May 19 – June 1st Transfers
HC Sochi signed a one-year contract with defenseman Alexander Budkin.
Also, the southern club completed two trades with Ak Bars Kazan: with the first deal Sochi got defenseman Damir Musin, while the Kazan team received a monetary compensation. With the second trade, Ak Bars sent Dmitry Arkhipov to Sochi in exchange for Pavel Padakin. Sochi also received a monetary compensation.
Ak Bars also renewed Rafael Batyrshin’s contract for a further season, but lost Vasily Tokranov, who moved to SKA with a 4-year deal. The Tatarstan team also signed young defenseman Daniil Kurashov to a two-year deal. Kurashov spent the 17-18 season in the Admiral Vladivostok organization.
The St. Petersburg club has also renewed contracts with a number of their players: Anton Belov (three years), Albert Konozov (two-way, two years), and Sergei Plotnikov (four years). Other than that SKA received Swedish goalie Magnus Hellberg from Kunlun Red Star in exchange of monetary compensation.
Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod got a reinforcement from Sweden: Andy Miele and Andrew Calof signed a one-year with the team as they moved to the shores of Volga river after winning the SHL title with Vaxjo Lakers. The team has also signed VHL champion, defenseman Mikhail Orlov to a two-way contract. But that’s not all: Torpedo also signed Damir Zhafyarov, who spent the 17-18 season with Sibir Novosibirsk. The Nizhny Novgorod fans will be happy to welcome back Mikhail Varnakov, who signed a two-year deal after spending a few seasons far from home playing for SKA St. Petersburg, Ak Bars Kazan, and Dynamo Moscow. Torpedo also signed ex-Admiral Vladivostok Anton Volchenkov to a one-year contract.
Spartak Moscow signed center Ilya Zubov, who recently dissolved his contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa. The team has also reinforced their goaltending lineup, getting Andrei Makarov from Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk for monetary compensation.
Dinamo Minsk signed Andrei Kostitsyn to a one-deal. The Belarusian national most recently played with Kunlun Red Star. They also signed back defenseman Kirill Gotovets, who spent the last season in the AHL. Gotovets already played for the Bisons in the 2016-17 campaign. Another new player for Dinamo Minsk will be Russian defenseman Ilya Khokhlov.
Igor Golovkov has renewed his ties with Vityaz Podolsk for yet another season. Also former Gagarin Cup champion with Dynamo Moscow Denis Kokarev has joined the Moscow Region team with a one-year deal.
Salavat Yulaev and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl also made a trade: the Ufa franchise got Alexander Kadeikin, while Yaroslavl received the rights on young Czech defenseman Filip Hronek and a monetary compensation.
Traktor Chelyabinsk signed a one-year deal with American forward Ryan Stoa, most recently playing for Spartak Moscow.
Barys Astana signed a one-year, two-way deal with young forward Kirill Panyukov, who’s back in Kazakhstan after one season in the USHL. The forward is part of the Barys organization since the 2013-14 season, when he played his first game in the MHL.
Avangard Omsk is keeping on reinforcing as Gagarin Cup champion, Olympics and WC gold medalist Sergei Shirokov returned on the shores of the Irtysh river signing a two-year contract. Another Olympian, Czech goalie Dominik Furch, left the Omsk organization and signed with Severstal Cherepovets.
The Cherepovets team also signed ex-Slovan Bratislava forward Zach Boychuk to a one-year deal.
Kunlun Red Star signed Finn defenseman Ville Lajunen and forward Josh Nicholls. Nicholls won the Norwegian champion title last April with Storhamar.
Metallurg Magnitogorsk signed another Swedish player in forward Dennis Rasmussen, who inked a two-year contract.
CSKA Moscow signed for one season the Swedish defenseman Klas Dahlbeck, who is back in Europe after playing 170 games in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, and Carolina Hurricanes.
