to test Samonov in two games and he did really well, especially today. Overall, the whole tournament was a try-out, it’s given us a boost, a bit more confidence. But our next games are the most important, starting on Sep. 2.

Dynamo loses, then wins

Realistically, CSKA was never likely to produce the seven-goal victory it needed to win the cup. However, the Army Men were more than capable of denying city rival Dynamo the crown with a two-goal margin and, more importantly, needed to bounce back from yesterday’s 0-5 loss to Vityaz. The Blue-and-Whites, meanwhile, could settle everything with an overtime loss or better.

Photo: 25.08.19. Moscow mayor cup. CSKA (Moscow) - Dynamo (Moscow)

After a scoreless first period, with CSKA shading the play, Dynamo got its first big chance on the power play early in the second. Juuso Hietanen dinged one off the bar and the echoes had barely died around the arena before Ivan Igumnov made it 1-0 off a no-look pass from Dmitry Jaskin. However, it wasn’t long before Artyom Chmykhov tied the game and CSKA went ahead at the start of the third when a kind bounce in center ice wrong-footed the defense. Linden Vey’s pass set up Jiri Sekac for what proved to be the game-winner.

In the closing stages, the Army Men came close to grabbing the third goal that would have sent the cup to Vityaz, but Dynamo was able to stay within one goal of its opponent and, once all the numbers were crunched, learned that it had won the cup. The sums were more complicated than usual. Not only did three teams finish with equal points, Dynamo and Vityaz had an equal goal differential (+2) in games between those three. The tie breaker was total goals in the tournament and there, Dynamo led 9-8 and took the prize. Had it been resolved by goals scored in games between the three teams tied on four points, Vityaz would have claimed the cup; instead Vladimir Krikunov added this honor to his record for the first time in his career.

Dynamo Moscow 1 CSKA Moscow 2 (0-0, 1-1, 0-1)

Goals: 1-0 Igumnov (Hietanen, Jaskin 23:33 PP); 1-1 Chmykhov (Telegin, Kiselevich 26:43); 1-2 Sekac (Vey 44:39)

Goalies: Bocharov – Johansson

Artyom Chmykhov, defenseman, CSKA

My partners did well to create a good chance for me to get my goal. But, honestly, I can’t say that scoring is my key role on the team. Afterwards the guys were even teasing me because I didn’t celebrate, they wondered if I wasn’t happy about it! This pre-season we had a fairly hard workout. Unlike last year, the load was spread differently. I think we’re going into the season in good shape.

Ivan Igumnov, forward, Dynamo

It’s nice to win any cup, but especially this one. We weren’t looking at the permutations going into the game, we just went out to try to win.

My goal was a power play chance. Dmitry Jaskin did well in the slot and set up practically an open goal for me. Jaskin’s a huge player with a great shot and he’s great in the slot. It’s easy to play alongside him.

I think we’re ready for the season. We have a few guys with injuries but I think by September they will be better and we’ll be fully ready for the fight.

Standings

EN.KHL.RU publishes the full pre-season schedule.

Legend:EX– Exhibition Game, REN– Renaissance Cup (in China), SOC– Sochi Hockey Open (in Sochi, Russia), MOU– Mountfield Cup (in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic), NNC– Nizhny Novgorod’s Area Governor Cup (in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia), KRP- Kazakhstan Republic President’s Cup (in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan), HAM– Hämeenlinna Cup (in Hämeenlinna, Finland), CHE– Chelyabinsk’s Area Governor Cup (in Chelyabinsk, Russia), KUS– Zbynek Kusy Memorial (in Pardubice, Czech Republic), HOC– Hockeyades (in Le Sentier, Switzerland), LEH– Lehner Cup (in Sursee, Switzerland), SAL– Salei Cup (in Orsha, Belarus), RIG– Tournament in Riga (in Riga, Latvia), PUC– Puchkov Tournament (in Saint Petersburg, Russia), MOS– Mayor of Moscow’s Cup (in Moscow, Russia), ROM– Romazan Memorial (in Magnitogorsk, Russia)

July 20

EX Admiral 1:2 Yermak (VHL)

July 21

EX Admiral 4:0 Yermak (VHL)

July 24

EX Dinamo Riga 1:2 SO Neftyanik (VHL)

July 25

EX Admiral 1:0 Amur

July 26

EX Dinamo Riga 6:1 Saryarka (VHL)

July 27

EX Admiral 0:6 Amur, Verva Litvinov 1:2 Spartak

July 28

EX Metallurg 3:2 Vityaz (in Garmisch-Partenkirchen), SKA 1:2 Tambov (VHL), SKA 3:2 Khimik (VHL)

July 30

EX Pirati 0:4 Avtomobilist

July 31

EX Vityaz 4:3 Metallurg (in Bressanone), Neftekhimik 2:4 Salavat Yulaev (in Finland)

August 1

EX Energie 2:4 Avtomobilist

August 2

EX Neftyanik (VHL) 1:2 SO Ak Bars, Jokerit 3:2 Neftekhimik (in Tikkurila)

REN Kunlun Red Star 3:5 Arizona University

August 3

EX Traktor 6:2 MAC Ujbuda (in Slovenia), Torpedo 2:1 Dynamo Moscow

SOC Lokomotiv 3:1 Avangard, Sochi 2:1 SO Dinamo Riga

August 4

SOC Avangard 3:4 Russia II, Sochi 2:1 SKA

MOU Mountfield 1:2 SO Spartak

REN Kunlun Red Star 8:4 ORG Beijing (VHL)

August 5

SOC Lokomotiv 1:4 Russia II, SKA 5:6 Dinamo Riga

MOU Spartak 0:8 Dinamo Pardubice

August 6

EX HPK 2:3 SO Sibir (in Valkeakoski), CSKA 3:1 Admiral

SOC Lokomotiv 3:2 Dinamo Riga, Sochi 2:1 OT Russia II

REN Kunlun Red Star 3:1 Yermak (VHL)

August 7

EX Jokerit 4:3 Sibir (in Valkeakoski), CSKA 3:1 Admiral

SOC Lokomotiv 0:4 SKA, Sochi 3:1 Avangard

MOU Spartak 5:3 Slovan

NNC Khumo (VHL) 3:6 Dinamo Minsk, Torpedo 2:3 Dynamo Moscow

KRP Neftekhimik 1:5 Avtomobilist, Barys 6:1 Ak Bars

REN Kunlun Red Star 1:6 Arizona University

August 8

SOC Russia II 2:3 Dinamo Riga, SKA 1:4 Avangard

NNC Dinamo Minsk 1:4 Dynamo Moscow, Torpedo 0:3 Khumo (VHL)

