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The first week of June is the first week of player trading in the close season – and we have a big new coaching appointment plus a host of imports on the move. The KHL also announced the host city for the 2027 Fonbet KHL All-Star Game.

The 2025/2026 KHL is officially over, with the tradition closing ceremony taking place last week. Here’s your recap of all the prizes handed out there, plus news of a long-serving import leaving his club and the transfer window opening today.

We’re down to the last four in the race for the Gagarin Cup after wrapping up round two swiftly last week. Two teams swept into the semis, the other two series were done in five games. That sets up some mouthwatering encounters when action resumes Friday.

Round 1 of the playoffs is done. From eight series, we saw one sweep and one pair go to six games. But every contest produced drama and special moments, with a sprinkling of KHL records along the way.

Fucale’s consistency in goal and Press’ impact from the blue line highlight the opening round’s standout international performers, alongside other key contributors across the playoffs. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

Salavat Yulaev left it late, but Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sheldon Rempal put the Ufa club into the second round of the playoffs. Kuznetsov tied the game four seconds before the hooter, then assisted on Rempal’s winner in overtime. Salavat Yulaev will now face Lokomotiv in round two, with the series starting in Yaroslavl on April 8.

The Motormen try to save the season after Game Five success in today’s lone match as the Gagarin Cup playoffs continue.

An overtime winner from Dmitrij Jaskin sent Ak Bars into the second round of the 2026 KHL playoffs. His 61st-minute strike earned a 2-1 win over Traktor, settling the series in five games. The series between Avtomobilist and Salavat Yulaev returns to Ufa after Stepan Khripunov lead the Motormen to a 5-2 win. Salavat will hope to finish the job on Thursday, but saw its advantage reduced to 3-2.

Elimination pressure builds across the slate, with Salavat Yulaev, Ak Bars and CSKA all holding 3–1 leads over Avtomobilist, Traktor and SKA respectively, each with a chance to close out the series. Meanwhile, Torpedo also sits one win away at 3–1 against Severstal, who must respond on home ice to keep their playoff hopes alive.

One week into post season, and all 16 teams are still in the Gagarin Cup race. We’ve seen competitive, exciting hockey in every series – and we might see our first qualifiers advance later today.

Salavat Yulaev and Ak Bars are both one game away from advancing to the second round of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs after victories on Sunday. Salavat enjoyed a 5-2 win at home to Avtomobilist, while Ak Bars needed a second period of overtime to see off Traktor in Chelyabinsk. Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team can finish the series on home ice on Tuesday, while Avtomobilist returns home to try to save its series on the same day.

Home teams made their move in Game Three, with Salavat Yulaev and Torpedo taking a 2–1 lead over Avtomobilist and Severstal respectively, while Traktor and SKA cut the gap to 2–1 against Ak Bars and CSKA, setting up a crucial Game Four across all four series.

Maxim Kuznetsov scored a late winner for Salavat Yulaev as the forwards found their range at last in the series against Avtomobilist. A 4-3 verdict in Ufa put the host up 2-1. And the Ak Bars vs Traktor series is also 2-1 after Traktor won 3-2 in Chelyabinsk to claim its first victory of post season.

The Eastern matchups are already diverging, with Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist tied 1–1 after two tight, low-scoring games, while Ak Bars seized a 2–0 lead over Traktor. In the West, Severstal responded emphatically to level the series 1–1 against Torpedo, whereas CSKA took full control with a 2–0 edge over SKA as the action shifts venue.

Day three of the Eastern playoffs saw a 1-0 win for Salavat Yulaev square its series against Avtomobilist. The teams head to Ufa locked at 1-1. Then Ak Bars won 4-2 at home to Traktor, claiming a 2-0 advantage in the series.

Anas’ elite production, Sprong’s domination, Da Costa’s experience and Leivo’s consistency. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

In the East, Avtomobilist and Ak Bars hold a 1–0 edge after taking the opening games, while in the West CSKA also leads its series 1–0 following a marathon win. Torpedo produced the only road upset so far, stealing Game 1 against Severstal to take the early advantage, as Salavat Yulaev, Traktor, Spartak and SKA all look to respond and level their respective series.

Day one of the 2026 KHL Playoffs began with Daniel Sprong firing Avtomobilist to victory over Salavat Yulaev. And the other Eastern Conference action saw Ak Bars edge past Traktor in overtime.

Commentator for KHL TV channels and expert at KHL.ru, Anton Vasyatin, presents the top ten most prominent young players (U23) in the league based on their performance in the third month of the regular season.

Four pairs open today, with eight teams beginning their chase for the Gagarin Cup. In the East, Avtomobilist faces Salavat Yulaev, while Ak Bars meets Traktor. In the West, Severstal and Torpedo clash for the first time in playoff history. The classic series between CSKA and SKA reaches its 10th edition, with CSKA leading the all-time playoff record 6–3, in a heavyweight opening slate across the KHL playoffs tonight.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the Regular Season’s seventh month in four categories.

The last day of the regular season saw Sam Anas tie Nikita Gusev’s record 89-point haul in a regular season campaign. He scored twice in Dinamo Minsk’s 8-2 win over Avtomobilist, but could not find a third point to set a new mark. Sibir did set a new record, beating a mark established in the KHL’s inaugural season. Today’s shoot-out win over Sochi was its 12th of the season, beating Metallurg’s 11 from 2008/2009.
Elsewhere, the big issue was resolving the Western playoff pairings. With the season complete, Lokomotiv faces Spartak in round one, Dinamo Minsk will take on Dynamo Moscow, Severstal is up against Torpedo and CSKA faces SKA.

