Ivan Demidov, SKA Saint Petersburg, KHL, Russia
Demidov played three games last week, averaging around 11 minutes per game. Overall, his play looks more settled. He is involved and creates opportunities as well as finishing off chances. It is an all-around performance, and development, that is interesting to see.
His eight points (4G, 4A) in 10 games is a much better start than I expected, and it puts him on a 54-point pace. That would smash the records set by Kirill Kaprizov (42), Yevgeni Kuznetsov (41) and Matvei Michkov (41).
To Demidov’s advantage is the fact that Russia is banned from international competitions and he will therefore have a full season in the KHL with no break for the World Juniors, while also playing for a better team. His disadvantage is that the SKA coaching is a bit so-so at times, and in Sunday’s game he was benched after taking a tripping penalty while having been one of SKA’s best players until then.
Bogdan Konyushkov, Torpedo Nihzny Novgorod, KHL, Russia
Just like last week, Konyushkov is building up his time on ice to what we consider normal. He is playing further down the lineup, but Torpedo is icing a better team overall. His deployment is more normal in the European game than what he had last year.
Stat-watching through the KHL site shows that he has the same number of shifts per game along with more or less the same special-teams usage. This points to a more stable performance with shorter shifts that should benefit his overall play over the season.
Yevgeni Volokhin, Mamonty Ugry, MHL / Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, VHL, Russia
Two games for the goalie this week, a one-goal win and a shootout loss. Both games came in the MHL, and it seems that he continues his development in the Junior league.
Aatos Koivu, TPS Turku, Liiga, Finland
The young forward got his first professional goal last week. And what a shot it was. I especially like the way he moves the puck back and to the side to get the defender out of the shooting lane.
Koivu’s ice time is low and he isn’t getting much time on the man advantage, something I expected ahead of the season. Still, with 0.33 points per game in Liiga in his draft-plus-one year, he is ahead of Oliver Kapanen at that age.
Oliver Kapanen, Timrå IK, SHL, Sweden / Montreal Canadiens, NHL
Still belongs to Timrå, but looks like he may begin the season in Montreal, especially with the Patrik Laine injury.
Filip Eriksson, Växjö Lakers, SHL, Sweden
Both Växjö and Eriksson have struggled, and a much-needed win came on Saturday as they held on for a 3-0 win away to Malmö. Eriksson was moved to the third line as Coach Jönsson wanted to change his team. So far, Växjö has been one of the underachievers of the season, if one can say that after four games.
Once Växjö gets going, I expect Eriksson to get more power-play time, and maybe a move up the lineup. It’s early days and so far Växjö has only scored nine goals, and that has been the team’s problem. It’s why I am not worried about the lack of points for Eriksson so far.
Rasmus Bergqvist, Skellefteå AIK, SHL, Sweden
I have focused a bit more on Bergqvist this week and I have been impressed. I am not saying that he is a future NHL player, but he has more skills and plays a more varied game than I expected. He is big but skates well, and plays a stable defensive game. However, it is his activation in the offensive zone that has stood out.
He continued to get involved in the third game of the week against Örebro, when he joined the cycle and created havoc in front of the net, fitting right in with the tactics that Skellefteå strives to use. While injuries are the main thing that have gotten Bergqvist into the SHL team, I can’t help but wonder if I need to yield my bet that he will play more U20 games than SHL games this year. Coach Ohlsson isn’t afraid of using Juniors in his teams, and Bergqvist could stay up as the seventh defenceman even when injured players start to return.
Vinzenz Rohrer, Zürich Lions, National League, Switzerland
Rohrer has had a fantastic start to his season. He has four goals in six games, and has scored in different ways. He has increased his ice time since last year, and he shaved his hair off to challenge himself. His early season success has meant that younger players in the Zürich system have asked their parents to shave their heads, too.
The Zürich newspaper Tages Anzeiger had an interview with Rohrer in which he explained that he wouldn’t be against signing an extension with the Lions, but also said that he knew the Canadiens are keeping an eye on him and that he wants to let things play out. He has a lot of contact with Rob Ramage as well as former Zurich player Lauri Korpikoski. Personally I can’t see Rohrer staying with Zürich next season. Even if an extension is signed it can be broken for the NHL since it is four years since Montreal drafted him next summer.
The Sports Director for the Lions says that another year in Zürich should benefit Rohrer’s development. “A top Swiss club like Zurich is better than the AHL teams. And Rohrer is on the right track: If he can maintain his intensity and develop into a scorer, that would be ideal for him.”
Rohrer credits his summer training for the successful season. The Champions Hockey League and Olympic qualifying games helped him to come into the National League in great shape. In Friday night’s game he scored the only goal.
Zürich is currently in third place of the league, but there is a long way to go.
European league rankings
During the Top 25 Under 25, the discussion sometimes centred on the level of the European leagues. In order to get a better understanding of the quality, Thibaud Chatel joins the podcast to talk a bit about NHL equivalency (NHLe) and the his thoughts. (You can find his article that we discuss in the podcast HERE.) You also get to hear Hadi Kalakeche, Lassi Alanen, David St-Louis and Thomas Roost’s rankings at the start of the show.
