How does the KHL compare to the NHL and/or minor pro hockey?

We obviously get no coverage of it here, and I'm wondering how good some of the Russian Olympians are - guys like Konstantin Korneyev, Danis Zaripov and Sergei Zinoviev. We're obviously familiar with players like Fedorove, Radulov and Morozov, but some of these other KHLers on the roster aren't familiar.

So, how does the league compare to North America? Would it fall somewhere between the NHL and AHL? And how does it compare to other Euro leagues, like the Swedish Elite league?