Olympic champion and two-time Gagarin winner on the move

Experience is always in demand, and two of the big movers in the KHL last week share 1,600 games between them. At the other end of their careers, two rising stars could be hot properties in the upcoming NHL draft.

SKA shuffles its forwards

Experienced center Sergei Andronov is off to SKA for the coming season. The 34-year-old, a two-time Gagarin Cup winner with CSKA, signed a two-year deal in Petersburg. Last season he played 79 games with Lokomotiv, contributing 20 (8+12) points as the Railwaymen got to the final. Andronov has 810 KHL games and 191 (105+86) points. Meanwhile, two of SKA’s attacking prospects are heading to Vityaz. Andrei Chivilyov is heading to Balashikha on loan after struggling to secure a regular spot on Roman Rotenberg’s team after his move from Neftekhimik last season. Meanwhile, Dmitry Buchelnikov signed a two-year deal with Vityaz after returning from a successful loan spell at Admiral.

Rodewald sets sail

Admiral added to its offensive options with the addition of Jack Rodewald. The 30-year-old Canadian came to the league in 2022/23 with Kunlun Red Star and moved to Traktor during last season. He helped Chelyabinsk to the playoff semi-finals, putting up 5 (2+3) points in 14 post season games, but was not part of Benoit Grue’s plans. In total, Rodewald has 53 (22+31) points from 125 KHL games. Admiral also acquired Stepan Starkov from SKA.

Yarullin heads home

Veteran defenseman Albert Yarullin is heading back to where it all began. The Ak Bars academy graduate returns to Kazan after three seasons with Traktor. The move also reunited the blue-liner with head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin, who is now behind the bench at Ak Bars after leaving Chelyabinsk during the past season. The 31-year-old brings valuable experience to a team that has lost the likes of Alexander Radulov, Vadim Shipachyov and Dmitry Kvartalnov in the past couple of weeks.

Olympic champion moves to Sibir

Sergei Shirokov, part of the victorious Russian Olympic team in 2018, will spend next season with Sibir. The 38-year-old spent last season with Avtomobilist, where he had 32 (13+19) points in 69 games. In a long KHL career, Shirokov has 811 games, scoring 226 goals and 289 assists.

Silayev, Demidov tipped to go early in draft

Next weekend sees the NHL draft – and two Russian prospects are expected to go in the top 10. Torpedo defenseman Anton Silayev, fresh from an impressive rookie season in the KHL, is rated a potential third pick after leading his team in hits despite only turning 18 after the end of the season. His 11 points in that campaign also beat Vladimir Tarasenko’s record for the most productive season from a U18 player in the KHL era. SKA forward Ivan Demidov has yet to prove himself in the KHL – with six games so far, he’s merely had a taste of the big league. But his explosive scoring to help SKA-1946 win the MHL this season saw him labelled one of the most naturally skilled players in this year’s cohort. Look out for both to be selected early in Friday’s first round.