Sam Anas took home some hardware at the KHL’s end-of-season gala held at the Barvikha Luxury Village concert complex in Moscow — the same place Alex Ovechkin and Nastya Ovechkina got married.
The Potomac, Maryland native was presented the KHL’s Top Scorer Award after recording 89 points (32g, 57a) with Dinamo Minsk and tying Nikita Gusev’s single-season scoring record originally set in 2023-24 with Dynamo Moscow.
“I’m glad I started my summer training because the trophy is a little heavy,” Anas said. “But thank you to the KHL, first of all, for hosting this amazing event. First class, as always. Thank you to everyone in Minsk, the fans, management, coaches, teammates. Limo and Pinner wouldn’t be here without you guys. So thank you very much. It was a great year with them. And thank you to my beautiful wife, Grace, supporting me all season and everything throughout my career. She’s amazing. Thank you, everyone.”
Anas also earned a share of a second KHL trophy along with two of his other teammates for making up the KHL’s Best Trio. Dinamo’s top line of Anas, Vitaly Pinchuk, and fellow former Hershey Bears forward Alex Limoges scored 74 goals together in 72 games, setting a new single-season franchise record and leading the league in the category.
“Thank you so much for this [award],” Pinchuk, who signed with the Nashville Predators in April, said per Google Translate. “You said it all perfectly. Without these guys, none of this would have been possible. Thank you to the management, thank you to Dinamo, thank you to the fans, and a huge thank you to everyone. These guys aren’t just ‘bum-bum’ [clueless]; they’re real Russians. ”
He then cracked, “I think I probably should have spoken a bit more while I was up here. Thank you.”
As the music began playing, Limoges, a native of Winchester, Virginia, walked up to the microphone and greeted the crowd in Russian.
“Всем добрый вечер. Спасибо большое,” Limoges said, translating to “Good evening, everyone. Thank you very much.”
Limoges then added in English, “I had a very great time this year in Dinamo and playing with such special players. Pinchuk is not only a great hockey player but a good translator as well, and Sammy showing me the ropes with everything as well. Unbelievable year. Thank you, KHL, and let’s do it again next year.”
Limoges had a big year in his own right finishing third in league scoring, recording 73 points (24g, 49a) in 68 games. The 73 points was a new record for a player making their debut in the KHL. Limoges signed a three-year extension with Dinamo over the offseason and will run it back with Anas next season.
The Washington Capitals‘ skating coach, Wendy Marco, who has worked with both players, was especially proud of their accomplishments this season.
While both former Hershey Bears and Little Capitals players have moved their careers to Belarus, they still maintain ties in the area. Last week, Anas returned to the Washington DC area where he had dinner with Aliaksei Protas, who he was linemates with on Hershey’s 2023 Calder Cup championship team, and Ilya Protas.
Aliaksei played one season with Dinamo Minsk after the Capitals loaned him to the team in 2020-21.
Anas just missed out on the Golden Stick, as the KHL’s regular season’s Most Valuable Player. Avangard defenseman Damira Sharipzyanov won the award, becoming the first defenseman in league history to be named MVP after recording 67 points (23g, 44a) — the most ever in a single-season by a rearguard.
Anas was also a part of the “Golden Helmet” winners — the KHL’s symbolic team of the season. He joined forwards Alexander Radulov (Lokomotiv) and Konstantin Okulov (Avangard); defensemen Damir Sharipzyanov (Avangard) and Mitchell Miller (Ak Bars); and goaltender Daniil Isaev (Lokomotiv).