KRP Ak Bars 2:1 Salavat Yulaev, Barys 5:3 Neftekhimik

August 9

EX Jukurit 3:4 Vityaz (in Finland)

HAM Pelicans 2:3 OT Sibir

KRP Ak Bars 5:1 Neftekhimik, Salavat Yulaev 2:3 Avtomobilist

August 10

HAM Frankfurt Lowen 2:6 Sibir

CHE Severstal 1:2 Metallurg, Traktor 5:2 Tournament Selects

NNC Dynamo Moscow 4:1 Khumo (VHL), Torpedo 6:2 Dinamo Minsk

KRP Neftekhimik 1:2 SO Salavat Yulaev, Avtomobilist 2:3 Barys

August 11

CHE Metallurg 3:1 Tournament Selects, Traktor 2:1 Severstal

NNC 3rd place game - Dinamo Minsk 1:5 Khumo (VHL). Final - Torpedo 1:2 Dynamo Moscow

KRP Avtomobilist 4:3 SO Ak Bars, Salavat Yulaev 1:2 SO Barys

August 12

KUS Mountfield 7:0 Amur (in Hradec Kralove)

August 13

EX Vityaz 8:1 Pelicans (in Imatra), Sibir 3:2 Energie (in Karlovy Vary)

CHE Tournament Selects 2:3 OT Severstal, Traktor 3:0 Metallurg

KUS Admiral 4:1 Znojmo

August 14

EX Jokerit 1:2 SKA (in Tikkurila)

HOC CSKA 2:0 Lausanne

KUS Kosice 5:4 Admiral, Dinamo Pardubice 3:6 Amur

August 15

EX SaiPa 1:7 Vityaz, Sibir 5:2 Pirati (in Khomutov), Avangard 2:1 Dynamo Moscow

HOC CSKA 9:3 Genève Servett

August 16

EX SKA 3:0 Vityaz (in Espoo)

HOC CSKA 0:1 Fribourg Gotteron

KUS 3rd place game. Amur 4:3 SO Admiral

LEH Barys 4:1 Ambri-Piotta

August 17

EX Salavat Yulaev 0:1 Traktor, Sochi 4:3 Sparta (in Khomutov), Neftekhimik 1:2 OT Ak Bars

SAL SF Dinamo Minsk 2:4 Dinamo Molodechno

LEH Zug 5:3 Barys

August 18

EX Salavat Yulaev 1:2 Traktor, Spartak 2:0 Dynamo Moscow, Admiral 4:3 Verva Litvinov

SAL 3rd place game Dinamo Minsk 2:3 OT Neman Grodno

August 20

EX Sochi 1:2 OT Energie (in Karlovy Vary), Davos 2:1 OT Barys

RIG Ak Bars 3:0 Dinamo Minsk, Dinamo Riga 3:0 Avtomobilist

August 21

PUC Jokerit 2:1 Severstal, SKA 6:1 Torpedo

RIG Ak Bars 5:2 Avtomobilist, Dinamo Riga 3:1 Lokomotiv

August 22

EX Liberec 4:1 Amur, Admiral 1:4 Zvolen, Lugano 7:3 Barys, Neftekhimik 6:2 CSK VVS (VHL)

MOS Dynamo Moscow 4:1 Vityaz, Spartak 2:5 CSKA

ROM Traktor 3:4 OT Kunlun Red Star, Metallurg 6:0 Sibir

RIG Lokomotiv 3:4 Ak Bars, Avtomobilist 6:0 Dinamo Minsk

PUC Avangard 1:2 OT Severstal, Sochi 3:1 Torpedo

August 23

PUC Avangard 3:4 Jokerit, SKA 3:1 Sochi

ROM Traktor 2:1 Sibir, Metallurg 3:2 Kunlun Red Star

August 24

MOS CSKA 0:5 Vityaz, Spartak 1:4 Dynamo Moscow

RIG Dinamo Riga 3:1 Dinamo Minsk, Lokomotiv 3:0 Avtomobilist

PUC Severstal 1:5 Torpedo

August 25

MOS Spartak 1:2 Vityaz, CSKA 2:1 Dynamo Moscow

PUC Avangard 5:3 Torpedo, Sochi 2:3 Severstal, SKA 4:1 Jokerit

ROM Kunlun Red Star 1:2 Sibir, Metallurg 1:2 Traktor

RIG Dinamo Minsk 3:5 Lokomotiv, Dinamo Riga 3:2 Ak Bars

August 26

EX Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik

PUC Sochi – Jokerit, SKA – Avangard

August 27

EX Motor – Amur (in Czech Republic), Salavat Yulaev – Avtomobilist

August 28

EX Spartak – Admiral, Salavat Yulaev – Neftekhimik

August 29

EX Vityaz – Dynamo Moscow, Linz – Amur (in Czech Republic), Lokomotiv - Severstal

The final days of pre-season brought plenty of tournament action – with trophies going to Dinamo Riga, Dynamo Moscow, SKA and Traktor. There were a couple of notable trades as well as clubs finetune their plans ahead of the grand opening of the season on Sunday.

Jaskin goes to Moscow

Czech international Dmitrij Jaskin has been on the KHL radar for a while: Sibir made him the first choice in the 2010 KHL Junior draft but later traded his rights to Dynamo Moscow. Now, after leaving the Washington Capitals, the Omsk-born forward is ready to have a look at our league and has signed a one-year deal with the Blue-and-Whites. The 26-year-old made an instant impact, scoring on his debut to help Dynamo win the Mayor of Moscow Cup. And why has the powerfully built right winger opted to return to Europe? In his own words, he was tired of waiting for a suitable offer in North America and just wanted to get on with playing the game. Jaskin has strong Russian connections: his father Alexej comes from Krasnoyarsk and played in the Soviet Championship for Khimik Voskresensk before moving to the Czech Republic in the early 1990s when Dmitrij was just eight months old. Jaskin Snr was involved in player development at Slovan Bratislava in the KHL until the end of last season.

Latest transfer news

Calder Cup winner for Barys

Another Trans-Atlantic trade sees Eric Tangradi swap the AHL for the KHL. The 30-year-old left wing joins Barys as part of a rebuilt foreign legion in Nur-Sultan. Tangradi has played 150 games in the NHL, but the bulk of his career was spent in the AHL. In 2011 he was part of the All-Star Game while playing for the Wilkes Barr / Scranton Penguins and in 2017 he helped Grand Rapids win the Calder Cup, tallying a point a game in the playoffs.

