So what will the host team look like as the Winter Olympics come to Sochi, Russia? Did you know that there are less than thirty Russian players in the NHL at this time? It just shows the impact of the rival KHL. With 28 teams, the KHL has proven to be a formidable league that is attracting top Russian talent.
In case you missed our previous posts:
Let’s take a look at the top 30 Russian hockey players in the world for 2013-2014.
Top 30 Russian Hockey Players 2013-14
- Alex Ovechkin – forward Washington Capitals
- Pavel Datsyuk – forward Detroit Red Wings
- Evgeni Malkin – forward Pittsburgh Penguins
- Andrei Markov – defense Montreal Canadiens
- Semyon Varlamov – goaltender Colorado Avalanche
- Ilya Kovalchuk – forward SKA Saint Petersburg
- Sergei Bobrovsky – goaltender Columbus Blue Jackets
- Vladimir Tarasenko – forward St. Louis Blues
- Alexander Radulov – forward CSKA Moscow
- Alexander Semin – forward Carolina Hurricanes
- Fedor Tyutin – defense Columbus Blue Jackets
- Slava Voynov – defense Los Angeles Kings
- Danis Zaripov – forward Metallurg Magnitogorsk
- Evgeni Nabokov – goaltender New York Islanders
- Artem Anisimov – forward Columbus Blue Jackets
- Sergei Mozyakin – forward Metallurg Magnitogorsk
- Valeri Nichushkin – forward Dallas Stars
- Mikhail Grigorenko – forward Buffalo Sabres
- Dmitry Kulikov – defense Florida Panthers
- Alexander Burmistrov – forward Ak Bars Kazan
- Nikita Kucherov – forward Syracuse Crunch
- Vladislav Namestnikov – forward Syracuse Crunch
- Nail Yakupov – forward Edmonton Oilers
- Sergei Gonchar – defense Dallas Stars
- Nikolai Kulemin – forward Toronton Maple Leafs
- Nikita Nikitin – defense Columbus Blue Jackets
- Viktor Tikhonov – forward SKA Saint Petersburg
- Anton Khudobin – goaltender Carolina Hurricanes
- Fyodor Malykhin – forward Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
- Konstantin Barulin – goaltender Ak Bars Kazan
Make no mark about it, the Russian team will pull out all the stops to win Gold on home ice. Here is a look at some of the players that may help them win Gold.
