Traktor season preview: a new coach and targeted adjustments

Continuing KHL.ru’s club-by-club preview for the 2024-2025 season, today the talk is about Traktor.  Despite a successful playoff run, the Chelyabinsk side decided to change its head coach, made targeted adjustments to their roster, and aims to at least replicate their previous playoff results.

Last season

The story of Traktor last year was a bit of a Cinderella tale. In the early stages, things weren’t going well for the Chelyabinsk side — they were facing two to three losses for every one or two wins. Some of these losses were even against teams that were clearly inferior in terms of skill, like against Sochi (3:4), Lada (1:2, 1:3), Barys (1:2), and Amur (1:3). The situation deteriorated to the point where, after a 0:4 loss to Salavat Yulaev, head coach Anvar Gatiyatulin left the team. Interestingly, at the time of his departure, Chelyabinsk was sixth in the Eastern Conference and eventually finished the regular season in the same position under the leadership of Alexei Zavarukhin.

Under the new coach, the team experienced an emotional uplift and secured several notable victories, but the overall situation did not fundamentally change. However, Traktor truly heated up in the playoffs, making it to the semifinals from a lower seed. In the first round, they eliminated Salavat Yulaev, and in the second round, they swept the best team of the regular season, Dynamo Moscow. After that, whether it was due to exhaustion or a long break, Chelyabinsk was swept 0-4 by Lokomotiv. Nonetheless, the team’s fans were thrilled with the bronze medals, especially given the difficulties faced in the fall.

Roster changes

Arrivals: goalies Vladislav Sukhachyov (Metallurg Novokuznetsk, VHL, trade), Alexei Shchetelin (Rubin, VHL, trade); defense Marsel Ibragimov (CSKA, trade), Sergei Kosovets (HC Sochi), Steven Kampfer (Tucson Roadrunners, AHL); offense Alexander Kadeikin (SKA), Alexei Lipanov (Spartak, trade), Semyon Pankratov (Admiral, trade), Andrei Svetlakov (CSKA), Dylan Sikura (Skelleftea, SWE).

Departures: goalie Vyacheslav Buteyets (Anaheim Ducks, NHL); defense Viktor Antipin (Barys), Alexander Shepelev (Admiral, trade), Albert Yarullin (Ak Bars), Pyotr Yachinsky (Yugra, VHL, trade); offense Anton Burdasov (Barys), Andrei Chibisov, Sergei Kalinin, Jack Rodewald (Admiral), Nikita Soshnikov, Marsel Sholokhov (Yugra, VHL, trade), Yaroslav Yapparov (CSKA, trade).

Top 3 signings

Steven Kampfer

Traktor needed a quality addition on defense, particularly after the departures of Albert Yarullin and Viktor Antipin. The club found this reinforcement in the AHL, in the form of Kampfer, who is already familiar to Russian fans — Steven played quite well for Ak Bars in the 2020-2021 season. His right-handed shot, offensive skills, ability to play on the power play, and versatility (he even played a couple of games as a forward in Kazan) will be very valuable for Traktor this season. However, the American will turn 36 in September, and the demanding fans in Chelyabinsk will likely scrutinize Kampfer closely, especially considering that the club had to let go of Anton Burdasov, one of the team’s leaders in recent years, to sign him.

Andrei Svetlakov

One of the best role players in the league, who won the Gagarin Cup three times with CSKA, has moved to Chelyabinsk. The Muscovites are undergoing a rebuild and has parted ways with several key players, and Traktor made a timely move, winning the battle for Svetlakov against other clubs. In addition to his well-known championship experience, Svetlakov is strong in physical play and also has goal-scoring and playmaking abilities. Moreover, as a center, he performs quite well in faceoffs — an excellent signing for Traktor.

Alexander Kadeikin

The transfers of Svetlakov and Kadeikin have significantly strengthened Traktor’s center position. Considering that both players were in high demand on the market, Traktor's management deserves credit. Kadeikin spent last season with SKA but didn’t stay there for long. In Chelyabinsk, he will likely have more opportunities to showcase his skills and strengths — it’s no wonder he’s considered one of the best Russian centers in the KHL right now.

Coaching

Interestingly, after the team's successful playoff run under Zavarukhin, the club decided to change its head coach and brought in Canadian Benoit Groulx for the position. Groulx led Canada’s junior team to gold at the WJC and has worked with the Tampa Bay Lightning’s farm team, the Syracuse Crunch, since 2016.

Groulx is instilling an attractive, attack-oriented style of hockey in Traktor, which was evident in the preseason games. However, this decision by Traktor’s management could be considered a high-risk gamble: if results won't come, it might not just be the head coach who is shown the door. Groulx is the third coach to lead the team in the past year, following Gatiyatulin and Zavarukhin.

Goalies

This area for Traktor remained stable even during the less successful stretches of last season. Sergei Mylnikov performed well, and Zach Fucale gradually adapted to the league. Fucale became so integral to the team that they “collapsed” in the playoffs against Lokomotiv without him. If Fucale continues to maintain his level and stays injury-free, he could very well contend for the top goalie of the season award.

Defense

The main change on defense is the departure of Yarullin, who was a team leader and even served as captain in several games. Kampfer has been brought in to replace him, especially in the power play. Other than that, Traktor’s defensive losses aren’t too significant: Antipin, Alexander Shepelev, and Pyotr Yasinsky left the team, with the latter two not being regular starters. Sergey Kosovets and Marsel Ibragimov have joined, but they will still have to compete for their spot in the roster.

Offense

The changes here are much more significant. Burdasov’s departure has already been mentioned; in addition to him, the club also lost Nikita Soshnikov, Sergei Kalinin, Jack Rodewald, Andrei Chibisov, and a couple of young players. To bolster the offense, Traktor added muscle with the signings of Svetlakov and Kadeikin, which should address the shortage in the middle. Dylan Sikura has been brought in to fill the role of Burdasov — a skilled forward with a strong shot.

Young players

Groulx is known for his expertise in developing young players, and in Chelyabinsk, he’ll certainly have the right material to work with. First, there are defensemen Alexander Kirpichnikov and Artyom Shchuchinov. Kirpichnikov has been with Traktor for five seasons, but he has yet to establish himself as a regular in the lineup. On the other hand, Shchuchinov, at just 18 years old, made an immediate impact when he joined the team last season.

In the forward lineup, there are Mikhail Goryunov-Rolgizer and Kirill Kadyshev. Goryunov-Rolgizer is in a similar situation to Kirpichnikov, with the difference being that he played 48 games for the club in the 2022-2023 season but only 10 the following year. Kadyshev, on the other hand, has not yet had a real chance to make his mark — five games in the last season hardly count. Additionally, Traktor’s system boasts several other promising names, but Alexander Rykov stands out the most, having already played 31 games for the first team last season at just 19 years old!

What to expect

Traktor’s results will largely depend on how quickly the new head coach adapts. If Groulx can bring more stability to the team’s play compared to previous seasons, the club should have a strong chance of competing for a top-four spot in the Eastern Conference. The playoffs are a different story, but last spring, Traktor demonstrated that they are a tough, playoff-ready team, which is a significant advantage in knockout games.