GM: Igor Kirunov
Coach: Dave Tippett
Last season: 3rd overall. In playoffs, defeated Gothenburg; defeated Copenhagen; lost to Helsinki
Ins and Outs
(Season 13 to Season 14)
In: Mattias Sjogren (free agent), Jakob Silfverberg (free agent), Jonas Siegenthaler (waivers), Yanni Gourde (free agent), Mikhail Grigorenko (waivers), Janis Voris (draft), Brock Faber (draft), Tristan Broz (draft)
Out: Thomas Powell (free agent), Ivan Barbashev (free agent), David Perron (free agent), Tim Bozon (free agent), Jake Gardiner (free agent), Cody Hodgson (free agent), Carl Hagelin (free agent)
Potential Lineup
Petr Vrana/Bo Horvat/Talgat Zhailauov
Matthias Sjogren/Morten Madsen/Tomas Tatar
Marius Holtet/Nick Suzuki/Alexander Burmistrov
Jack Callow/Craig Smith/Jakob Silfverberg
Aaron Ekblad/Maxim Chudinov
Rasmus Ristolainen/Jaccob Slavin
Stefan Ulmer/Niclas Almari
Robin Lehner/Attila Adorjan
Three Questions
1. What made Minsk so strong last season? Minsk flirted with the top spot in the regular season for much of the year before fading a bit at the end and being passed by Helsinki and Belfast. The Hussar machine is a strong one right now. Like Helsinki, Belfast and Copenhagen, they finished in the top 6 in both shots for and shots against per game. The means things are working well all over the ice. But Minsk’s defense currently has the edge over its offense if you are looking to heap praise somewhere. Only Belfast allowed fewer goals last season. The goalie tandem of Robin Lehner and Attila Adorjan, with Minsk’s famous defensemen Maxim Chudinov, Aaron Ekblad and others in front of them is working like a charm. The two defensemen are what is left from the team’s Cup-winning days, but the shrewd additions of Stefan Ulmer, Jaccob Slavin and Jake Gardiner (now gone) solidified the defense corps and helped homegrown Niclas Almari grow into a reliable, +16 player at the bottom of the 6-pack. These defensemen seemed to be in harmony with one another and they made beautiful music together. General Manager Igor Kirunov made two more shrewd moves in the off season, signing Type 2 free agent Rasmus Ristolainen and plucking Jonas Siegenthaler off waivers from Milan. The reliable defensive defenseman has a dirt-cheap, 3-year salary that slipped by the rest of us.
2. What parts did they lose from last year? The right wing position will be a question mark for Minsk when the season opens. Thomas Powell, the Australian who won over coaches and fans with clutch play over 9 seasons in Minsk before spending two seasons away, returned in Season 13 and he was a major contributor in the Hussars’ jump up in the standings. He scored 34 goals and added 40 assists at age 32 while playing on the top line with Petr Vrana and Bo Horvat. But he became a free agent again in the off season. Minsk signed free agents Matthias Sjogren and Yanni Gourde in the off season, and they will make Minsk a little stronger in the area they are strongest right now: team defense. Sjogren spent the last 7 seasons in St. Petersburg and he transformed himself into an excellent defensive player. Last year, among all EURO League wings, both Gourde and Sjogren finished in the top 16 in shot blocks. Finding the right player to fill the Powell hole – without weakening the LW or C positions – is a make-or-break decision for the team.
3. We get that Minsk will challenge for the Cup this year, but what about next year? Almost all of Minsk’s roster is lined up for Season 14 AND Season 15. Only Bo Horvat and Niclas Almari will be asking for new contracts after this season and the annual increase in the league salary cap could allow GM Igor Kirunov to keep one of those guys, but probably not both. That could be Adam Boqvist’s chance to break into the lineup on the blueline. Or Jonas Siegenthaler’s chance, but the team will have to avoid exposing him to waivers if they want to keep him. Beyond that, the Hussars will be watching the NHL for some young reinforcements. Kirunov has drafted 16 prospects in recent seasons and a few of them could play decent roles next season in North America. Buffalo Sabres prospects goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and winger J.J. Peterka seem ready for the NHL, as does defenseman Lassi Thomson, who played 16 NHL games last season.
Rose’s Focus
“I love watching the Hussars forwards play. I am over 30 now and so are almost all of Minsk’s forwards. Nick Suzuki is an infant still, and top scorer Bo Horvat is 28, but the rest were all between 30 and 35. They proved last year that experience pays dividends. And it can get you some decent AARP discounts on everything from meals and hotels to health care needs. Supposedly, this is the time when we will see Petr Vrana, Alexander Burmistrov, Talgat Zhailauov and their fellow forwards slow down. We will see if that happens. Sometimes the body can’t tell time. I know I feel like I could stay up until 10 p.m. some nights, and I bet some of these guys still can too.”