Summer tournaments settled

The final round of pre-season competitions was decided over the weekend – and generally it was a good time for host teams. In Riga, Dinamo won the Latvian Railways Cup after a winner-takes-all showdown against Ak Bars for top spot. SKA won its Puchkov Tournament with a game to spare after beating Torpedo, Sochi and Jokerit. The Finns are left to battle for second place with Sochi and Avangard also in contention. The Mayor of Moscow Cup was played at a neutral venue and Dynamo Moscow took the trophy after a three-way tie at the top of the table. For Vityaz, even a 5-0 victory over Gagarin Cup winner CSKA was not enough to snatch the prize for the first time in its history. And, for the second tournament in a row, Traktor defeated Magnitogorsk in the decisive game. This time the Romazan Memorial Cup will go to Chelyabinsk.

Sochi hosts the World’s top youngsters

Last week saw the start of the Sirius Ice Hockey World Cup, which brings eight top junior club teams to Sochi. Defending champion Loko Yaroslavl has already secured top spot in Group A and a place in the semi-final after victories over Davos (SUI) and an AJHL Select team. In Group B, Austria’s Red Bull started with a convincing win over Ocelari Trinec of the Czech Republic, while Karpat (FIN) defeated an NAHL Select. The group phase continues over the next three days and the medal games will be contested on Saturday.

Russia’s Juniors triumph in Perm

The U20 Four Nations tournament in Perm saw Russia take top spot. Valery Bragin’s team was tied with the Czech Republic on six points but got the nod thanks to a 4-1 win over the Czechs in the opening game. Lokomotiv youngster Grigory Denisenko revived his promising partnership with Metallurg’s Pavel Dorofeyev; the former was named top forward of the tournament.

Coming up

The pre-season action winds down: Monday brings the last tournament action of the summer as the minor placings at the Puchkov Trophy are confirmed, then there’s just a handful of exhibition games left to play. But the real stuff starts Sunday when the KHL Season 12 gets underway. This year’s Opening Cup is a repeat of the Gagarin Cup final, with defending champion CSKA taking on runner-up Avangard in Moscow. The game starts at 15:30 Moscow time (14:30 CET, 09:30 East Coast) and marks the return of Eurasia’s top hockey tournament.

Avtomobilist was the sensation of the regular season last time around – but the playoffs raised questions about the team from Yekaterinburg. This time, with Pavel Datsyuk added to a roster that kept many key players, can the Motormen roll all the way to the Gagarin Cup Final?

Last season

This time last year, Avtomobilist’s aggressive transfer policy confirmed the club’s ambitions to compete with the best. And the start of the action showed what had been assembled: a win over CSKA in game two set the tone, an 18-game winning streak set a KHL record. By the end of February, Andrei Martemyanov’s team sat proud atop the Eastern Conference, having topped the entire league for much of the season.

But that form did not continue into the playoffs. A first-round sweep of Traktor could not mask all of the team’s problems and against Salavat Yulaev the wheels came off. The blistering offense of the regular season faded away; the team’s leaders fell into the shadows. The second-round series ended in a 1-4 reverse.

Coach

Just as Avtomobilist made a bid to be regarded as one of the KHL’s top clubs, so head coach Andrei Martemyanov staked his claim to be classified as an elite coach. After just three seasons behind the bench in the KHL he led a heavily reconstructed team to the top of the regular season standings. It’s naïve to suggest that anyone could get those results out of that roster; working with a stellar roster is a special talent and Martemyanov proved that he can do it.

It makes sense that Martemyanov earned a good deal of credit for his achievements in regular season. However, Avto’s playoff campaign raised questions about how well he can produce consistent results throughout the whole season.

Arrivals

Goalie: Vladislav Gross (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL)

Defense: Rafael Batyrshin (Ak Bars), Fyodor Belyakov (CSKA), Maxim Berezin (Avangard), Pavel Vorobei (Sibir)

Offense: Vladimir Gaideik, Stepan Grymzin (both Ugra, VHL), Pavel Datsyuk (SKA), Dmitry Zhukenov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL), Evgeny Mozer (Dynamo Moscow), Brooks Macek (Chicago Wolves, AHL), Kirill Pilipenko (Ugra, VHL), Geoff Platt (Jokerit), Peter Holland (Rockford, AHL)

Departures

Goalies: Andrei Makarov (Buran, VHL), Vladimir Sokhatsky (Salavat Yulaev), Igor Ustinsky (Zauralye, VHL)

Defense: Stanislav Yegorshev, Kirill Koltsov, Alexander Lebedinets, Kirill Lyamin (Dynamo Moscow), Georgy Misharin (Torpedo)

Offense: Dmitry Arsenyuk, Alexander Borisenkov (both Ugra, VHL), Evgeny Grachyov (Avangard), Stephane da Costa (Lokomotiv), Denis Kazionov (Neftekhimik), Ilya Krikunov (HC Sochi), Francis Pare (Dinamo Minsk), Alexander Torchenyuk (Sibir), Evgeny Chesalin (Sibir)

Roster

The summer saw Avtomobilist lose some important players. Stephane Da Costa and Francis Pare’s departures put a dent in the forward line, while the departure of three goalies puts pressure on Vladislav Gross to prove himself as a viable understudy for Jakub Kovar. That’s a problem that needs to be addressed; last season we saw what happens to Avtomobilist when the Czech is unavailable.

But there are positives as well. The replacements bring proven KHL quality. Geoff Platt should add to the offense, while perhaps the biggest trade of the summer brought Pavel Datsyuk back to his native Yekaterinburg. However, Datsyuk hasn’t featured in pre-season and seems likely to miss a few games at the start of the KHL action next month.

Leader – Pavel Datsyuk

This summer, Pavel Datsyuk turned 41. At that age, it’s never easy to keep performing consistently but there’s something unique about Datsyuk. Last season he produced a more than solid 42 (12+30) points for SKA. At Avtomobilist his role on the ice and his status on the team will be even greater. The club’s management are hoping that he can be the catalyst for a serious bid to win the Gagarin Cup. After all, playoff success owes less to reckless offense and more to experience and producing the big play at the right time. And who has more experience and big-game know-how than the Magic Man?

Prospect – Maxim Rasseikin

Avtomobilist has such an experienced roster that any youngster needs to play at a very high level to get a look-in. Maxim Rasseikin is capable of just that. The 21-year-old forward first got involved with the KHL team back in 2016/17 but produced the best results of his short career last time around with 8 (3+5) points in regular season. The summer brought a call up to Russia’s ‘B’ team at the Sochi Hockey Open and the new campaign should see him cement his status as a rising KHL player.