An eight-game KHL matchday closes the regular season with action across both conferences. Salavat Yulaev hosts HC Sochi, Sibir faces Barys, and Traktor takes on Admiral. In the West, Dinamo Minsk welcomes Avtomobilist, while SKA meets the Shanghai Dragons. Two Moscow games see Dynamo play Ak Bars and Spartak face Neftekhimik. The day concludes in Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv clashes with Metallurg in a matchup between the regular season’s conference leaders.

It has been mostly a quiet week for the league’s international players, but some stood out anyways, with Fiore netting his second KHL hat-trick and Anas continuing his strong pace. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

The playoff pairs for the Eastern Conference are set after Wednesday’s play. The top four places were confirmed ahead of today’s action, and wins for Salavat Yulaev over Neftekhimik (3-0) and Traktor over Metallurg (6-2) sealed places five through eight. Those first-round pairings will be: Metallurg vs Sibir; Avangard vs Neftekhimik; Ak Bars vs Traktor; Avtomobilist vs Salavat Yulaev. In the Western Conference, CSKA secured fourth place thanks to a shoot-out win over Spartak. Fifth-placed Dynamo fell 1-2 at home to Admiral.

A seven-game KHL matchday opens in Novosibirsk with Sibir hosting SKA as the regular season nears its conclusion. Salavat Yulaev faces in-form Neftekhimik, while Traktor and Metallurg renew the Southern Urals derby. Action then shifts west with HC Sochi welcoming Ak Bars and a Moscow doubleheader featuring Spartak against CSKA and Dynamo taking on Admiral. The evening closes in China, where the struggling Shanghai Dragons host Avtomobilist. Several teams still have positioning to play for before the playoffs.

KHL.ru goes on with the weekly column that features the top 12 teams in the League. These are the results of the Week 26.

Sibir clinched the 16th and final playoff spot with a 3-2 victory over CSKA in Monday’s early game. The Siberians cannot finish higher than eighth in the East, meaning the first playoff pairing is also confirmed: regular season champ Metallurg, a 4-3 winner over Avtomobilist today, will start against Sibir. Neither SKA nor Torpedo were able to close on fourth-placed CSKA in the West. Traktor won 2-1 at home to SKA, Torpedo fell 3-6 to Neftekhimik. An entertaining Moscow derby ended in a shoot-out win for Dynamo at Spartak. Severstal beat Ak Bars 4-2 in Monday’s other action.

A seven-game KHL matchday features key clashes across both conferences. Sibir hosts CSKA in a game with playoff implications, while league leaders Metallurg welcome Avtomobilist. Traktor faces SKA as the Chelyabinsk side marks its 1,200th KHL game, and Barys meets Admiral in Kazakhstan. In Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo takes on Neftekhimik. The Moscow derby sees Spartak battle Dynamo, while the day concludes with Severstal hosting Ak Bars in a cross-conference showdown.

Saturday’s solitary KHL game brought a road win for CSKA, halting Avtomobilist’s seven-game winning streak.

After yesterday’s emotions with an action-packed matchday, only one game is scheduled for today, with Avtomobilist hosting CSKA.

An overtime victory in Ufa, coupled with Lokomotiv’s defeat against Avtomobilist, means Metallurg will finish top of this season’s regular season standings. It’s the first time Magnitka has claimed top spot: in 2021/2022 the Steelmen topped the standings for points and ppg, but the regular season was not played to a finish after the Olympic break and the trophy was not awarded. Wednesday’s other action brought wins for Avangard, Severstal, CSKA, Dynamo Moscow and SKA.

Seven games are scheduled in the KHL today, with three matchups involving Eastern Conference teams and four in the West. Avangard hosts Torpedo, while Salavat Yulaev welcomes conference leader Metallurg in Ufa. Avtomobilist also entertains Lokomotiv in Yekaterinburg. Later, the Western Conference takes center stage as Lada receives Severstal in Togliatti. HC Sochi meets CSKA to recover the Feb. 23 game, Dynamo Moscow hosts the Shanghai Dragons, and SKA faces Dinamo Minsk in St. Petersburg to close the matchday.

KHL.ru goes on with the weekly column that features the top 12 teams in the League. These are the results of the Week 24.

China hosted top class hockey for the first time since Feb. 2020 when the KHL World Games visited Shanghai. Back in Russia, Sergei Plotnikov reached 1,000 games in the KHL and the playoff race narrowed down still further.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2025-2026 Regular Season’s twenty-fifth week in four categories.

The top two in the Eastern Conference both suffered 3-1 losses. Leader Metallurg fell at home to Avtomobilist, while second-placed Avangard fell to a surprise defeat in Sochi. CSKA edged a 1-0 win over Traktor, preventing the Chelyabinsk club from securing its playoff spot this week.

Magnitogorsk hosts the opening clash as high-scoring Metallurg seeks revenge against defensively solid Avtomobilist. Avangard looks to extend its streak in Sochi, while CSKA attempts to break a worrying scoring drought against Traktor.

From Sulak’s points from the blue line for Admiral to Ty Smith’s strong week for the Bison. KHL.ru presents the best players from each country.

Wednesday’s KHL action brought four wins out of four for road teams – three of them with shut-outs. However, one of today’s winners, Lokomotiv, was playing in its own arena after its game at HC Sochi was moved to Yaroslavl. The Leopards battled hard but fell to a 51st-minute goal. Elsewhere, Josh Leivo picked up four points as Traktor won 5-0 at Torpedo, Avtomobilist took a 4-0 verdict at Dynamo and Avangard beat CSKA 2-0.