Big names, rising stars head to Moscow
With the KHL’s teams back in pre-season, Dynamo announced the arrival of a top forward while Spartak recruited a couple of rising stars on loan from the NHL.
Gusev goes to Dynamo
Nikita Gusev, one of the most prolific KHL forwards, is on his way to Dynamo Moscow. The 31-year-old Muscovite is best known for his role in leading Russia to Olympic gold in 2018, but he also helped SKA win the 2017 Gagarin Cup and has an enviable career record of 416 points in 459 regular season games for CSKA, Amur, Ugra and SKA. Gusev also played two seasons in the NHL, mostly with New Jersey, but after an impressive 44 points in his rookie campaign he struggled to repeat that success and returned to Russia via a short spell with Florida. Last season he wore the ‘A’ for SKA and was a productive contributor all season with 61 points in 50 games altogether. However, he was deemed surplus to requirements and released from his contract at the end of the season. Last week he agreed a one-year deal with Dynamo. He’s joined in Moscow by Igor Ozhiganov, another former SKA man, who is signing for the club he supported as a youngster.
Spartak loans two rising stars
Across Moscow, Spartak has acquired two exciting young talents on loan from North America. Forward Alexander Pashin, 20, numbers Hlinka-Gretzky Cup gold among his achievements to date. The former Salavat Yulaev starlet was drafted by Carolina and spent last season refining his skills in the AHL with Chicago Wolves. Now he’s back in Russia working with Alexei Zhamnov to develop further in senior hockey. For Ivan Morozov, 23, it’s a similar story. The Golden Knights’ prospect has greater KHL experience – in 2020-2021 he played 55 games for SKA, scoring 31 points while centering a line with Andrei Kuzmenko and Anton Burdasov. He even earned a place on Russia’s World Championship team that year. Last season’s AHL campaign was not all it might have been, and a return to his homeland could be just the reboot this talented forward needs. Both players will spend the coming season in Red and White.
Klok back to Neftekhimik
Czech defenseman Lukas Klok is back at Neftekhimik, where he played in 2021-2022. The 28-year-old had 35 (6+29) points in 48 games in that campaign and has signed a new two-year deal. Last season, Klok played for three clubs. He had four games in the AHL with Tucson Roadrunners, then went to Sweden for 11 appearances with Rogle. He ended the year in Switzerland, where he had 5+4 points in 18 regular season games for Lugano, plus three more assists in the playoffs.
Ignatjevs to lead Dragons
Kunlun Red Star announced Viktors Ignatjevs as the team’s head coach for the coming season. The 53-year-old Riga native was on Greg Ireland’s coaching staff with the Dragons last season and previously worked with the organization’s VHL team. In addition, he has extensive coaching experience around the KHL, and worked with Harijs Vitolins during Latvia’s 2022 Olympic campaign. This is his first taste of the head coach’s role, and he will combine KHL duties with Team China’s World Championship and Olympic Qualification schedule.
Back on the ice
It’s been a long wait, but the coming week sees the first pre-season games for our teams. Avangard leads the way, taking on its VHL farm club in a warm-up game on Thursday. Then Lada faces another VHL team, Neftyanik, on Friday and Saturday. Dynamo Moscow also has back-to-back meetings with lower league opposition when it faces AKM Tula on Saturday and Dizel Penza on Sunday.
