What Is Going on in Russia?
As the Kontinental Hockey League season comes to a close, the Islanders Russian prospects have finished up league play and are now preparing for the offseason. Well, we know who they are by name, but what have Ilya Sorokin and Anatoli Golyshev been up to?
Anatoli Golyshev:
Golyshev, now 24, has turned into an offensive juggernaut for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Making his KHL debut at age 18, Golyshev has scored 80 goals and added 76 assists for a total of 156 points over 277 games with Avtomobilist. Those stats rank him third in games played, first in goals, second in assists, and second in points, only 11 shy of tying the franchise lead. This year alone, he scored 19 goals and totaled 40 points in 54 regular-season games, while adding on two goals and five points in nine Gagarin Cup Playoff games.
On April 4th, 2019, Golyshev signed a four-year extension with Avtomobilist, taking him through the 2022-23 season when he will turn 28. When the 2016 fourth-round pick spoke to Sports Express hockey writer and NHL.com/ru contributor Igor Eronko, Golyshev said that if the Islanders would like him to come over following the second season of the extension, he would definitely be interested in doing so. That would be at the completion of his age 26 season, where Golyshev would not only be in his prime but a professional hockey veteran, taking part in KHL play for eight seasons.
Ilya Sorokin:
Yes, he is still good. Once again, Ilya Sorokin tore through competition in the KHL, this time winning the Gagarin Cup with CSKA Moscow. Sorokin went through the regular season consistently dominant, coming out with a record of 28-6-4, a 1.16 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. He rarely had a bad game. The dominance only continued in the playoffs, finishing with a 16-4-0 record, a 1.19 goals-against average, and a .947 save percentage. He came out on top, winning the Gagarin Cup Playoff Most Valuable Player as well.
Following his Cup win, Eronko spoke to Sorokin. He said that the Islanders have a great team and Lou changed their entire future, but he does have one year left on his contract with CSKA. Hopefully, that means we will be able to see Sorokin come stateside as early as the 2020-2021 season.
Do you want to learn more about our team, the draft, free agency, and prospects like Sorokin and Golyshev in our system? Take a deep dive into the New York Islanders Offseason Handbook, where you can see all of that and more!
