Ak Bars makes big signing, Loko gets first import
One of the KHL’s most prolific scorers is on the move, while Yaroslavl welcomes its first foreign player since 2022.
Jaskin goes to Kazan
In his three KHL seasons to date, forward Dmitrij Jaskin has won a host of individual awards. However, he has yet to win a Gagarin Cup. Now the former Dynamo and SKA man is on his way to Ak Bars, looking to put that right. In 2020 and 2023 he finished as the top-scoring import. Last season he also led the league in scoring, while in 2020-2021 he was the KHL’s top goalscorer. Now the 30-year-old, Omsk born but Czech trained, has a three-year contract in Kazan where he will renew his partnership with Vadim Shipachyov, his colleague at Dynamo. His KHL career to date has 206 (122+84) points in 214 games.
Yaroslavl back in import market
Lokomotiv signed its first import since the end of the 2021-2022 season with the capture of Slovak defenseman Martin Gernat. The 30-year-old, who played for Lausanne last season, was part of Slovakia’s historic bronze medal team at the 2022 Olympics. He also has two Czech titles from his spell with Ocelari Trinec. Earlier in his career, Gernat played five seasons in North America after he was drafted by the Oilers. However, he never made it to the NHL, despite winning a WHL title with the Oil Kings in 2012.
Kostitsyn returns to Minsk
Legendary Belarusian forward Andrei Kostitsyn is back at Dinamo Minsk — albeit no longer as a player. The 38-year-old, a veteran for 440 KHL games for Dinamo, Traktor, Sochi, Kunlun, Torpedo and Neftekhimik, hung up his skates after a short spell in Norway in the 2021-2022 season, but he is taking on a new role as the Bison’s head of scouting for the coming campaign.
“It’s a new challenge for me, the start of a new journey,” he told the club’s website. “It’s an interesting new direction for me and I’m looking forward to helping the team and the club.”
But happy with progress at Lokomotiv
He’s touted as a potential first-round draft pick, but Lokomotiv prospect Daniil But is in no hurry to leave the KHL. The teenage forward made his debut in the league last season and got his first two goals for Igor Nikitin’s team. That sparked rumors that he might be about to head across the Atlantic, but in an interview for KHL.ru But made it clear where he sees his immediate future.
“I had no intention of going anywhere,” he said. “When you think that at the age of 17 I already played several games in KHL, of course I’m happy with how my career is developing in Russia.”
His ambitions for 2023-2024 involve cementing a regular spot on Lokomotiv’s roster, something he believes will need better skating and some effort to deal with the mental strain of the league’s congested schedule.
Russia I wins sledge hockey tournament
The fourth edition of sledge hockey’s Continental Cup saw Russia I take the honors after defeating Russia II in the final. It’s the third year in a row that the flagship Russian team has won this event, which once again took place in Sochi. This year’s gold medal game brought a 5-0 victory, with defenseman Dmitry Galkin and forward Evgeny Petrov picking up individual awards for their performances in the tournament. Kazakhstan took bronze, a result that highlights the country’s progress. In recent seasons, the Kazakhs have enjoyed more preparation time, and contested their first World Championship tournament. Tournament debutant Armenia might draw inspiration from this: its first appearance as national team brought four losses and no goals scored, but Kazakhstan’s progress from a similar starting point shows that a national program can quickly make up ground.
