Breakthrough players for 2018-19 season

[MaxV]

Annual tradition of pridicting players that might break out this upcoming season.

What do you guys think?

Click to read more...

 

[alko]

From Slovak POV:

- Marek Hrivik will have good season
- 20 years old Marek Sloboda will surprise us with good numbers
- Marek Ciliak, goalie from Slovan Bratislava, could have a good season

But overall, i dont see there any Slovak player, that will make big splash into the league.

 

[SoundAndFury]

It will be interesting to see how Zernov, Varfolomeyev, Belousov do on better teams. Avangard's young forwards will have more recognition this season even though they were really strong last year as well, it's team's vets who struggled. There are a lot of young Ds (Fatkullin, Demidov, Dronov, Kudako, some others) will get a chance so hopefully, some of those will impress. Regarding forwards, however, I really don't know. Seems to be dry-ish year. Maybe some of Loko kids will legit break out.. Speaking about Loko kids, Polunin will have a really good chance to impress. We will see.

Overall, fewer teams in the league mean fewer spots for young kids which is a bummer regarding this thread.

There is some Igor Geraskin midget who scored 7 points in 20 games for Severstal last year as an 18 year-old so I will be checking that guy out when I get a chance, all things considered, he should easily make the team this year and he can score, evidently.

 

[hansomreiste]

He didn't show much in KHL but I'm still expecting Manukyan to get some recognition. The dude tore apart MHL but apparently is too weak to become a monster in senior hockey. I know junior hockey is nothing to compare with seniors but I can't fathom how you can be consistently very good at junior levels and then disappear in the real thing. I'm far from being a decent scout but the fact that he was picked #186 overall in NHL draft is telling, albeit in a negative way. Since like 2014, I've been waiting for this guy to have 60pts seasons for Avangard and carry us to the title but nah. While he is still young, he shows no promise of getting better. I hope it will change because I still have faith in him.

 

[Atas2000]

Dronov is my sleeper pick. An absolute crime by NHL scouts to overlook this guy.

 

[Caser]

Dronov is my sleeper pick. An absolute crime by NHL scouts to overlook this guy.

Definitely agree, but he is injured again, had a surgery and apparently will be out for quite some time.

 

[Atas2000]

Definitely agree, but he is injured again, had a surgery and apparently will be out for quite some time.

He is not the luckiest of them for sure

 

[MaxV]

He wouldn’t be a breakout necessary, but I think Chudinov has a career year.

I honestly think SKA put shackles on him. They turned him into stay-at-home. He is more talented then what he has been so far. You could already see it towards the end of the season.

 

[Eye of Ra]

johan sundström is a monster, but he was injured last season.

 

[SoundAndFury]

He wouldn’t be a breakout necessary, but I think Chudinov has a career year.

Lets not forget he scored 35 points in the last season playing for Severstal, would be impressive to top that. Especially considering he probably won't be on the 1st PP unit with Pokka there.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Kuzmenko, I hope.

 

[SoundAndFury]

I don't know how much TOI they are going to get when the regular season comes but Dergachyov - Maltsev - Altybarmakyan line is looking pretty great in the friendlies for SKA.

 

[MaxV]

Yeah, it’s SKA.

 

[Simple hockey]

Yeah, it’s SKA.

Even though he went through a rough summer with incompetent management I expect Kozun to have a big year for loko

 

[SoundAndFury]

Yeah, it’s SKA.

You mean they will be playing for Spartak in a few weeks?

 

[MaxV]

Or not playing at all.

 

[cska78]

Kuzmenko, I hope.

he will do fine...if they put him with good line mates and trust him.

 

[cska78]

I think Tolchinsky may have a good chance to break out, same as above - if put with good linmates

 

[SoundAndFury]

First game, first goal of the season for Geraskin. Just like in pre-season, he is holding in there on the line with Trubachyov and Vovchenko 5 on 5.

 

[SoundAndFury]

So after Kshahdoo updated me on good old KHL rules about youngsters on the roster I decided to make the list who are those guys KHL is forcing clubs to give minutes to:

Avangard: Manukyan, Yeremchuk
Avtomobilist: Rasseikin, Valitov
Admiral: as immune to the rule as they are to debts
Ak Bars: Kara
Amur: Zaseda
Barys: Polokhov, Orekhov
Vityaz: Moiseyev
Minsk: Litvinov, Drozdov
Dinamo Moskva: Zaitsev, Pankratov
Riga: Gegeris, Berzins
Jokerit: none
Kunlun: none
Loko: Afanasyev, Kayumov, Ivanov, Denisenko, Kovalenko
Magnitka: Olshansky, Platonov
Neftekhimik: Shafigullin
Salavat Yulaev: Lyakhov, Shen
Severstal: Geraskin
Sibir: Mikhailov, Morozov
SKA: Maltsev, Nikolayev
Slovan: Hedera, Liška
Sochi: Starkov
Spartak: Shalagin
Torpedo: Veryaev
Traktor: Kravtsov
CSKA: Romanov

Bolded guys are the ones who are getting some actual use (at least close to 10 minutes if not more). I will try to edit the list as the season goes on.

 

[MaxV]

Loko is going with youth.

I like it.

 

[hansomreiste]

My homeboi Manukyan already with two goals in three games and +2. So happy for that kid. All those youth level punching shouldn't go unnoticed. I hope he keeps producing at a decent level and become a guy to be remembered in Omsk in future.

 

[vorky]

My homeboi Manukyan already with two goals in three games and +2. So happy for that kid. All those youth level punching shouldn't go unnoticed. I hope he keeps producing at a decent level and become a guy to be remembered in Omsk in future.

If speaking about Manukyan


in ENG as well.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Well if anything, that video showed the challenges of coaching in Russia. You are trying to praise the team and all they get through the interpreter is "you have a day off, need to keep it up at home". Ok then.

I don't know, maybe they don't trust the attention span of hockey players but come on man, they are paying you money, you can do better than 1 sentence for a paragraph.

 

[Caser]

So after Kshahdoo updated me on good old KHL rules about youngsters on the roster I decided to make the list who are those guys KHL is forcing clubs to give minutes to:

Avangard: Manukyan, Yeremchuk
Avtomobilist: Rasseikin, Valitov
Admiral: as immune to the rule as they are to debts
Ak Bars: Kara
Amur: Zaseda
Barys: Polokhov, Orekhov
Vityaz: Moiseyev
Minsk: Litvinov, Drozdov
Dinamo Moskva: Zaitsev, Pankratov
Riga: Gegeris, Berzins
Jokerit: none
Kunlun: none
Loko: Afanasyev, Kayumov, Ivanov, Denisenko, Kovalenko
Magnitka: Olshansky, Platonov
Neftekhimik: Shafigullin
Salavat Yulaev: Lyakhov, Shen
Severstal: Geraskin
Sibir: Mikhailov, Morozov
SKA: Maltsev, Nikolayev
Slovan: Hedera, Liška
Sochi: Starkov
Spartak: Shalagin
Torpedo: Veryaev
Traktor: Kravtsov
CSKA: Romanov

Bolded guys are the ones who are getting some actual use (at least close to 10 minutes if not more). I will try to edit the list as the season goes on.

I guess here is the right opportunity to mention Andrei Pribylskiy.