Expectations

Apart from signing Pavel Datsyuk, the big news for Avtomobilist was that the team’s key players were going nowhere. Jakub Kovar, Nigel Dawes and Dan Sexton are all staying in Yekaterinburg. The only thing missing was new strength on the blue line. The coming season could be a significant one for the club: opposing teams will treat Avto with greater respect than they did a year ago, while the Motormen need to prove that they are ready to become a top KHL team.

There are several possible ways the story might unfold. In the most optimistic scenario, Yekaterinburg profits from Kovar staying fit all season, Datsyuk matches his productivity from last season, and Dawes and Sexton maintain their scoring form into the playoffs. If all that happens, Avtomobilist could have a shot at getting to the Gagarin Cup Final.

SKA wrapped up its Puchkov Tournament by winning its fourth game from four. HC Sochi defeated Jokerit in the day’s other game to claim second place in the standings.

Puchkov Tournament

Jokerit’s gamble backfires

Malte Stromwall was one of several HC Sochi players who took part in all four games in St. Petersburg. The Swede celebrated his 25^thbirthday here and awarded himself two gifts with goals against SKA and Severstal. Against Jokerit, Sergei Zubov put Stromwall into the first line, but a third goal was not forthcoming.

Instead, Stepan Starkov and Andrei Altybarmakyan helped Sochi get ahead in a game the team had to win to have a chance of claiming second place in the tournament. In between, Jokerit hit back with a goal from Alex Grant but as the Finns looked to force overtime they withdrew Antti Niemi from the net, despite playing on the PK, and were punished when Sean Collins stole the puck and deposited into the unguarded target.

The win lifted Sochi into second in the table, but Avangard was still in with a chance of overtaking the Black Sea team if it could defeat table-topping SKA in the concluding game of the event.

Jokerit Helsinki 1 HC Sochi 3 (0-1, 0-0, 1-2)

Goals: 0-1 Starkov (Kapustin 3:53); 1-1 Grant (Hapala 40:36); 1-2 Altybarmakyan (47:25 PP); 1-3 Collins (59:25 empty net)

Goalies: Niemi – Shikin

SKA signs off with perfect record

On Sunday SKA secured victory in the Puchkov Tournament with one game to spare, but there was no sign of anyone relaxing in Monday’s dead rubber against Avangard. Alexei Kudashov restored his strike trio of Tkachyov, Lehtera and Plotnikov to make it clear he was taking the game seriously, but the decision to start with young Pyotr Kochetkov in goal raised some eyebrows.

After a goalless first period, Vladimir Tkachyov got the crowd excited with a fine goal. Bursting into the Avangard zone at speed, he fired the puck into the top corner. Alexander Dergachyov doubled the lead before Andrei Stas potted a late consolation for Avangard.

SKA St. Petersburg 2 Avangard Omsk 1 (0-0, 2-0, 0-1)

Goals: 1-0 Tkachyov (Plotnikov, Lehtera 31:17); 2-0 Dergachyov (Koskiranta 38:47); 2-1 Stas (Chudinov 51:02)

Goalies: Kochetkov – Bobkov

Standings

Exhibition game

While most teams head back to a final pre-season camp, Salavat Yulaev has set up three more games between now and August 29. This was the first of two meetings with Neftekhimik, another game against Avtomobilist will complete the set. Ufa’s last game was back on August 18 and ended in a 1-2 reverse against Traktor, albeit after sending out a youthful roster. Today, it was back to full strength with Juha Metsola in goal and a top line of Teemu Hartikainen, Sakari Manninen and Linus Omark. That trio combined for the opening goal on a power play midway through the first period.

Neftekhimik’s last game was on Aug. 22 and the 6-2 win over VVS was its first of the summer. There were few changes to that line-up, although Alexander Sharychenkov was preferred in goal over Konstantin Barulin. The first line was unchanged: Alexander Avtsin– Zach Mitchell– Matt White.

Manninen doubled the lead seconds into the middle frame and Mikhail Pashnin gobbled up a dish from Alexander Kadeikin to make it 3-0 at the second intermission. Alexander Avtsin got one back for Neftekhimik in the third, but Pavel Koledov added a fourth as Salavat Yulaev eased to victory.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 4 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 1 (1-0, 2-0, 1-1)

Goals: 1-0 Hartikainen (Omark, Manninen 8:11 PP); 2-0 Manninen (Omark 20:21); 3-0 Pashnin (Kadeikin 34:54); 3-1 Avtsin (52:30); 4-1 Koledov (Hartikainen, Mayorov 56:58)

Goalies: Metsola – Sharychenkov

After losing to SKA twice in a row in the postseason, Lokomotiv decided to part ways with Dmitry Kvartalnov, replacing him with a Canadian bench boss. They, however, retained their stake on local players.

Last season

The appointment of Dmitry Kvartalnov gave Lokomotiv a good shake as the team had a step forward, but in the end, both the playoffs under his guide were a disappointment. However, the boss bench – who then moved on to sign with Kazan – didn’t forget about Lokomotiv’s primary weapon: its talent production.

Kvartalnov found a full-time spot for Grigory Denisenko, Nikolai Kovalenko, Maxim Afanasyev, and Georgy Ivanov. Kirill Slepets had less exposure, but he played at the WJC. Kvartalnov wasn’t scared to put his stakes on Ilya Konovalov. Just as once he didn’t fear to play Ilya Sorokin between the piping even if CSKA could count on Viktor Fasth, in Yaroslavl the coach had Alexander Salak sitting on the bench for most of the season. During the series against SKA, Lokomotiv iced 18 local players. However, this approach didn’t save Kvartalnov’s job. In two years, the team couldn’t get past the playoffs’ second round.

Head Coach

Craig MacTavish is one of the three KHL coaches at their debut, and the only foreigner coach signed by a League’s team this year. Maybe Yury Yakovlev studied Avangard’s experience with Bob Hartley before replacing Kvartalnov with a Canadian coach. However, Yaroslavl has already seen a Canadian on the bench before, just think about Dave King.

Lokomotiv will be McTavish’s first experience in Europe. Earlier, he got to the Old World only during the IIHF World Championships as both head and assistant coach for Team Canada. It will also be MacTavish’s first team since 2012. In the latest seven years, he had an executive position with the Edmonton Oilers. MacTavish’s career is inextricably tied with the Oilers. As a player, he won the Stanley Cup with the franchise, while in 2006 he reached the finals as the team’s head coach. MacTavish is now trying to follow the footsteps of Mike Keenan and Bob Hartley, but for now, he’s more famous for being the last player who ever played without a helmet.

Arrivals

Goalie: Alexander Lazushin (Kunlun Red Star).

Defensemen: Roman Savchenko (Sibir), Mikhail Sidorov (Ak Bars; trade).

