Welcome to your premier roundup of varying minor hockey leagues that tend not to get the media attention globally, where we will try to keep you informed of what’s happening in hockey worldwide. Each week, a contributor from Reddit’s r/hockey will give a rundown of the past week’s action in their particular league, along with what to look forward to in the next week.

To jump directly to a league, just click the following links, but if you’re looking for a good hockey read, just start scrolling.

KHL – Pan-European League

DEL – German 1st League

Western Hockey League – US/Canada Major Junior League

The Gagarin Cup Finals between CSKA Moskva and Metallurg Magnitogorsk are three games in, and so far, we have been treated to some world-class ice hockey by two very hungry, talented, and well-coached teams. Despite Magnitogorsk striking first in Game 1 through Sergei Mozyakin, it was CSKA that cruised to a 5-1 victory on home ice. They flexed their offensive muscles, piling on five unanswered, including three on the power play. Magnitka goalie Vasily Koshechkin was pulled after Nikita Zaitsev’s coast to coast goal to put CSKA up 4-1, and backup Ilya Samsonov was greeted with a goal against on his first shot, by Denis Denisov. Magnitka bounced back, however, in Game 2, thanks in part to CSKA themselves. Zaitsev opened up the scoring with a laser from the point, and Danis Zaripov would even the game for Magnitka in the second off a brilliant pass from Sergei Mozyakin. The game winner, though, was the real story, as Alexei Bereglazov took a shot from the blueline to keep the puck in the zone. CSKA defender Grigory Panin looked to knock the puck down with his glove; instead, the puck went off his glove and past CSKA keeper Ilya Sorokin for the game winner as Magnitka took it 2-1. Game 3 was full of drama, twists, turns, and emotions as the series shifted to Magnitogorsk. Zaripov opened the scoring late in the second, once again from a great assist by Mozyakin. In the third, after a small scrap between Yevgeni Timkin and Gennedy Stolyarov, Stephane Da Costa beat Koshechkin from center ice to level the score, and just a few minutes later Zaitsev added another, his third of the series, off a great pass from Ivan Telegin to put CSKA up 2-1. But with just 15 seconds to go, Jan Ková? broke free at the back post, got a pass from Mozyakin, and beat Sorokin to send the game to overtime. Alas, it wasn’t to be for Magnitka, as Da Costa scored his second of the game in overtime to put CSKA up 2-1 in the series with a 3-2 overtime win. Game 4 is Wednesday in Magnitogorsk, at 17:00 MSK ( 10:00 Eastern US). Will Magnitka tie it up? Or will CSKA head home with the dagger in hand?

Playoff tree:

DEL WEEKLY ROUNDUP contribution by (/u/BoilerUp218)

The Semi-finals finished up this week, much as it appeared they would play out last week. EHC München completely dominated the Kölner Haie with 10 goals over the final two games of the series to take the series 4-1. On the other side of the bracket, Wolfsburg was able to win a one goal Game 6 to take the series 4-2 over Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers. The Ice Tigers nearly had their fortunes reversed after taking home a thrilling 2OT win in Game 5, they were unable to rally from a 2-0 deficit in the 6th game, despite a late Dany Heatley goal.

That brings us to the finals, where Munich and Wolfsburg will face off, with the Red Bulls of Munich being heavy favorites. Game 1 starts on Friday at 19:30 Central European Time, and continue on Sunday and Tuesday next week. That leaves us with only two weeks of hockey here in Germany, with the trophy destined for the home of a car manufacturer. The only question is whether it will be Volkswagen or BMW.

Playoff tree:

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE WEEKLY ROUNDUP contribution by (/u/82hky82), known in the real world as Michael Wood

This week started off with a compelling first round game 7 with Kelowna taking out Kamloops 2-1 in Overtime. Both teams fought hard and Kelowna earned a date with the #1 Victoria Royals in round 2. Also wrapping up the first round, Brandon completely embarrassed the Oil Kings in game 6 10-3 to win 4 straight and win the series. Little thought Brandon would lose this series and they are a powerhouse of a team. Round two started off on Thursday with Victoria defeating Kelowna 2-1 in a tight checking game that Victoria thrives in, being that they allow the fewest goals in the WHL.

On Friday two more series got underway in round 2. Everett stunned Seattle 3-0 with draft eligible goaltender Carter Hart stopping all 26 shots. Brandon also kept their positive momentum going with a strong 5-3 win over Moose Jaw. 2014 New Jersey first round pick John Quenneville scored two goals in the win. Saturday had the top two teams in the WHL taking 2-0 series leads as Brandon and Victoria again were victorious. Both now have a stranglehold on the series and are looking good to advance to the Conference Finals. Saturday also had the Regina Pats taking on the Red Deer Rebels in game one, with Red Deer closely winning the game 3-2 to take a 1-0 series lead. On Sunday, Red Deer took a 2-0 series lead with a 4-3 win. They also now are in control of the series.

The series to now keep an eye on is Seattle-Everett. Seattle came back with a vengeance in game two with Isles first round pick Matt Barzal scoring two goals to lead his team to a 3-1 win to tie the series. This series has the potential to go the distance and home ice may prove valuable. The week ahead will see teams desperately fighting for their playoff lives and teams looking to gain an edge in any way they can. Hard hitting, tight checking hockey is what is expected, and frankly I cannot wait.

Playoff bracket: