MHL players at the World Junior U-17 challenge

Team Russia that will compete in the World Junior U-17 challenge, held in Timmins, Ontario, from December 29th to January 4th, will present a number of players from the MHL. MHL players for will be goalie Andrei Makarov (Ladia Togliatti), defensemen Albert Yarullin, Anton Saveliev (both Bars Kazan), Alexei Vasilievsky (Tolpar Ufa), Vitaly Demakov (Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk) and forwards Alexei Shamin (Loko Yaroslavl), Alexander Kuvaev (Russkie Vityazi Chekhov), Roman Konkov (Chaika Nizhny Novgorod), Andrei Sigarev (Ladia Togliatti) and Alexander Khokhlachev (MHK Spartak).

Full roster here: http://www.russianprospects.com/public/article.php?article_id=686

Alexander Khokhlachev on Hockey's Future!

I wrote an article for the popular Hockey's Future website about Alexander Khokhlachev. It contains quotes from the player.

You can read it here: http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/11716/beyond_tomorrow_alexander_khokhlachev/

Alexander Avtsin scores a double, Alexander Khokhlachev gets the GWG, young stars are growing up.

Moscow stars Alexander Avtsin and Alexander Khokhlachev started gaining momentum lately and they showed in the last gamedays. In the match between Feniks Voskresensk and MHK Dinamo, won by Dinamo 5-1, Montreal Canadiens' prospect scored a double. Thanks to this strong perfomance now Alexander has three goals in five matches, with an assist too) and he gained a call up for the KHL match between his Dinamo and CSKA Moscow of September 22nd, in which he played his first KHL shifts, only three though. But this is good anyway for him, as he could taste some play against the pros and so on. Plus, he's gaining confidence as he's started producing in the MHL, and getting on the scoresheet is always for a forward, no matter the league he's playing in. His line made up of him, Vitaly Karamnov and Nikita Dvurechensky is one of the hottest in the league and it doesn't look like it's going to change soon as they are gaining chemistry too.

Still in Moscow, but on the Spartak side, another young player started making a name for himself. 16-years old Alexander Khokhlachev scored the GWG in the recent MHK Spartak win against a stacked Atlant Mytischi. Being him heavily underaged, he's 5 years younger than the MHL oldest players, it's hard for him to get quality ice time, but he isn't wasting it. Even if he scored only two points so far (he picked up an assist in his very first match) he's improving and his goal in the match played on September 20th is confirming that. In Moscow many hope that Spartak senior team's head coach Milos Riga will give him a chance with the first team like the last season he did with another blue chip prospect, Kirill Kabanov.

Prospects breakdown - MHL who's who (Part 1)

Following the request of our reader Jake in my latest entry, I've decided to write down some breakdown about the players to watch. Known and less known.

Let's start from the most known one, Alexander Avtsin, who plays for MHK Dinamo Moscow. The Montreal Canadiens draftee is one of the league's start, despite ending scoreless in the first MHL match he played, against Red Army. He didn't participate to the second match as he was a call-up for Dinamo's main team in a preseasonal match, confirming that he's one of the first junior players considered for a callup in a very stacked KHL team. The quick power forward, who has been often compared to Alexander Ovechkin, might play a key role in his team, but he needs to start producing after his not good first game. But well, it was only one game.

In his same team some other interesting players get good ice time. Nikita Dvurechensky is among them. Described as "a skilled winger with an excellent touch around the net and interesting finishing abilities" in an April Hockey's Future article I wrote myself, Dvurechensky already showed his stuff in the MHL start as he scored two goals and one assist in the first game, staying off the score-sheet in the second. Ranked highly enough for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, #12 among Russians in the Russian Prospects' rankings, he ended up undrafted, most likely because of the notorious problems in movements from Russia to America.