Forwards: Stephane Da Costa (Avtomobilist), Ivan Kozlov (Val d’Or, QMJHL), Anton Lander (Ak Bars), Alexander Polunin (HC Sochi; trade), Ivan Romanov (Lada Togliatti, VHL; trade), Ty Rattie (Edmonton, NHL), Alexander Svitov (Ak Bars).

Departures

Goalie: Alexander Salak.

Defensemen: Alexander Yelesin (Calgary, NHL), Alexander Kutuzov (Spartak).

Forwards: Vladislav Kartayev (Salavat Yulaev), Brandon Kozun (Metallurg), Petri Kontiola (Jokerit), Evgeny Korotkov, Yegor Korshkov (Toronto, NHL), Andrei Loktionov (Metallurg), Yegor Fateyev (Traktor; trade), Daniil Yurtaikin (San Jose, NHL).

Roster

Such a turnover rate isn’t unusual. However, it should be noted who are the players leaving the team. In the offseason, the Railwaymen lost their best two scorers in Andrei Loktionov and Brandon Kozun, their goalie Alexander Salak, and a top-six center in Petri Kontiola. At first, these losses can seem harsh to swallow, but only on paper. Brandon Kozun didn’t deliver when it mattered, Petri Kontiola isn’t getting any younger, and Alexander Salak lost to his younger colleague Ilya Konovalov the starting goalie role. All things considered, Anton Lander and Stephane Da Costa seem to be a huge step forward. Ty Rattie’s signing is very promising, also considering how he is used to working under MacTavish. It looks like the Railwaymen only failed to replace Andrei Loktionov. The forward had his best season so far last time around.

It’s possible to explain the departure of Alexander Kutuzov and Evgeny Korotkov considering that Kvartalnov left the team – he previously worked with these players at CSKA. They will be replaced by veterans Roman Savchenko and Alexander Svitov. However, Yaroslavl will have to resort to inner resources to replace Danil Yurtaikin, Alexander Yelesin, and Yegor Korshkov. From one hand, losing these players to the NHL weakened Lokomotiv’s lineup, but from the other hand, the Railwaymen will have a chance to find new gems within their system. Two of them can be returnees Alexander Polunin and Ivan Kozlov.

Leader: Stephane Da Costa

Strictly going with leadership abilities, probably Lokomotiv has players with more authority in the locker room. For example, Alexander Svitov, who captained Ak Bars for several years in a row. However, hardly the two-time Gagarin Cup champion will be a top scorer in Yaroslavl. Today’s Lokomotiv is a mix of promising youth and consummated international players. If players like Artur Kayumov or Denis Alexeyev will need another couple of years to become leaders for Lokomotiv, Stephane Da Costa and Anton Lander are called to deliver right now.

Da Costa and Lander – differently from Rattie – already know the League and have showcased their level multiple times. Da Costa, in spite of the numerous injuries, looks more talented and, not less importantly, more versatile. He can not only give a fantastic, yet unexpected pass, but also snipe the puck for a highlight-reel goal. Da Costa didn’t have a stellar playoff last year with Avtomobilist, but he was able to lead CSKA to the finals a few seasons ago.

Prospect: Grigory Denisenko

Lokomotiv has enough prospects for at least two teams. Some of them were launched by Kvartalnov, some others by today’s Team Russia head coach Alexei Kudashov. There are no doubts that MacTavish will find new diamonds in the raw. For example, in the preseason, he wasn’t scared to play Pavel Kudryavtsev on the first line. A few of the younger players were assigned to Russia B at the Sochi Hockey Open, among them there was Grigory Denisenko.

Denisenko started making a name for himself in 2018, when he was iced by Kvartalnov in the team’s first line during the playoffs against SKA St. Petersburg. Denisenko got the ball rolling, and after two months he had the NHL draft, and further six months later he flew to the WJC. Today, Denisenko is a two-time Kharlamov Cup champion, a Florida Panthers prospect, last year’s top scorer at the WJC and Valery Bragin’s biggest hope at the upcoming WJC in the Czech Republic. Maybe he’ll be called to the national team next year? At this point, Denisenko should take the KHL by the storm regularly, and not episodically like it was before. He has all the tools to start delivering.

Expectations

Replacing Kvartalnov with MacTavish seems a revolutionary step at first, but Lokomotiv won’t change its approach. Yaroslavl always had an excellent school, and Kvartalnov always played a North American style. Much will depend on how the Lokomotiv younger players will fare in the postseason. If the foreigners will help the prospects, and Konovalov will be a real number one goalie, Lokomotiv will have a great chance to make a significant step forward. Even more so if considering that SKA is now in rebuilding mode and its roster isn’t the same as it was a couple of years ago.

Last time, Salavat Yulaev went from a moderate regular season into a blazing playoff and took part in a memorable Conference Final against Avangard. Since then, though three leading players – Joonas Kemppainen, Vladimir Tkachyov and Anton Burdasov – left the club. Now all eyes are on their replacements.

Last season

It was the proverbial season of two halves. The team was maddeningly inconsistent during the regular campaign and finished down in sixth place in the East. An impressive stable of forwards did not always fire and the overall outcome was frustration.

But in the playoffs, things changed. The team’s leaders got a valuable break towards the end of the regular season and returned, refreshed, to spice up the race for the Gagarin Cup. Linus Omark, Teemu Hartikainen and Joonas Kemppainen shared the bulk of the team’s points and put the skids under Metallurg and Conference leader Avtomobilist. Only Avangard found an answer, and then solved the other key player for Ufa, goalie Juha Metsola. The campaign ended after losing the Eastern final in six games, something that seemed unlikely when the playoffs began.

Coach

It’s hard to imagine the kind of pressure on Nikolai Tsulygin last season. From September to February the newcomer faced unflattering comparisons with his predecessors, criticism of his gameplans and even unfounded rumors of his dismissal. But Tsulygin’s smart decision at the end of the regular season proved to be the springboard for a good playoff run.

Ufa was Tsulygin’s first role as a head coach in the KHL and it’s not easy to give a clear assessment of his qualities based on that one campaign. Is the real Tsulygin the man whose team stumbled through the regular season, or the leader who inspired an impressive playoff push? A second season behind the bench should give a clear answer to that question.

