David Reinbacher
19y, EHC Kloten, NL, Switzerland
Kloten is trying to separate itself from the relegation series and got an important win on Saturday against Davos after falling hard to Genève on Friday night. Reinbacher played 18 and 16 minutes, respectively in those games, and, as Thibaud Chatel points out, there could be some lingering effects from his knee injury earlier this season.
In the loss to Genève, Reinbacher once more stabilized the defence when he was on the ice, being one of only four players on the team that finished with a positive goal differential, holding an impressive +2 at the end of the game in a 6-4 defeat.
He was credited for one assists where he followed through on his own dump-in and stayed in the Gretzky position behind the net to start the play.
Kloten has a week off and Reibacher’s next game wont be until the 19th of December.
Vinzenz Rohrer
19y, ZSC Lions, NL, Switzerland
Rohrer scored his fourth assist of the season as he was part of the play to set up Sven Andrighetto on the power play. I especially like how he moves to the far post, ready for either a tip in or to rake in a rebound. It’s also positive that Rohrer is getting these power-play minutes to build his confidence as he currently plays around 10 to 12 minutes a game.
Adam Engström
20y, Rögle BK, SHL, Sweden
The number of defence partners that Engström has had this season will soon be up to the number of seats in Catena Arena. During Thursday’s game he was mainly partnered with Brandon Davidson, and on Saturday it was Michael Kapla.
While one problem is that the defensive side of Rögle is a patchwork with too many similar players in one team, the other is that Engström is being used as a defensive player one day and an offensive one the next. Injuries are part of the story for this, but the coaching staff is also searching (and not finding) optimal pairings due to the situation the team is in.
Rögle has been loaned Lian Bichsel from Dallas Stars for the rest of the season, and while being more of a stable presence, it will impact Engström’s ice time a bit. Engström’s versatility will make him one of the most-used defenders on the team in any case, especially once he actually manages to score when he gets the chance.
Filip Eriksson
18y, Växjö Lakers, SHL, Sweden
Filip Eriksson continues in the shadows, and while being left out of the WJC squad, he made the best of the situation and started up a play that led to a goal.
It will limit exposure to him for Canadiens fans, and one would think his confidence took a beating. I will have to say that coach Hävelid made the right decision not cutting a player just before the tournament starts as Sweden has done in previous tournaments. It is better to have the team gel and not cause an upset within the team to cut three players on the eve before the tournament starts.
Oliver Kapanen
20y, KalPa, Liiga, Finland
Still out of the lineup due to an injury, most likely until January as there will be an international break before Christmas, and KalPa doesn’t have any games in the days between Christmas and New Year’s.
Petteri Nurmi
21y, HPK, Liiga, Finland
HPK lost to Tappara, but Nurmi came out with his head held high in what must have been one of his best games of the season. He was stellar in defence, and used his passing to good effect both with zone exits and entries.
HPK is still at the bottom of the table, and a trade could be the solution for Nurmi.
Bogdan Konyushkov
20y, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, KHL, Russia
Konyushkov was selected for the KHL All-Star Game, a tournament similar to NHL’s, with three-on-three play and the divisions facing each other.
We will have more on Konyushkov later this week, so watch for for a more in-depth article in regard to his development and projection.
Yevgeni Volokhin
18y, Mamonty Yugry, MHL, Russia
Two games for Volokhin last week, both wins. One was a 2-1 regulation win and the other a 5-3 victory. The 2-1 win was particularly impressive as he faced 35 shots and finished with a .971 save percentage.
While wins and stats are important, the best thing is that he got both starts on the away trip, which should mean more games down the line and hopefully more games come playoff time.
Alexander Gordin
22y, Ryazan-VDV, VHL, Russia
Two goals and two assists from Gordin, who is getting up to his usual numbers.
Dmitri Kostenko
21y, VHL, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia
One goal from Kostenko, who it thriving in regard to ice time after his change of teams to Yugra.
