Guys who didn't have a good start of the season or joined late but certainly made an impression by the end of it:
A list:
Kirill Panyukov - a breakout player in the truest sense, the guy is a pretty spectacular player and popped out pretty much out of nowhere, he scored 1st point of the season on 28th of December and from that point on, just never looked back. 16 points in the last 22 games of the season plus 7 more in 6 playoffs games. Astana-born right-handed forward has great offensive tools, good size and probably much like Nikita Mikhailis a few years ago, should be considered a legitimate top-6 forward at a discount price heading into the next season despite really only being known to those who follow Kazakh hockey
really closely before that.
Daniil Pylenkov - 19 points in 54 games for a still MHL-eligible smooth-skating Vityaz defenseman. Honestly, someone who should have been drafted last summer. He probably wasn't due to playing the "safe game" but duh, if you don't play the safe game you probably aren't taking a regular shift in the KHL at the age of 18 either. However, this season he has shown he has both offensive tools and some flair playing and successfully producing on the PP at the end of the season, strong in all physical aspects of the game. Definitely an A-lister whose offensive performance answered many questions. Hopefully, he doesn't end up playing 5 minutes per game on SKA next year.
Igor Geraskin - finally hitting that 30 point mark, the diminutive forward can finally also graduate this thread
It was only a question of time when he does, and now hopefully he can improve on it. He shares a lot of similarities with Sergei Tolchinsky who developed into one of the premier forwards (at least the Russian ones) in the league and although I don't believe Geraskin will be quite that good, he can definitely become that 15+30 kind of forward somewhere down the road. Not on Severstal though, which is probably just another thing waiting to happen.
Ivan Morozov - it's kinda hard to believe it didn't look like SKA center is going to have a very good season when I wrote the original OP for this thread. However, he ended up being the highest-scoring SKA center, 5th in TOI between forwards, and in general, one of the key members of his club. Playoffs are, of course, the ultimate challenge for any SKA player and its looking so far so good, 5 points in 6 games. Me personally, I just don't have any concerns about him developing into a quality NHL center - the guy just doesn't have big enough holes in his game not to.
Ivan Chekhovich - another guy who will, at the very least, make a strong bid to be an NHL forward. A very well-rounded player, a terrific shot, Sharks have roster spots to give to the young guys... We probably won't be seeing Ivan on the KHL ice anymore. At least for the foreseeable future.
B list:
Denis Golubev - mixed feelings adding this one to the list because the fellow is 29 but hey, credit where credits due - someone who was still playing for Amur on a 2-way contract, one of the bigger busts from that golden U20 team finally has put together a fairly solid KHL season. 25 points (very respectable on Amur) and 1st in TOI between forwards (although the whole COVID situation playing a part here) and probably 3-5 years of good hockey left in him. I think this was his last 2-way contract at the very least but considering how rare and valued centers in this league are and combined with his hard-working attitude on the ice, a move to a contender might be in the near future. Then again, the guy can't win a faceoff so... Maybe not.
Danila Moyseyev - I don't think anyone expected a lanky center to end up as one of the more productive top-6 forwards on the team and yet another move from center to wing that seemingly paid off for the player. I would love to see him improve physically still further as it would make both his skating and his shot more dangerous and hopefully would make him more willing to be more physically engaged in the games. Regardless, the guy definitely has some vision, playmaking talent, and that long reach stickhandling going with it.
Stepan Falkovsky - a very unique player and that's what got him drafted by the Flames in 2016. His NA career proved two things - he is huge (somewhat of a known quantity all along) and he can score goals (which is a trait not necessarily exhibited by most 205 cm Ds), at least at the ECHL level. The later remained true at the KHL and he finished the season with 20 points in 37 games which likely cements his position as a career big leagues player. And that after Woodcroft playing him very gingerly at the start of the year, he pretty much didn't see top-4 minutes until December.
Vladislav Provolnev - there is no denying, Provolnev had a solid season. He led a fairly successful team in TOI, scored 10 goals, 20 points. And signed an NHL contract to cap it all off. However, much like Olegs Znaroks, I am not too high on him. He has a good shot which made him a trigger man for Seva's powerplay but he isn't very gifted player in terms of generating offense. His mobility and defensive functions are also questionable. I don't know, maybe that NHL deal is once in a lifetime opportunity but it might also just be too much too soon. If he struggles in NA I don't even see big KHL teams giving him a deal.
Kirill Adamchuk - so here is my unpopular opinion - Adamchuk is a more talented hockey player than Provolnev and maybe it's a blessing in disguise the former is leaving. They have both averaged over 20 minutes per game for Seva which is frankly pretty impressive considering the team had 2 import Ds. Approaching 27, Adamchuk definitely took some time to pan out and it's easy to see why. Some of his decisions are still what one could call.. ambitious. No stranger to forcing plays, Adamchuk is a very good passer for a 190cm+ defenseman and his shot is respectable. Probably a bona fide #1D for Seva next year, unless he Vereshchagins it.