Arrivals

Goalie: Vladimir Sokhatsky (Avtomobilist)

Defense: Nikita Zhuldikov (Traktor), Evgeny Lisovets (Dinamo Minsk), Mikhail Pashnin (CSKA)

Offense: Sakari Manninen (Jokerit), Nikita Soshnikov (St. Louis, NHL), Vyacheslav Shevchenko (Sokol, VHL)

Departures

Goalies: Daniil Tarasov (Columbia, NHL), Ivan Fedotov (Traktor), Nikita Tsirkul

Defense: Anatoly Yelizarov (HC Sochi), Gleb Letov (Humo, VHL), Yury Sergienko (Dynamo Moscow), Sergei Tereshchenko (Traktor)

Offense: Anton Burdasov, Georgy Busarov (Dynamo Moscow), Yegor Dubrovsky (Toros, VHL), Joonas Kemppainen (SKA), Nikita Li (Dizel, VHL), Maxim Rybin, Pavel Sinyavsky (Humo, VHL), Vladimir Tkachyov (SKA), Nikita Filatov, Pavel Shen (Boston, NHL)

Roster

It’s clear at a glance that Salavat Yulaev is down both in terms of quantity and quality of players over this summer. Among the departures we see Anton Burdasov, the leading scorer in regular season, plus Joonas Kemppainen and Vladimir Tkachyov, who both scored heavily in the playoffs. Two young prospects, Daniil Tarasov and Pavel Shen, are heading to the NHL after winning bronze at last season’s World Juniors.

Sakari Manninen looks like a strong addition, based on his performance at Jokerit last season. Fellow newcomer Nikita Soshnikov is obviously a talent, but his recent progress has been slowed by injuries. The only area where we can clearly see improvement is on defense, where Mikhail Pashnin and Evgeny Lisovets should prove solid additions on the blue line.

Leader – Juha Metsola

Even in regular season, the Finnish goalie was getting rave reviews. In the playoffs, he stepped up another level. He stopped 95.6% of the shots he faced, the best in post season, and had an impressive GAA of 1.53. Juha Metsola was recognized as the top goalie of the season at the KHL award ceremony, and his 71 saves against Avangard in the decisive game of the Eastern final will surely go down in the league’s history.

Prospect – Rodion Amirov

It’s something of a gamble to pick out a player who has yet to make his KHL debut and name him as the prospect to watch. But Rodion Amirov, 18, is a bit special. In the recent President of Kazakhstan Cup, Amirov was one of the key players for his team. With two goals in the competition, he gave himself every chance of forcing his way into Tsulyin’s plans for the upcoming season. In addition, Amirov was the top scorer at April’s World U18 Championship, where Russia fell one goal short of gold.

Expectations

Based on names alone, Salavat Yulaev seems to have lost more than it gained during the summer trades. The strike trio of the playoffs, where every player seemed well-suited to his partners, is gone and there is a genuine question over whether Sakari Manninen can become an immediate replacement for Joonas Kemppainen. In any event, he will have to get used to a new environment. Then there’s Nikita Soshnikov who, on his own, can hardly be asked to replace both Tkachyov and Burdasov. It seemed that Salavat Yulaev might be a touch more defensive in its play this season but, looking at the way practically every rival in the East has strengthened, it’s not easy to see a repeat of April’s successes.

Rodion Amirov was one of the biggest surprises of the 2019 preseason. At the Kazakhstan President’s Cup, he scored two goals and the game-winning shootout against Neftekhimik. Amirov is one of the few players yet who were born in the 21^th century. He has all it takes to start the upcoming season in the KHL.

How it all began

Rodion Amirov was born in the town of Salavat, at some 100 miles from Ufa. “I skated for the first time when I was about five, my father and I used to skate at the local rink,” Amirov recalls. “I got into organized hockey one year later. I watched my first game live with my father in Ufa, I was amazed: a lot of light, noise, a huge arena and some great play there. It was incredibly cool.”

The Amirovs where then living in Ishimbay, just a couple of miles from Salavat. From one hand, it wasn’t much, but from the other hand, it meant getting up very early in the morning to attend practices. Rodion and his father had their breakfast in the car on their way to the school. When in Salavat appeared a multipurpose sporting complex, Rodion stopped limiting himself to hockey and started swimming, tennis, acrobatics, and even practiced with figure skaters.

“We had our first camp with the team Yurmata, Rodion went with his dad,” Amirov’s first coach – Ilya Golovanov– recalls. “I still remember his plastic skates, with the blades are moving apart. We had to start from scratch with him. However, you could see Rodion’s talent since the very first practice. He scored a goal in his very first game, against Metallurg Magnitogorsk. I was amazed by Rodion and his father’s work ethic. I also remember how his father teached Rodion to eat correctly. He paid attention to this aspect even during camps.”

Three years later, Rodion’s parents moved to Ufa, and Amirov started playing for Salavat Yulaev under Boris Timofeyev. Amirov quickly became an alternate captain for the team and started scoring at a fast pace in the Ural Division of the Russian Championship. At age 12, he scored 29 (16+13) points, followed by a 30 (14+16)-point effort one year later. He always scored a lot, and his production raised to 53 (24+29) points in only 30 games in his last year in kids’ hockey. Moreover, his success in hockey never interfered with his studying.

“Practices and away games made it complicated to get to school,” Amirov admits. “But when you’re doing what you love, it’s just a temporary problem. In any case, you need a ton of discipline in everything, be it playing hockey or studying. We, the players, need to always be ready to the fact that one day, for whatever reason, we can be done with hockey. I need to prepare for the future, to study and get a good education. I need to learn do something else than sport.”

Club career

Rodion started playing in the JHL when he was just 16. He played his first regular-season game in October, but he needed to wait until February 14, 2018 for his first goal – against Altay Ust-Kamenogorsk. He added another one the next day in back-to-back encounters. Amirov played his first full season in the JHL in the 2018-19 campaign. Rodion posted excellent numbers, scoring 25 (13+12) points. He was the sixth top scorer among the team’s forwards, but it should be taken into consideration that most of his teammates played some 50 games, while Amirov only had 31.

International career

In that same season, Amirov started getting calls from the national team. Everything started with the Vladislav Tretyak international tournament, and Rodion represented Russia thirteen times that time around. The most memorable ones were at the U18 WJC in Sweden. The Russians started the tournament on a minor note, getting to the playoffs, but losing to Sweden and the USA.

“The mere fact that I was called to the national team is an event that I will remember my whole life. The U18 WJC is for now the highest point of my career,” Amirov says. “We fought for our teammates, for the team, for our country. After the round robin, we had a meeting in the locker room, and we talked a lot. That meeting was important for us and it panned out as we were more of a team in the playoffs.”

In the quarterfinals, the Russians had a good win over Team Belarus. In the semifinals, Team USA was awaiting the Russians after already defeating them in the round robin. After the team exchanged scoring chances, Amirov himself opened the score in the end of the second period. Right at the start of the final stanza, the Americans replied with two goals, but Team Russia managed to send the game to OT. The teams fought to get to the finals in SO, where Rodion scored the game-winning shot.

