Avangard strengthens its lineup, O’Dell returns. Top transfers

Spooner moves from Minsk to Omsk, O’Dell returns to Moscow, Barys and Metallurg sign new imports. KHL.ru presents the best transfers from the international and domestic market.

Ryan Spooner

From Dinamo Minsk to Avangard

With Corban Knight leaving Omsk following three excellent seasons, the Hawks did need to fill the gap in their top line. And they decided to go international with Ryan Spooner. The Omsk side acquired an experienced player who is already adapted to the league and won’t need much acclimating as he recently spent three seasons in Minsk and one in Yekaterinburg. The 2022-2023 campaign was the most productive so far for the Ottawa native, who potted 19 goals with 28 assists in 64 regular-season games for the Belarusians, adding a five-point production in six games against SKA in the elimination stage. Spooner is expected to land a spot in Avangard’s top line and enjoy plenty of time on ice, feeding Reid Boucher with his passes.

Riley Barber

From Texas Stars to Barys

Another team who was seeking a forward was Barys, who also lost Anthony Louis to the Swiss league – the Kazakhs may have found a new league’s star in Riley Barber. The American forward has an impressive international resume under his belt, including captaining Team USA at the 2014 World Juniors in Sweden and making it for the Americans at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Finland as an AHL player, including scoring a goal in the competition in the opener against Team Latvia. His career in the NHL was short-lived, but in the AHL he was a top performer, scoring 117 (60+57) points in his latest two seasons, with the Grand Rapid Griffins and the Texas Stars. Barber has already scored for the Kazakhs in this offseason – Barys’ fans are waiting for his goals.

Jean-Sebastian Dea

From Tucson Roadrunners to Metallurg

Metallurg has completed its three-man import squad with the Quebecois forward, who – like Barber – will be at his first experience in Europe. The Laval, QC, native doesn’t have any international experience, yet he has skated in 37 NHL games, but as many players who moved from the AHL to the KHL this season, he was a strong performer. He had 50 (23+27) points last year with the Tucson Roadrunners, and 52 (26+26) in his native Laval in 2021-2022. Dea is known for his offensive talent and will most likely help Metallurg, who has also Luke Johnson and Robin Press as the other international players. In the preseason, Magnitka hasn’t been very consistent, and Andrei Razin will do his best to integrate his imports in the team’s lineup.

Eric O’Dell

New contract with Dynamo Moscow

One of the lengthier stories of the summer saw its conclusion as Eric O’Dell finalized a fresh deal with Dynamo Moscow. The Canadian committed to another year in the Russian capital after amassing 38 (21+17) points across 41 games last term. O’Dell benefits from Brennan Menell’s choice to become a Russian citizen, opening up an import slot on the Blue-and-White’s roster. This upcoming season will mark his third consecutive with the team and eighth in the KHL. The Ottawa native previously played for Sochi, Metallurg, and Sibir.

Vladimir Tkachyov

New contract with Avangard

Another saga saw Tkachyov seeking a spot in North America before deciding to stay in Russia and signing a new, three-year deal with the Hawks. With the signings of Spooner and Tkachyov, Avangard’s roster added two excellent options – albeit on paper – and is looking better than just two weeks ago. The diminutive forward had a breakout season last term, with 59 (23+26) points in 64 regular-season games, he was the league’s second scorer following Dmitrij Jaskin, adding another 14 (3+11) in as many elimination matches.

“Extending Vladimir Tkachyov’s contract was one of our top priorities this offseason,” Avangard’s GM Anton Kuryanov told, commenting the deal. “Considering that his partnership with Reid Boucher remains intact, we believe that Vladimir will showcase his full potential in the upcoming season as well. I’d like to note that the option of staying with us was a priority for Tkachyov; he wants to play at home and delight his fans. Therefore, reaching an agreement with him was quite straightforward. The team will be built around him for the next three seasons.”