Neftekhimik season preview: targeted reinforcements and continued emphasis on offense

In the latest KHL.ru preview, we look at how Neftekhimik kept faith with its coaching after missing last year’s playoffs. Carefully strengthening the team and retaining last season’s key players mean there’s every reason to expect the Wolves to show that 2024’s disappointment is merely a blip.Last seasonTo the great disappointment of fans in Nizhnekamsk, Neftekhimik started the season with an almost exact replica of the previous campaign. In the fall of 2022 there were 10 successive losses, while fall 2023 brought just two victories in 10 games. Moreover, the second scenario included painful losses: 0-8 against Barys, 3-8 against Metallurg. In the end there was no repeat of the revival that secured playoff hockey in the 2022-2023 season: despite fighting to the final day of the season, the Wolves ended up two points adrift of Amur. Two losses in February against Sibir, another team battling for a playoff spot, proved fatal to Neftekhimik’s hopes.RecruitmentArrivals:Goalie: Yaroslav Ozolin (Dynamo Moscow, return from loan). Defensemen Roman Abrosimov (Avangard), Bogdan Kiselevich (Avangard), Vladislav Leontiev (Avtomobilist), Luka Profaka (San Diego, AHL). Forwards: Vyacheslav Leshchenko (Salavat Yulaev), Nikita Rtishchev (Admiral), Timur Sharifyanov (Dynamo St. Petersburg, VHL).Departures:Goalie: Andrei Tikhomirov. Defensemen: Evgeny Kashikov (Avtomobilist), Ruslan Petrishchev (Dynamo Moscow), Mikhail Sidorov, Ilya Khokhlov; Forwards: Rafael Bikmullin (Lada), Nikita Buryanov (Dynamo Moscow, return from loan), Nikita Setdikov, Danill Skorikov (Admiral), Nail Yakupov (Kunlun Red Star).Top 3 signingsBogdan KiselevichKiselevich’s honors list speaks for itself: Gagarin Cup winner, Olympic gold medallist and World Championship bronze medallist. Maybe last season with Avangard he didn’t have his best season but that shouldn’t spoil the overall picture. At Neftekhimik he can expect a big role on the power play. Bogdan’s biggest quality is his experience, which is badly needed among the D core: almost all his team-mates (apart from Lukas Klok, Nikita Khlystov and another new signing Roman Abrosimov) are youngsters who are just learning their way in the KHL.Vyacheslav LeshchenkoLeshchenko is back in Nizhnekamsk after a year away at Salavat Yulaev. In 2022-2023, Leshchenko was second in team scoring for Neftekhimik with 37 (17+20) points in 69 games. That was his best season in the KHL to date. Vyacheslav looks like a great signing for Neftekhimik: he’s already worked with the current head coach and knows what to expect from him. Moreover, the coaching staff know how to get the best out of the forward. Leshchenko will likely have plenty of game time and, with the right partners on his line, he could manage to improve his record for points in one season.Roman AbrosimovAbrosimov is another new signing who has been here before. He relishes the physical game, delivering big hits and never being afraid to drop the gloves when required: in this respect he’s a more experienced upgrade on Avtomobilist-bound Evgeny Kashnikov. Moreover, Abrosimov learned his trade with Zinetula Bilyaletinov at Ak Bars, and everyone knows how well that coach develops defensive players. In eight KHL seasons, Roman has only once reached 10 points. However, he’s not here for goals and assists; his main responsibilities will be rather different on this team.CoachingOleg Leontiev has been in charge since 2021 and in that time he has reached two playoffs out of three. The club management responded calmly to last season’s disappointment and did not make any rash decisions – after all, a team is neither built nor dismantled in a single campaign and Leontiev has already demonstrated himself to be a high-level coach. In addition, Neftekhimik plays interesting hockey with an accent on offense. Leontiev would rather win 7-5 than 2-0 and sets up his teams in that fashion. Maybe Neftekhimik lacks a little consistency, but that’s a work in progress. Plus, we need to keep the bigger picture in view: with a relatively modest budget and a roster that lacks obvious star quality, Leontiev delivers decent results.GoaltendingNeftekhimik retained Filipp Dolganov and Artyom Zagidulin and it seems highly likely that these two will battle for the starting role. Zagidulin was hampered by injury last season and played just four games after his arrival. Dolganov was called up from the VHL during the season and proved his worth at a higher level. Youngster Yaroslav Ozolin is back from loan but, as things stand, he appears to be the third choice.DefenseAs already discussed, the Neftekhimik defense is far more experienced thanks to the additions of Kiselevich and Abrosimov. In addition, Luka Profaka is a signing with great potential. Klok remains on the team and offers an offensive upside. There’s scope for further improvement from Khlystov and young Artyom Serikov. Among the departing players, none of them look like an irreplaceable loss: Kiselevich is a replacement for Ilya Khokhlov, Abrosimov is an upgrade on Kashnikov while Mikhail Sidorov and Ruslan Petrishchev played supporting roles.OffenseThere is clear improvement here. Almost all the team’s leaders were either under contract (as in the case of Alexander Dergachyov or Eveny Mityakin) or agreed extensions (like Vladimir Bryukvin and Jean-Sebastien Dea). Leshchenko is capable of playing a top six role, while Timur Sharifyanov and Nikita Rtishchev are more likely to rotate in and out of the lower lines. On paper, Neftekhimik’s offense looks a bit stronger than last season – but that needs to be translated into goals, points and wins.YoungstersThe key assets among the juniors are defenseman Islam Gainullin and forwards German Tochilin, Nikita Khoruzhev, Danil Sherstobitov and Raul Yakupov. Two of them, Gainullin and Khoruzhev – made their KHL debuts last season: the former made a good impression, while the latter had limited game time (nine games at an average of 5:59 minutes per game).Tochilkin has 65 KHL appearances before his 20th birthday and looks highly promising. Shertobitov and Yakupov are steadily acclimatizing to the first team, picking up ever more game time: it’s entirely possible that either player could secure a regular spot in the KHL this season.ExpectationsMost teams regard the spring as the key stage of the season. However, for Neftekhimik the crucial time is the fall: after two slow starts, it’s very important to get off to a good one this time. If the Wolves can do that and keep key players healthy, there’s no reason why they can’t achieve their playoff goal – possibly with something to spare. Based on the current rosters, Neftekhimik looks a good bet for sixth to eighth place in the East. The key issues are how quickly the new arrivals can find their feet and bring consistency to the team.