“I remember that game, I think that everyone involved will remember it forever,” Rodion admits. “It was one of the hardest and craziest games in my whole life. We battled with the best team in the tournament and won as a united team. In the finals, I think that the Sweden were a bit luckier than us. We played well, but it wasn’t enough.”

Rodion was the top scorer for the Russians with 9 (6+3) points and he made it to the post-tournament All-Stars.

“When you see your players reaching those heights, you feel nostalgic right away,”Ilya Golovanov says. “I started watching at our old photos, and so I remembered so many fun moments. For example, I remember that during a camp Rodion was constantly crying because he was missing his little sister. And that kid grown into a fantastic player with an incredible skating. It’s very pleasant to see that he doesn’t forget his roots. During the U18s we constantly wrote each other, and I supported him as much as I could.”

Amirov today

The results in the JHL and at the U18s confirm that Ufa got a new big talent in Amirov. Nikolay Tsulygin ans his staff decided to give him a chance this summer already and had him practicing with Salavat Yulaev in the preseason.

“I am grateful to the coaches for allowing me to practice with the senior team during the preseason,” Rodion says. “I knew only right before the tournament that I was going to fly with the team to the President of Kazakhstan’s Cup.”

In Nur-Sultan, Rodion played all four games with Salavat Yulaev, skating in different troikas. Against Avtomobilist – where he scored his first goal with the senior team – and Neftekhimik – where he had a goal and the game-winning shoot – he played with Vyacheslav Solodukhin and Vladislav Kartayev. Against the tournament’s host, Barys, Rodion played in the fourth line, with Ilya Baranov replacing Solodukhin.

“I understand very well that if you work hard, great things are awaiting you,” Rodion gauges his chances in the KHL. “Moreover, I am perfectly aware of the fact that I will have the best conditions to achieve them with Salavat Yulaev.”

KHL.ru dossier

Rodion Amirov

Born on October 2, 2001, in Salavat.

Club career: Tolpar (JHL), 2017-today; Salavat Yulaev (KHL), 2019-today.

Achievements: 2019 U18 WJCs silver medal, 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup bronze medal.

The final warm-up games are taking place this week, with Salavat Yulaev wrapping up its summer action with back-to-back shoot-out wins. Far East duo Amur and Admiral also picked up victories on the road, both winning in overtime.

Exhibition games

Two more wins for Ufa

Salavat Yulaev wrapped up its pre-season program with two more victories to finish on a run of three wins in three days.

Tuesday brought a thrilling comeback success against Avtomobilist before Wednesday saw a youthful roster edge past Neftekhimik in a shoot-out.

Against Avto, Salavat Yulaev trailed 0-3 as the second period drew to a close but a Linus Omark goal seconds before the intermission gave Nikolai Tsulygin’s team a glimmer of hope. Avtomobilist will feel it should have closed the game out after Artyom Gareyev’s 54^th-minute goal made it 4-2, but Ufa scored twice in the last 90 seconds thanks to Omark and Teemu Hartikainen to force overtime. Hartikainen then obliged with a shoot-out winner.

After all that excitement, Wednesday’s match-up with Neftekhimik saw an experimental line-up. Teenage forward Rodion Amirov, back from an outing with Russia’s U20s in Perm, took his chance with another goal to continue his impressive progress this summer as the teams tied 2-2 in regulation. It took another shoot-out to give us a winner and, once again, Salavat Yulaev came out on top.

Salavat Yulaev Ufa 5 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg 4 SO (0-0, 1-3, 3-1, 0-0, 1-0)

Goals: 0-1 Popov (23:42); 0-2 Dawes (Holland, Obidin 37:16 PP); 0-3 Gareyev (Obidin, Kucheryavenko 38:48); 1-3 Omark (Manninen, Larsen 39:52); 2-3 Burmistrov (Arzamastsev 47:53 PP); 2-4 Gareyev (Vasilevsky, Obidin 56:03); 3-4 Omark (Hartikainen, Manninen 58:32 PP); 4-4 Hartikainen (Omark, Burmistrov 59:32); 5-4 Hartikainen (65:00 penalty shot)

Goalies: Metsola – Kovar

Salavat Yulaev 3 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk 2 SO (1-1, 0-0, 1-1, 0-0, 1-0)

Goals: 1-0 Kuzmin (2:29); 1-1 Mitchell (Poryadin,White 10:05 PP); 2-1 Amirov (Pustozyorov 52:02); 2-2 Groshev (Shiksatdarov 52:17); 3-2 Pimenov (65:00 penalty shot)

Wins for Admiral and Amur

Admiral’s final pre-season game brought a victory at Spartak – but the Sailors effectively had to win the game twice. A strong first period saw Sergei Sleptsov’s team jump to a 3-0 lead, only for Spartak to steadily chip away at that lead and eventually force overtime on a tying goal from Kaspars Daugavins midway through the third period. However, Admiral kept calm and got the winner in the first minute of the extras when Oleg Lomako’s one-timer beat Nikita Bespalov.

Spartak Moscow 3 Admiral Vladivostok 4 OT (0-3, 1-0, 2-0, 0-1)

Goals: 0-1 Voronin (Bobryashov, Olkinuora 6:55); 0-2 Dyakov (13:13); 0-3 Almqvist (Lalond 18:45 PP); 1-3 Yunkov (Tsyplakov, Nikishin 26:51); 2-3 Zubov (Nikontsev, Fyodorov 40:41); 3-3 Daugavins (Rylov 50:32); 60:51 Lomako (Ugolnikov, Dyakov 60:51 PP)

Goalies: Bespalov - Olkinuora

Amur’s latest pre-season game brought an overtime win over Austrian team Linz on Tuesday. The Khabarovsky team was down 2-4 in the third period but battled back to tie it up before Anton Lazarev got the winner in the 63^rd minute. Amur plays the final game of its summer program on Thursday against Motor Ceske Budejovice.

Amur Khabarovsk 5 Linz 4 OT (1-2, 1-1, 2-1, 1-0)

Amur goals: 1-1 T Zohorna (Faizullin, H Zohorna 16); 2-2 H Zohorna (T Zohorna 29); 3-4 Gorshkov (Turbin 46); 4-4 (Kapiturov (51); 5-4 Lazarev (Vitacek, Golubev 63)

Goalie: Alikin

After losing their battle to CSKA, the two-time Gagarin Cup champions opted for a change on the bench. Alexei Kudashov will try to build a new SKA, this time without Nikita Gusev and other stars.

