Players of Interest Update: The First Half

A young netminder who is having a remarkable season.  (Image Source)

I’ve been neglecting our Players of Interest series here for a couple of weeks (not, I hasten to assure you, because I lost interest in them, but simply due to time constraints), so you may consider this a “catch-up” post after which we will return to the usual weekly schedule.  In fact, the KHL season is just past the midway point right now, so this seems like a good opportunity to take a step back and check out how each of our players did during the first half.  Read on!

Players of Interest Update: Nov. 3rd, 2016

Extended highlights of today’s encounter between Finland and Russia in Helsinki.

The 2016 Karjala Cup tournament, the first leg of this season’s Euro Hockey Tour, got underway today in Finland and the Czech Republic.  In Plzen, the Czechs got four points from Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s Jan Kovář to defeat Sweden 6-3.  In Helsinki, meanwhile, Finland and Russia, the latter with a very young and somewhat “experimental” lineup, were tied at 1-1 late on.  However, four Russian goals in the final ten minutes, including two in the last sixty seconds, resulted in a 5-1 scoreline in favour of the visitors.  Several of our players of particular interest were in action for their respective countries today, and one them made some significant noise in the Russia-Finland game.  Read on!

Players of Interest Update: Oct. 27th, 2016

Igor Shestyorkin gets a pat on the hat from defenceman Anton Belov after shutting out Medveščak Zagreb today. (Image Source)

It is Thursday, and that means we are checking in with the six players this blog is following particularly closely in 2016-17.  And there were some interesting developments this week.  Among the questions to ponder: which players from our six were called up their national teams (and which players answered in the affirmative)?  Read on…

Players of Interest Update: Oct. 20th, 2016

Adam Polášek representing his country, a thing he will do again in early November!  (Image Source)

An interesting week on a number of levels four six players of interest… except for the one who had a very quiet and restful time of it indeed!  For the others, there were ups and downs, dark clouds and silver linings, and everything in between.  Read on!

Players of Interest Update: Oct. 13th, 2016

Time to check in again with our six players whom we’re watching especially closely this season!  Our young goalie (see video above) is writing one of the 2016-17 season’s most enthralling stories, while for the rest, fortunes are varied indeed.  Read on!

Players of Interest Update: Oct. 7th, 2016

It was, in fact, a decent week for all six of our players of particular interest this time around…  with one enormous “however” mixed in.  That ominous qualifier?  The fact that five of them are on teams that are struggling, were struggling, or have struggled, and you can probably work in a few other tenses of that verb as well (“are going to be about to have struggled?”).  For a certain young goalie, though, everything is coming up roses — read on!

Players of Interest Update: Sept. 29th, 2016

SKA’s Igor Shestyorkin stops Sean Collins of Kunlun Red Star Beijing in KHL action this week. (Image Source)

It is Thursday, and that means time to update you on the six players this blog is following particularly closely this season.  For our goalie and one of our forwards, it was a splendid week indeed — for our defencemen, and at least one of our other forwards, not so much… Read on!

Players of Interest Update: Sept. 23rd, 2016

Linus Omark had some reasons to be happy on Thursday! (Image Source)

A day late due to yesterday’s World Cup of Hockey excitement, but here we are.  It was a somewhat eventful week for at least one of our six players of particular interest, and not in a good way.  For others, things went better (see image above) — read on!

Players of Interest Update: Sept. 15, 2016

Kirill Koltsov, whose week, we must admit, was not the best. (Image Source)

It’s Thursday, and that means it’s time to look in once again on how our team of players of particular interest have done over the last seven days.  Read on, for the end of a slump, some bad puck-luck, and a young goalie starting to do some very nice things!

Players of Interest Update: Sept. 8, 2016

SKA St. Petersburg goalie Igor Shestyorkin gets up close and personal with Anton Shenfeld of Lada Tolyatti during KHL action a few days ago.  (Image Source)

Time once again to check in with our team of interesting players for 2016-17, and we discover here that goals were at a bit of a premium for the guys over the last seven days.  However, some interesting things did occur, and we will start with a redemptive game for our young goalie.  Read on…