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Super League -  19 prospects (13 properties of NHL teams, 4 undrafted and 2 2008 elegible) were iced in the Ak Bars - Metallurg contest held in Kazan for the third round of the Superleague. The number could be even greater but injuries have kept Sergei Zinovjev (Boston Bruins) and Vladimir Malenkykh (Pittsburgh Penguins) off of the ice. Tampa Bay's Vasily Koshechkin (Tampa Bay Lightning) (Tampa Bay Lightning) is Ak Bars' starter, as the club’s other goalie Mikka Noronen (former Buffalo and Vancouver backup goaltender) was out of action with a broken collar bone. Grigori Shafigulin was Bilyaletdinov's replacement for the injured Zinoviev on the famous ZZM (Zaripov – Zinovjev – Morozov) first line. READ MORE

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Russian Super League -  After 5 periods of being stymied by a defensive effort that could draw analogies to Lakers – Pistons or the 90s Detroit Red Wings – New Jersey Devils series, Ak Bars finally solved their opponent and stormed back into the series behind the strong play of top liner Danis Zaripov , who potted a hattrick for his club. The breaking point occurred after an unfortunate outlet pass by Vladimir Malenkykh (Pittsburgh Penguins), which stuck to the watery ice right next to the opposition forward Alexander Stepanov, who took the unexpected gift and quickly put it behind surprised goalie Travis Scott. Zaripov finished off onslaught with two tallies a half minute apart, destroying Metallurg’s attempt at a defensive stand in the neutral zone, which worked for the club during the first five periods of the series. READ MORE

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According to the press center of Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the Super League (Russia 1) club has invited Vladimir Malenkykh (Pittsburgh Penguins), Dmitri Seluyanov (Detroit Red Wings), Denis Platonov (Nashville Predators) and Igor Knyazev (Phoenix Coyotes) to the preseason training camp. The first two defensemen were long time members of Lada (Togliatti)’s blue line. Malenkykh had a fall out with the club earlier this season after suffering a serious injury and the club reportedly refusing to pay for necessary surgery in Germany. It appears that ordeal is now behind Malenkykh, but the blood with Lada is still apparent. Seluyanov’s departure from Lada was surprising, considering the success the young defenseman enjoyed with the club this season. He consistently skated on Lada’s top defensive pairing and significantly improved his game. Igor Knyazev’s arrival in Magnitogorsk likely hinges on the NHL lockout, as the 2001 first round pick is still a restricted free agent of the Phoenix Coyotes. Change of scenery may be just what is needed for Denis Platonov, who was forced out of Kazan this season by stiff competition and politics, as he was one of the lower paid forwards on the club and was more expendable than the NHL players in the lineup.