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St.Petersburg have been a hockey team since the late 40's when they were formed. Since then they have been most exclusively a top tier Russian team and have been in the KHL since its inception in 2008 after the re-branding of the Russian Super League. St.Petersburg have played at the Ice Palace since it was completed in 1999 and are one of the best supported teams in terms of attendance. Last year their average attendance was 11,917 which is 96% capacity.
Despite the KHL being still young having been conceived in 2008 St.Petersburg have had some talented players don the jersey and in some cases go on to play in the NHL Players such as Maxim Afinogenov, Evgeni Nabokov and Alexei Yashin. Ilya Kovalchuk himself has played for the team before. He played for them during the 2012-13 Lockout. Kovalchuk appeared in 36 games and finished with 42 points.
Despite the boost of signing Ilya Kovalchuk the next season will be an interesting one. They've managed to keep their second highest scorer from last season, Tony Martensson, after he extended his contract to 2015. But they've lost a good player in Maxim Afinogenov who has signed for Vityaz. They have a good core but need players to round it out. The type of players that will complement the attacking style that Kovalchuk will bring. However, at the other end they've kept their best defenceman in Kevin Dallman who was part of a team last season that saw them finish with the 5th least goals against over the course of the season.
The teams 100% post-season qualification record in the KHL will be under threat but I think the addition of Kovalchuk and the likely incoming addition of players will see them edge over. I definitely think they'll be a team to watch this season though.
Despite the KHL being still young having been conceived in 2008 St.Petersburg have had some talented players don the jersey and in some cases go on to play in the NHL Players such as Maxim Afinogenov, Evgeni Nabokov and Alexei Yashin. Ilya Kovalchuk himself has played for the team before. He played for them during the 2012-13 Lockout. Kovalchuk appeared in 36 games and finished with 42 points.
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| Maxim Afinogenov in SKA colors |
Despite the boost of signing Ilya Kovalchuk the next season will be an interesting one. They've managed to keep their second highest scorer from last season, Tony Martensson, after he extended his contract to 2015. But they've lost a good player in Maxim Afinogenov who has signed for Vityaz. They have a good core but need players to round it out. The type of players that will complement the attacking style that Kovalchuk will bring. However, at the other end they've kept their best defenceman in Kevin Dallman who was part of a team last season that saw them finish with the 5th least goals against over the course of the season.
The teams 100% post-season qualification record in the KHL will be under threat but I think the addition of Kovalchuk and the likely incoming addition of players will see them edge over. I definitely think they'll be a team to watch this season though.
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