Vladislav Kodola - well, since Geraskin and Petunin got their mentions, it would be silly not to add the third musketeer to the list. Needless to say, Severstal struck gold with that line and Kodola, being its center, is an integral part. He does, however, lack high-end offensive skills, size, and faceoff ability to become a truly elite KHL center. However, smart and sound defensive player he will have a long and successful career.
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Guys who scratched the surface and are ones to keep an eye on in the future:
Anton Todykov - not a spectacular prospect but the most reliable Vityaz goalie for a pretty long stretch this season despite only having played 2 KHL games before it. If all goes well has all the chances to force 1A/1B situation in Podolsk next year.
Pyotr Kochetkov - this looked like a reeeeeeally bad season for one of the better Russian goalie prospects but after the trade to Nizhnyi Novgorod he managed 93,2 Sv% in 450 minutes he played for the team which is a very respectable number behind the team that so many goalies struggled to play for. Gives some renewed hope for the new season.
Nikita Lyamkin - someone who was being mentioned in this thread ever since playing for Kuznya way way back in the day, never has the mention been more merited. By the end of the season, the towering defenseman was 2nd in TOI amongst Ak Bars Ds and reached double digits in points. This would be THE breakout season for him if he has successful playoffs. Also, he definitely still has more potential, still the space to improve. Although he turned 25 a couple of months ago, it's not surprising progression curve for these gigantic Ds isn't the most rapid one.
Zakhar Bardakov - 8 points in the last 13 games of the season and TOI increase from 5 minutes per game at the start of the season to 18 by the end of it. Not really quite sure what to think about his offensive upside quite yet since his play seems rather one-dimensional but definitely puts him on the map for the next season.
Rihards Bukarts and
Martinsh Dzierkals - I know they played for Riga which isn't really playing for the KHL team but hey, they made that team better and not worse which is pretty good step forward in their careers. Especially for Rihards who was in a bit of a limbo, getting close to being relegated to the 3rd tier leagues.
Ivan Nikolishin - 4th in scoring on his team which is a great result and a legitimate breakout year for a diminutive scoring forward. Having said that, again, that team being Kunlun.. it's a tiny step above playing in the VHL where he wasn't really successful in 19/20. So I won't jump to conclusions here but he did enough to warrant a good look from some KHL team in the summer.
Daniil Tarasov - joined the team with a very strong #1 goalie (at least as far as reputation goes) but ended up playing 16 games, with 11 wins and .925 Sv%. A solid stepping stone season for the youngster.
Nikita Korostelyov - although his skating looks pretty ugly I guess it's at "good enough" level for the KHL. Especially when the player himself is very driven and determined to score goals. I think that's Nikita's best feature - it just looks like he wants to score goals. He also has a pretty big frame so it's not that easy to deny him when he gets going. Overall, it's going to be interesting to see next year if he gets a roster spot on CSKA or becomes a cap casualty.
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Guys who kinda blew it:
Aleksandr Derhachyov - despite being given all the opportunities to arrive to the big leagues, the Kings prospect, together with Alexandr Syomin's decline and shaky goaltending, pretty much killed Vityaz's season. 23 points is decent enough but -22 and on ice for only 17 ES goals, he clearly showed he is not ready defensively and not good enough offensively to be a top-6 center in this league. This makes his future career path rather murky... 3rd line wing experiment next season?
Vladislav Kolyachonok - No reason to be too harsh on the 19-year-old but much like Dergachyov, someone who came with a high pedigree, got slotted into an important role and sank in it. Ended up playing under 10 minutes per game or not being in the lineup at the end of the season. Even worse, the guy who took his time away Calgary's 2020 7th-rounder Ilya Solovyov.
Artyom Minulin - everything was there for him in Magnitogorsk after last year's PO - 1st pairing and partnership with Yakovlev, PP time, etc. Yet, it all ended up with Magnitka having to sign Holm, re-emergence of Yegor Martynov, and 0+4 in 53 games. Not a terrible season, he got to play for the NT, he still eats a lot of minutes so there are definitely positives but still, he kinda blew it.
Bulat Shafigulin - another drafted player, another pretty good roster situation on a team that is definitely very invested in their home-grown youngsters succeeding and yet, a 14-point season which is meh and team-worst -23 which is big oof. Still only 21 and probably still end up being a pretty solid KHL player but anything above that seems very unlikely at this point.
German Rubtsov - yeah.
Honorable mentions for one reason or another to Alexandr Polunin, Yuriy Pautov, Andrei Sergeyev, Andrei Mironov (I did NOT imagine him finishing above Cajkovsky and Hietanen is scoring, ever), Vladislav Yefremov, Alexei Toropchenko, Andrei Chibisov, Aleksei Volgin, Nikita Guslistov, Efim Gurkin, Oleg Li, Sergei Shmelyov and Nikita Tochitsky, Ilya Talaluyev and whoever else I forgot/didn't notice.