Another interesting player from MHK Dinamo is the former OHL player Vitaly Karamnov. The center, who has been in Edmonton's radar in 2007, is a playmaking center gifted with good technique and skating, who has been misteriously not drafted. Pavel Zotov, 1991-born center, is more solid and probably strongest on the faceoff dots, but is still raw and despite being a regular in Russia-91 he has been overlooked during the rankings time and consequently for the draft.

Let's remain in Moscow. CSKA-Krasnaya Armiya showcases in its lineup one of the "MHL faces", offensive defenseman Alexei Marchenko. A typical Russian defenseman, Marchenko (the stress in his surname is in the first syllab) is an average sized defenseman who might have to work on his body, but that is able to do exciting rushes end-to-end with the puck on the blade. And he can finish them too as he did in the second game of the season against MHK Dinamo, where he scored a double. He likes to play with some edge and is fairly aggressive without exaggerating, like sometimes junior players do when they want to show some aggressivity. He has definitely KHL potential, but I think that he might be considered for the 2010 NHL draft as he can develop into a NHL level powerplay quarterback.

League's topscorer, right winger Nikita Gusev is so far Krasnaya-Armiya's best player. He still has to demonstrate that he can do it throughout the whole season, but his speed, play without the puck and nose for the net are interesting features that might give him a spot in the U18 national team. CSKA's goalie Pavel Suchkov, 2011 eligible as he's a late 1992-born, is having a good start, looking better than his colleague Anton Todykov. But well, there is a reason if Suchkov is a national team player and Todykov not. Good things are expected also from small winger Sergei Barbashev, whose skill level is surely noticeable, but it had a bit of hard time in the MHL start, indicating that he needs to bulk up and mature as a player. Curiously enough, 1993-born Nikita Kucherov had an excellent start with three goals in the first two matches, way better than many of the highly touted players we talked about.

Our trip around Moscow isn't over yet as in Spartak Moscow other players worthy a mention keep on growing up in the prolific talent factory. The dynamic duo formed by 18-year old Artem Voronin and 17-years old Alexander Gogolev might be yet another offensive weapon that can cause havoc in any opposition, while the future star Alexander Khokhlachev, 1993 born, has started growing and already scored his first MHL point with an assist in MHK Spartak's win against Chaika Nizhny Novgorod. Among the three players is of course Khokhlachev the most promising one, he has everything that a forward needs, being able to count on an excellent shot, a very good technique, great skating and even a good size considering his age.

The Moscow territory counts other four teams: Atlant (Mytischi), Sherif (Balashikha), Feniks (Voskresensk), Russkie Vityazi (Chekhov) and MHK Krylya Sovetov. Atlant might have the most complete and experienced first line, if their head coach Vladimir Kucherenko will decide to ice together Pavel Chernov, Anton Lazarev and Oleg Yashin. All the three players have KHL and national junior team experience, and being the three all different kind of hockey player they might fit very well together. Pavel Chernov is a very good playmaking center with a good physical play despite a relative small size. Anton Lazarev is a quick forward with smooth skating and above average finishing abilities, Oleg Yashin is a talented winger who can put it in the back of the net if he gets the right pass. Sherif Balashikha and Feniks Voskresensk have less interesting teams, who will most likely struggle throughout the whole season, while MHK Krylya Sovetov and Russkie Vityazi has much more interesting players, especially the latter. Krylya Sovetov's 1992-born forward Ignat Zemchenko is one of the players to watch, together with his team mates Artur Ganzvind and Dmitri Gromov. Russkie Vityazi instead can count on a very good trio made up of Artemy Panarin, Petr Kopytsov and Georgi Belousov. Their team started very well the season and after three matches they top the Western Conference with six points.

For this issue it's all. The second part will follow soon with the rest of the top MHL talent.

