A Look At The KHL: Draft

This was a while back (and about a month overdue), but I'm going to post it now. Here is another KHL feature: the Draft.

Overview:


First Round

Just to beat the NHL, they've decided to draft players as young as 17. The funny thing about this is that the first ever draft pick, Mikhail Pashnin (selected by CSKA Moscow), is 20 years old. Another funny thing, two of the first ten picks were not used, which somewhat devalues the reason for the draft. A couple notable picks include three Russians who play over here in North American, headed by the Quebec Remparts Mikhail Stefanovich, who was drafted second overall by Dynamo Minsk.


Canadians Picked

There was only two Canadians picked. The most notable one would be Taylor Hall, who was selected in the fourth round. I doubt that Ak Bars Kazan will sign him, but just knowing that the early 1st overall favourite for next years NHL draft could be playing in the KHL for years before the NHL has a shot at bringing him back is kinda scary. Zach Kassian was the only other, taken in the third round by Dynamo Moscow.


Unnecessary Picks

Most of these picks come from drafting players that are with other teams in the KHL, but they apparently offer some kind of compensation for player lost. Victor Hedman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and (possibly) Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson could be considered under here since they were first round picks in the NHL draft (side note: Paajarvi-Svensson is the first player to be drafted in the first round of both drafts).


Dumb Picks

There aren’t really any dumb picks (unless you count Alexandre Daigle. Zing!) but some teams found a way to pick them. I know that drafts are for getting a player’s exclusive negotiation rights, but when you pick ones that are playing in the AHL and under an NHL contract, your just wasting a pick.

A Look At The KHL: Khimik Voskresensk (and how they are the Russian Winnipeg Jets)

An interesting article at IIHF.com about legendary Russian team Khimik Voskresensk. Like many companies in this economy, they have gone bankrupt and folded. This sounds very similar to the Phoenix Coyotes situation in the NHL. Since the Coyotes were originally the Winnipeg Jets, why not compare the two franchises.

Overview:


Early Years

Khimik Voskresensk was founded in the 1950’and was soon promoted to the top Russian league. Since they joined, Khimik was able to contend for the title against top teams CSKA Moscow and Dynamo Moscow.

The Winnipeg Jets joined the WHA (World Hockey Association) in 1972 and became an instant powerhouse. They won the Avco Cup three times between their creation and the collapse of the WHA.


The Players

Khimik Voskresensk has produced many great players over the years. NHL stars Igor Larionov, German Titov, Valeri Zelepukin, Sergei Berezin, Valeri Kamensky, Andrei Markov have started their careers with Khimik.

The Jets have drafted and developed NHL stars like Teemu Selanne, Nikolai Khabibulin, Shane Doan, Keith Tkachuk, Dale Hawerchuk, and Thomas Steen.


Awards

Khimik Voskresensk – Finalist: 1989
Bronze Medalist: 1965, 1970, 1984, 1990

Winnipeg Jet – Avco Cup: 1976, 1978, 1979


Relocation

The Khimik Voskresensk franchise still lives since the owners just moved the team to Mytishchi (in the Moscow region) and was renamed Atlant Mytishchi. Fortunately, local investors were able to continue the team by buying a second-tier team and relocating them.

The Winnipeg situation is similar. With the team being a small-market one, the NHL commissioner had no problem moving the team to Phoenix. The Manitoba Moose came in to fill the arena shortly after, while Phoenix enjoying early success by making the playoffs in five of their first six years. They have yet to make the playoffs since 2002.


Present Day

After fighting their way back to the top Russian league (this time the KHL), Khimik Voskresensk finished in last place with a record of 8-36-3-9 (Wins-Losses-OT/SOW-OT/SOL) and was forced to relinquish their position because they lacked the funding needed to compete. Fan rallies and proposed help from former player Valeri Kamensky have been unsuccessful in saving the team.

The Phoenix Coyotes are currently up for auction after the "infamous" court case of Balsillie v. Bettman (a.k.a. The Rat) that was covered by almost everyone in the Canadian media (and that one Phoenix reporter who walked into the wrong courtroom). Meanwhile, Manitoba provincial politicans, fan rallies, and websites have tried to convince the NHL to bring back the Jets.

I Can't Believe It

This past week, something happened that was somewhat unexpected...and that would be:

Saku Koivu signing with the Duck

Actually, that was traumatic for me but not the purpose of this post. Its really about the retirement of Joe Sakic. He should have stayed one more year for the Olympics and go out on that, but with age, speculation, and the injury of the year, it was expected that he would retire soon. With everything said about Sakic, there's not much to add outside of his quick release, dedication to the franchise, and his play in the 2002 Olympics.

Have fun in retirement Joe, you will be missed.

This Is Crazy

Since there was no signing activity yesterday, I'm going to temporary crawl out of the hole I've been in, waiting for Koivu to come back to Montreal. Day 1 did provide an upside to Montreal though. They did sign Brian Gionta, Mike Cammalleri, Hal Gill, and Jaroslav Spacek (no reason is given from signing Spacek). The biggest signing wasn't Cammalleri or Gionta, not Havlat, not Gaborik, not Khabibulin, not Ohlund, not Hossa, and not Komisarek. It's......John Madden to Chicago. Ok, so it's really not that important, but it gives me an excuse to mention EHM (this time, 2005 version). See, while this isn't important, this does provide evidence that this game is a prophet.





The game signed him in 2007, that is crazy.

Disclaimer: The game does all the signing for Chicago. No human interferance in any of their signings.