It is very interesting to estimate what the composition of SKA could be, especially when SKA head coach Roman Rotenberg announced on Wednesday evening that the club was leaving the club’s top scorer and marksman last season Dmitry Yashkin and striker Damir Zhafyarov.
Here is the version of how SKA will appear before us in the new season. We even publish probable combinations of attacking triples and defending pairs, which can be placed with whom. For example, Avangard rookies – Sergey Tolchinsky and Arseniy Gritsyuk – do not have to play on the same line. In addition, we will share inside information with you.
Keeper/foreign bet
We do not yet see that SKA manages to exchange Nikita Serebryakov from the Admiral. But the same Dmitry Nikolaev is not attracted to the role of the first goalkeeper, which the playoffs showed. This situation will change like this. SKA invited goalkeeper coach Yuri Klyuchnikov, one of the best goalkeeper specialists in the KHL. He will better control the process, bringing the same Nikolaev to a new level.
But the first goalkeeper is needed, and in his role could be 31-year-old Johan Mattsson, who played at Avtomobilist last season, showing a fantastic 95.4% shots saved in the playoffs.
Young Sergei Ivanov remains in the future. Moreover, the experienced Vladislav Podyapolsky could also stay. SKA personnel policy will be built around these candidates.
Defenders/defense will be deeper and more versatile
In the new lineup, we do not see Igor Ozhiganov, whose salary for the new season, according to insiders, increases from 40 to 65 million rubles a year. The defender’s contract is valid until 2026, but has already written that Ozhiganov could end up at another club. Although the Ozhiganov process has not yet been completed, this drive is available for trade.
At the same time, Artem Zemchenok (ex-Metallurg), Artem Sergeev (CSKA), Sergey Sapego (Dynamo, Minse), Nikita Zorkin (Dynamo, Minsk), back from loan, joined the defense. Protection has become deeper and more universal. Moreover, the backbone has remained the same and the main star here is the league’s best defender Alexander Nikishin.
Transfers / the first link is already visible
There’s a whole kaleidoscope here. Here is the first link: they are Sergei Tolchinsky, Alexander Kadeikin and Marat Khairullin. Each of them was the leader of their club last season: they are respectively Avangard, Salavat Yulaev and SKA. And there is a balance in this trio: the same Kadeikin plays very well on the keys and works in defense, while Tolchinsky and Khairullin will give this link speed and maneuverability.
In the second row, Vladimir Alistrov, Vasily Glotov and Brendan Leipsik are seen. We remember how Glotov showed himself outstanding in the May series against the Belarusians. In the same place we appreciated Alistrov, in whom they see a new star of our hockey. Well, Leipsik is a legionnaire, perfectly suited to SKA’s style of play.
It is clear that Arseniy Gritsyuk would not have been among the top three. But it is planned for the third link, where Stepan Starkov and Marat Khusnutdinov can play. Moreover, Gritsyuk and Khusnutdinov played together in the Russian team and they are well suited for each other.
Troika Valentin Zykov, Zakhar Bardakov, Pavel Dedunov, obviously, aims to work in defense and a minority. And there is a lot of variability. The brilliant cohort of “limiters” particularly stands out, among them the brilliant Matvey Michkov and Ivan Demidov, the new stars of our hockey.
And on each line there is a big power player who will win the fight in the corners and clean up the defense.
Tactics/SKA bets on speed and pressure
And here’s what Roman Rotenberg said in an interview with on Wednesday:
“Dimensions are not in the foreground here – style of play is more important. We still rely on modern fast combined hockey. We had a lot of technical hockey players: Andrey Kuzmenko, Alexander Barabanov, Nikita Gusev. Last season , Marat Khusnutdinov and Vasily Glotov, with similar characteristics, held leading positions, therefore, we know how best to use newcomers such as Sergei Tolchinsky and Arseniy Gritsyuk.At the same time, the same Khusnutdinov and Glotov know how to play power hockey, pressure. I think Tolchinsky and Gritsyuk will have no problem with that either. A modern hockey player should be able to do everything on the field. Our newcomers are such players.
When we invite hockey players, we understand how we want to use them. But let’s not show all the cards. It is clear that we will never take a pig out of the bag – a transfer is always preceded by a complete analysis.
It’s great that Tolchinsky and Gritsyuk understand each other, but they also played not only Avangard. The two in the Russian national team of different ages crossed paths with SKA hockey players, so a variety of options are possible.
To sum up, SKA not only blew this offseason, but also assembled the perfect team machine. It’s amazing how the Saint Petersburg club did it. Almost without interruption – unless SKA has not yet received Serebryakov. And so, everyone who wanted to move to St. Petersburg. And they are the best players in the KHL.
In fact, we don’t just see SKA, but the Russian team. Another question is whether SKA will be able to unite in such a way as to go through the season smoothly and aim for the playoffs, interrupting CSKA’s hegemony. But we won’t know until spring 2024.
Estimated SKA squad for the 2023/24 season
GuardiansWith: Johan Mattsson, Dmitry Nikolaev, Vladislav Podyapolsky, Sergei Ivanov
Sergei Tolchinsky – Alexander Kadeikine – Marat Khairullin
Alexander Nikishin – Artem Zemchenok
Vladimir Alistrov – Vasily Glotov – Brendan Lipsik
Stepan Falkovsky – Artem Sergeev
Stepan Starkov – Marat Khusnutdinov – Arseny Gritsyuk
Sergei Sapego — Andrei Pedan
Valentin Zykov – Zakhar Bardakov – Pavel Dedunov
Mikhail Pashnin — Nikita Kamalov
Nikita Komarov
Nikita Zorkin – Arseny Koromyslov
Matvey Michkov, Ivan Remezovsky, Vladislav Sapunov, Grigory Kuzmin, Ivan Demidov
Source : MatchTV
I’m Emma Smith, a dedicated journalist and avid storyteller. I have been writing for news websites for the past 5 years, reporting on hockey news and delivering in-depth analysis of the sport. In my current role as Author at Athletistic, I write about hockey events from around the world to keep followers up-to-date with what’s happening in the sport.