Last season

The 2018-19 season started with many new faces for SKA after they lost Ilya Kovalchuk and Oleg Znarok. Nikita Gusev saw his status having another rise, and he delivered with 82 points – only the third player in the League's history after Sergei Mozyakin and Alexander Radulov to break the 80-point barrier. The season started well for the Army men, with a sensational 6-1 win over the reigning champions Ak Bars Kazan in the Opening Cup game. However, Vorobyov's bench started creaking when they lost two consecutive games to Spartak in the playoffs' first round. SKA didn't win a derby against CSKA in the regular season, and history risked repeating itself in the conference finals, but Vorobyov's efforts managed to send the series to the seventh game.

Head coach

It was surprising seeing Alexei Kudashov accepting an appointment as an assistant coach. Of course, he had the chance to work with the national team as well, but for the young coach, who not much earlier led Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, moving to the assistant's role seemed a step backward. However, fate soon smiled at Kudashov.

After just one season he will replace Vorobyov at both SKA and the national team. The 48-years-old coach was very influent on the teams, and he is now expected to the hardest appointment in his career so far. Kudashov, whose most significant achievement was defeating CSKA in the playoffs' second round, is called to organize a steady rebuild for the Army Men, and it won't be an easy task.

Arrivals

Goalies: Pyotr Kochetkov (HC Sochi; trade), Ivan Nalimov (Avangard; trade via HC Sochi).

Defensemen: Lukas Bengtsson (Linkoping, Sweden), Yaroslav Dyblenko (Spartak), Daniil Miromanov (Manchester, ECHL).

Forwards: Sergei Barbashev (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL), Dmitry Kagarlitsky (Dynamo Moscow), Joonas Kemppainen (Salavat Yulaev), Jori Lehtera (Philadelphia, NHL), Vladimir Tkachev (Salavat Yulaev).

Departures

Goalies: Nikita Bogdanov (HC Sochi; trade), Igor Shestyorkin (NY Rangers, NHL).

Defensemen: Kirill Basisty, Vladislav Gavrikov (Columbus, NHL), Knyzhov Nikolay, Patrik Hersley (Spartak), Alexander Yukseyev (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL).

Forwards: Svyatoslav Grebenshchikov (Vityaz; trade), Nikita Gusev (Vegas, NHL), Pavel Datsyuk (Avtomobilist), Danila Kvartalnov (Vityaz; trade), Alexei Kruchinin (Traktor), Ivan Larichev (Vityaz; trade), Mikhail Maltsev (New Jersey, NHL), Denis Orlovich-Grudkov (HC Sochi, trade), Nikolai Prokhorkin (Los Angeles, NHL), Daniil Shabarov, Anton Sharpanskikh.

Roster

Most likely, no other team in the League's history suffered from such severe losses as SKA did this summer. Of course, they already lost some key players, like Ilya Kovalchuk last season, but such a mass exodus is something new even for the Army Men.

SKA lost not only their leading quartet of Nikita Gusev, Vladislav Gavrikov, Nikolai Prokhorkin, and Igor Shestyorkin but also younger players like Nikolai Knyzhov and Mikhail Maltsev. They lost players not only to the NHL but also to other KHL teams. Patrik Hersley moved to Spartak, while Pavel Datsyuk kept his word and moved back home to Yekaterinburg. This means that SKA lost its two most-shining stars (Gusev and Datsyuk), the top two centers (Datsyuk and Prokhorkin), their best goalie (Shestyrokin), and two key defensemen (Gavrikov and Hersley).

Trying to fill the gaps, the SKA boards sought reinforcements in three positions: goalie, center, and left wing. The Army Men strengthened their central axis with two Finn players – with very different characteristics – Jori Lehtera and Joonas Kemppainen. On the left flank, they will be paired with Russian forwards: SKA won the struggle for Dmitry Kagarlitsky and invited Vladimir Tkachyov. However, the inner competition will be fiercer on goal. Between the piping, SKA already had the Swedish giant Magnus Hellberg, and now can count on the last WJC's top goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, the most talented young goalie in the world, Yaroslav Askarov, and Ivan Nalimov, who backed up Avangard's Igor Bobkov last year to the Gagarin Cup finals.

Leader: Dmitry Kagarlitsky

SKA already features two players with plenty of charisma in its lineup in Evgeny Ketov– last year's captain – and Sergei Plotnikov. However, to lead a team like SKA, a player should not only be a vocal presence in the locker room but also score at a high pace. Jori Lehtera is an international player, Vladimir Tkachyov is still young, while Dmitry Kagarlitsky is in a do-or-die step in his career. He was Severstal's go-to guy, Vadim Shipachyov's fixed partner in Dynamo's first line, but he almost never played for Team Russia despite his 30 years of age. He also never went past the playoffs' second round. Moving to SKA, Kagarlitsky has now a chance to develop in both directions. He has all the tools to keep on evolving, but he must show his full character.

Prospect: Vasily Podkolzin

This summer, one of the most chatted-about Russian players was Vasily Ponomaryov, who left Krylya Sovetov and moved on to the CHL. It will be fascinating to follow his career and compare it to Vasily Podkolzin's path, who decided to develop at home. The best Russian player born in 2001 was born in the Moscow region, like Ponomaryov, but moved to SKA instead of crossing the Atlantic. Podkolzin inked a three-year deal, and during his first season with SKA, he managed to play for all three leagues in the system, the JHL, the VHL, and the KHL. Moreover, he had a chance to play at both the U18 and U20 World Juniors.

Vasily was one of the few cases when Valery Bragin decided to call a double underaged player to the WJC. After an incredibly busy season, Podkolzin was picked tenth overall at the 2019 NHL draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He has all it takes to repeat Pavel Bure's success in British Columbia, but it won't happen soon. He has another two WJCs in front of himself and a chance to win a Gagarin Cup with SKA.

Expectations

The last time when Team Russia was led by a coach without a Gagarin Cup trophy was Vyacheslav Bykov's stint. SKA won two KHL titles, and both times it happened under coaches who already won elsewhere. It's hard to understand what kind of hockey Kudashov will preach this year. His teams were very different. Atlant was a very conservative team and Lokomotiv, despite its roster, rarely showed an offense-oriented game. However, when the Railwaymen defeated CSKA, they mostly won thanks to the team's creativity and tactical depth.

Not only Kudashov never won a Gagarin Cup – most of the most-awaited arrivals never climbed that high. This regards all Lehtera, Kagarlitsky, and Tkachyov. However, this can be an advantage for SKA: they are eager to win and will do whatever it takes to bring the Cup on the shores of the Neva. The appointment of Kudashov shouldn't be as risky as it may seem at first sight. Both Kudashov and his assistant Anvar Gatiyatulin already worked with SKA last year, and they know very well the boards and most of the players. It may take a bit, but once the team found the right chemistry, CSKA will have yet another worthy opponent for the Western Conference title.