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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.

In the first week of signings, several international players found themselves a new home, with CSKA claiming two newcomers.

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.

KHL.ru takes a closer look at the nominees for the Golden Stick award — the shortlist following the 2025-2026 regular season includes Sam Anas (Dinamo Minsk), Damir Sharipzyanov (Avangard), and Vladimir Tkachyov (Metallurg).

Four games played, two wins apiece. Ak Bars and Lokomotiv look set to serve up another cup final for the ages. Read on for the inside track on the climactic battle of the season.

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Golden Stick award – the trophy for the most valuable player of the 2025-2026 KHL regular season.

Last week confirmed the first of this year’s Gagarin Cup finalists, while the second series remains tight. Elsewhere, another KHL player celebrated a move to the NHL.

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 second round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs.

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.

Two goals in the last three minutes were not enough for Dinamo Minsk to save the game or the series as Ak Bars moves into the 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-finals.

Metallurg and Ak Bars stand on the brink of a sweep as both series continue on the road, with Torpedo and Dinamo Minsk facing elimination and in urgent need of a response to keep their seasons alive and force the series back to Magnitogorsk and Minsk.

The second round of Gagarin Cup playoff action has seen great goaltending in Yaroslavl, thrilling finishes in Minsk, and vital scoring streaks for Avangard and Metallurg. Along the way, Andrei Stas became the fifth man to play 1,000 KHL games. And in the juniors, the first round of the playoffs produced the JHL’s longest-ever game.

Metallurg aims to tighten its grip on the series as the action shifts to Nizhny Novgorod, with Torpedo hoping home ice can spark a response, while Ak Bars heads back to Kazan looking to build on its momentum after two dramatic wins over Dinamo Minsk as the series changes cities.

A pulsating game in Minsk saw the teams trade goals in the last 70 seconds of regulation to tie 4-4. Dinamo had recovered from 1-3 to lead on 58:50, but allowed a late equalizer before falling to Nathan Todd in the extras.

Metallurg looks to build on a narrow Game One win despite Torpedo’s fightback, while Dinamo Minsk aims to respond on home ice after dropping the opener to Ak Bars in a tightly contested series opener in front of a packed Minsk Arena.

Dinamo Minsk was the only team to enjoy a sweep in round one. But so far, the Belarusians are the only team to drop a home game in round two, falling 1-2 against Ak Bars on Wednesday evening

Fresh matchups headline the second round, as Dinamo Minsk and Ak Bars face off in the playoffs for the first time ever, while Metallurg and Torpedo renew a rivalry not seen since their lone postseason meeting back in 2009, adding a rare sense of novelty to the KHL bracket.

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.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs’ first round in four categories.

We have our first qualifier for the second round of the 2026 KHL playoffs. Dinamo Minsk wrapped up a first-round sweep of Dynamo Moscow after Stanislav Galiyev scored twice in an overtime win. Also in Moscow, defending champion Lokomotiv won 2-0 at Spartak to take a 3-1 lead back to Yaroslavl on Wednesday.

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.

Elimination looms in two series, with Metallurg and Dinamo Minsk holding commanding 3–0 leads over Sibir and Dynamo Moscow respectively. Elsewhere, Avangard and Lokomotiv are ahead 2–1 against Neftekhimik and Spartak, with Game Four offering a chance to either push to the brink or bring the series back to level terms.

Both of Saturday’s Western Conference playoffs went to overtime, and both ended with the away team victorious. Sam Anas struck after three minutes of the extras to put Dinamo Minsk up 3-0 on Dynamo Moscow after a 1-1 tie in the Russian capital. Across town, Spartak’s Ivan Morozov grabbed a late tying goal against Lokomotiv, but the Railwaymen rebounded to win it on Artur Kayumov’s redirect. The defending champ is up 2-1 in that series.

The higher seeds are already asserting control in parts of the bracket, with Metallurg and Dinamo Minsk holding commanding 2–0 leads over Sibir and Dynamo Moscow respectively. Elsewhere, the series remain wide open, as Avangard and Neftekhimik, along with Lokomotiv and Spartak, are tied 1–1 heading into a pivotal Game Three as the action shifts venues.

Spartak Moscow delivered the first big shock of this year’s playoffs, grabbing an overtime win at defending champion Lokomotiv. The Red-and-Whites were second best for long spells of Thursday’s game, but opportunistic goals from Ivan Morozov and Daniil Pivchulin secured a 2-1 verdict. In Minsk, Dinamo had little trouble opening a 2-0 lead in its series against Dynamo Moscow. The visiting offense was again off-color and the home team cruised to a 4-1 win.

All today’s pairs made their home ice count in Game One, with Avangard defeating Neftekhimik, Metallurg downing Sibir, Lokomotiv overcoming Spartak, and Dinamo Minsk beating Dynamo Moscow to take a 1–0 lead in their respective series, putting early pressure on the lower seeds to respond in Game Two.

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

Defending champion Lokomotiv took its 2026 playoff bow – and found itself down by two in barely 10 minutes. A fightback secured Bob Hartley’s men a 5-3 but Spartak will take consolation from a competitive performance in Yaroslavl. In Minsk, Dinamo justified pre-playoff expectation with an impressively solid 3-1 win over Dynamo Moscow.

Four more pairs hit the ice today, as eight teams continue their quest for the Gagarin Cup. In the East, Avangard takes on Neftekhimik, while Metallurg faces Sibir. In the West, reigning champions Lokomotiv meets Spartak Moscow after a dominant regular-season sweep, while Dinamo Minsk go up against Dynamo Moscow in a matchup that flips 2024 playoff script, rounding out another packed slate of postseason action.

The final week of the regular season brought a major scoring achievement, a quirky record that stood since 2009 and, of course, confirmation of the full playoff schedule. Read on to look back and look forward.

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

Damir Sharipzyanov rewrote the KHL record books. His assist in Avangard’s overtime victory at Dinamo Minsk gives him the most productive season for a defenseman in the KHL. His 66 points this term beat Chris Lee’s 65 for Metallurg in 2016/2017. Earlier in the day, Lada came from 0-2 to beat Amur.

Two games are on tap on a light KHL Tuesday, starting with Lada hosting Amur in Togliatti. Then, in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk faces Avangard.

Going into the final week of the KHL regular season, we have a two-way battle for the last remaining playoff spot. The two conference winners, and the regular season champion, are confirmed – and there’s a possible regular season scoring record up for grabs.

A last-minute goal from Danil Yurtaikin gave Amur the win it needed to stay in playoff contention. The Tigers’ 3-2 success at Sochi means Sibir must win tomorrow to confirm its playoff spot. Elsewhere, Sam Anas moved to 86 points for the season with an assist in Dinamo Minsk’s 2-1 shoot-out victory over Lokomotiv. Anas is chasing Nikita Gusev’s 89-point record for a KHL regular season. Sunday’s other game saw Salavat Yulaev beat Shanghai Dragons 5-3.

Three games are on schedule today on a light KHL Saturday. Amur visits Sochi absolutely needing a win to keep playoff qualification. Salavat Yulaev hosts the Shanghai Dragons with both teams trying to turn the tide, and finally Dinamo Minsk hosts Lokomotiv with the Belarusians seeking a return to victory.