After the end of the regular season, it's time to revise briefly who did break out and who didn't. Some players who come to mind are:
Goaltenders:
- Ilya Sorokin (CSKA, 1994) - honestly, I wouldn't say he played that much better than for Kuznya, but behind a much stronger team he posted great stats: 28 games, 17 wins, 95.3% saves (2nd in the K), 1.06 GAA (led the K), 10 shutouts (2nd). Made a good impression with the national team in the EHT and is a strong candidate for a WHC team IMO.
- Igor Ustinsky (Avtomobilist, 1994) - he splits time with Kovar for Avto, even plays a bit less, but makes a lot of hard saves and has very good stats overall in his 1st season: 92.0% saves, 2.35 GAA, 3 shutouts.
- Ilya Samsonov (Metallurg Magnitogorsk, 1997) - not exactly a breakthrough, but a highly touted prospect recieved 19 games (mostly against average teams), had 6 wins, 92.5sv%, 2.04 GAA and 2 shutouts. I guess he will split starts with Koshechkin next year, as he even started the playoff series against Avtomobilist.
- Vasily Demchenko (Traktor, 1994) - one of the least talked-about youngsters in the KHL. Traktor sucked a bit too much, but Demchenko didn't in his first full season: 16 wins, 92.2% saves, 2.32 GAA and 3 shutouts.
Kuznya goalies didn't exactly shine, finishing the season behind 4 rookie defenders, but hell, they still had better number than Sorokin bedore his trade to CSKA did.
- Andrei Kareyev (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1994) - he won the starting job over Novotny early in the season and later shared playing time with see below. Goalie in Novokuznetsk is a hard job, but he still managed to post 8 wins, 90.8sv%, 2.93 GAA and even 1 shutout. Andrei did what he could when the defense gave him a chance, but an ankle injury finished his season in mid-January.
- His buddy Vladislav Podyapolsky (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1995) played most of the games in 2016 behind an even worse team, so only 5 wins, but posted 91.3sv% and 2.88 GAA. He suffered a minor knee injury not long before the RS was over, so Kuznya had to play their MHL goalkeeper Ivan Starostin (1996) for several games.
Defensemen:
- Ziyat Paigin (Ak Bars/HC Sochi, 1995) - the 197 cm offensive defenseman was in quite a spotlight after his trade to Sochi. He ended up 2nd in scoring among Russian defenders with 45 games, 28 points, (9+19), +5 and just 10 PIM. 17:45 for Sochi, and made his national team debut. Way too risky if you ask me, but can't argue the goalz.
- Roman Manukhov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1994) - a bright spot on Kuznya defense. Started on the 3rd pair and ended up as the team's #1 defenseman with 20+ minutes regularly, with time on PP and PK units. Excellent all-around player. 58 games, 23 points (4+19), +6 (which is like +50 playing for Kuznya), 68 PIM, 19:48 over the season.
- Vladislav Gavrikov (Lokomotiv, 1995) - great defenseman who's mostly used in a defensive role. Strong and very reliable. Offensive game isn't his best asset, but he still managed to get 42 games, 7 ponts (3+4), +17, 18 PIM, 16:24 in his 1st full KHL year, played his first 2 games for the main national team too.
Forwards:
- Anatoly Golyshev (Avtomobilist, 1995) - a former MHL star had simply a stellar regular season, with 56 games, 44 points (25+19), +5 and 26 PIM. His size and lack of strength are still a concern, but he's just a great talent. Like a lot of young players, made his EHT debut this year.
- Daniil Apalkov (Lokomotiv, 1992) - finally came close to his potential, leading Lokomotiv in scoring and finishing top 10 in scoring among Russians in the KHL. His weakest point is still his skating, but he improved it visibly, and it immediately pays off. 59 games, 43 points (16+27), +27, 46 PIM.
- Maxim Shalunov (Sibir, 1993) - again: finally. Whenever I watch this kid, he looks like young Joe Thornton, but his stats say that he "only" has 59 games, 30 points (18+12), +6, 32 PIM. Came 2nd in goals and points for Sibir, played for Russia in the EHT.
- Kirill Kaprizov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, 1997) - lead the team in points and looked much more mature overall. He still suffers from his habit of just hanging near the goal looking for a rebound instead of taking the puck, and his shot and skating still leave a lot to be desired, but he's improving pretty quickly. 53 games, 27 points (11+16), -4, 10 PIM. Kirill's now playing for Medvedi in the MHL.
- Maxim Kazakov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk/Avangard, 1993) - it was a mistake for him to return to Omsk after what was looking like a true breakout with Kuznya, he cooled off and is now a healthy scratch instead of the 1st line. His statline is still respectable with 52 games, 32 points (17+15), +7 and 52 PIM, but just 6 of these points came after he was traded. Sic transit gloria mundi.
I'm sure I forgot a lot of players. Who do you think was the best?