MHL releases the list of the 16 years old players cleared to play

MHL just released the list of the 16 years old players who have been cleared to play in the following season. As said earlier, the league is open to any player from 17 to 21, with the possibility for the 16 years old only after the permission of the parents and the success of a very accurate medical test. The list is the following:

Nikita Kucherov (Krasnaya-Armiya), Alexander Serdyukov (Russkie Vityazi), Roman Konkov, Stepan Vyrin (both - Chaika), Oleg Misyul (Loko), Alexander Khokhlachev (MHK Spartak), Andrei Makarov, Andrey Sigarev, Danil Metlyuk and Andrei Tarasov (all - Ladia).

MHL ads in Moscow

While the Kabanov case goes on MHL hockey presents you some pics I shoot myself in Moscow, featuring the MHL ads on the city's streets.

Spartak's Alexander Khokhlachev:


Red Army's Alexei Marchenko:


And last but not the least, Montreal Canadien's and Dinamo's Alexander Avtsin:

Welcome!

Hello everyone. This is MHL Hockey's first post. What is "MHL"? Easy question. MHL means, in Russian language, Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga, Junior Hockey League. It's a new thing for Russia, since prior this season only regional tournaments had been in place. And also, it's the first time that an under-20 league will be organized as earlier the junior leagues were under 17. All the teams will be KHL's junior affiliated. The MHL will run similarly to any other league in the world with two conferences. Even if the rule book hasn't been released yet, we know the alignments, which are as it follows:

Western Conference
Atlant Mytischi - Mytischinskie Atlanty
Vityaz Chekhov - Russkie Vityazi
Dinamo Moscow - MHK Dinamo
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl - Loko
Severstal Cherepovets - Almaz (Diamond)
SKA St. Petersburg - SKA-1946
Spartak Moscow - MHK Spartak
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod - Chaika (Gulls)
Khimik Voskresensk - Feniks (Phoenix)
HC MVD - Sherif
CSKA Moscow - CSKA - Krasnaya Armiya (CSKA-Red Army)

Eastern Conference
Avangard Omsk - Omskie Yastreby (Omsk Hawks)
Avtomobilist Ekaterinburg - Avto
Ak Bars Kazan - Bars
Lada Togliatti - Ladia
Metallurg Magnitogorsk - Stalnye Lisy (Steel Foxes)
Metallurg Novokuznetsk - Kuznetskie Medvedi (Kuznetsk Bears)
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk - Reaktor
Salavat Yulajev Ufa - Tolpar (Tolpar is a mithological flying horse)
Sibir Novosibirsk - Sibirskie Snaipery (Siberian Snipers)
Traktor Chelyabinsk - Belye Medvedi (Polar Bears)

MHL teams have already started their preparation towards the first season, which will start on September 4th with the match MHK Dinamo and CSKA-Red Army.
The following preparation matches have been scheduled:

31/07/2009: Ariada Akpars (Rus-1) - Bars Kazan
01/08/2009: Ariada Akpars (Rus-1) - Bars Kazan
07/08/2009: Bars Kazan - Chaika Nizhny Novgorod
08/08/2009: Bars Kazan - Chaika Nizhny Novgorod
14/08/2009: Chaika Nizhny Novgorod - Bars Kazan
15/08/2009: Chaika Nizhny Novgorod - Bars Kazan

There also two preseasonal tournaments, who will be played in Cherepovets and in Kazan, and you can find out informations here for the first one and here for the second one.

But a question surely crossed your mind. Who will be the MHL stars? Well, it might be not a true reply, but the KHL hosted the first MHL stars fotosession, which featured four players: Alexander Avtsin (MHK Dinamo), who has just been drafted by the Montreal Canadiens; exciting winger Alexander Khokhlachev from MHK Spartak (who has been called the new Kovalchuk), 1993-born; Arseny Kardailski from Mitishchie Atlanty and the solid defenseman Alexei Marchenko from CSKA-Red Army, 2010 draft eligible.

And here you go:
from left to right Avtsin, Khokhlachev, Marchenko and Kardailski

In MHL Hockey's second post we will discover the MHL logos...