Lada’s second season after returning to the KHL could not live up to the success of its first. In 2023/2024, the Motormen won 32 games and made the playoffs with a seventh-placed finish in the East; this time, Lada managed just 22 victories and was out of contention a couple of weeks before the end of the regular season. In mitigation, Lada lost two key figures during the season – head coach Oleg Bratash and leading goalie Vladislav Podyapolsky. This was clearly a big blow for the team.
Nikita Mikhailov made his KHL debut back in 2018/2019, but since then he never really established himself in Novosibirsk, Sochi or Omsk. This term, though, he not only matched his best goal return (13) but smashed his PB for points – 36 in total, 11 more than his rookie campaign. Towards the end of the season, the 27-year-old celebrated his first hat-trick in the KHL.
Experienced forward Kugryshev seems to have found his place at Lada – this was the second season in a row he had 30+ points in the regular season. In 2024/2025, Kugryshev had 34 (13+21) points, second in team scoring. In addition, he twice got the winner in post-game shoot-outs.
Sharakanov came to Lada on loan from Dynamo Moscow, looking to gain experience in his first full KHL season. And the 20-year-old exceeded all expectations, even if his plus/minus rating was -6. The blue liner was a big feature of the Lada offense, contributing 22 (6+16) points. His lacrosse goal against his parent club Dynamo was one of the highlights of the season.
Oleg Bratash started the season behind the bench for Lada. The team won eight of his 24 games in change. After the coach parted ways with the team, Pavel Zubov was appointed on an interim basis, finally getting the gig permanently in February. Zubov had 12 wins in 44 games.
Even after dropping out of playoff contention, Lada still managed to influence the race for the top eight. On March 16, Neftekhimik came to town looking to preserve its post-season hopes. It seemed like a slam-dunk for the visitor against a host with nothing to play for, but the outcome was exactly the opposite – Lada powered to an emphatic 7-1 victory. And that despite being outshot 32-25; the Motormen were ruthless in finishing their chances on the day. Dmitry Kugryshev had 3 points, Anthony Camara potted two goals and Alexander Trushkov made 31 saves.
The best U23 player at Lada this season, as mentioned above, was Sharakanov. But the defenseman, loaned from Dynamo Moscow, wasn’t the only promising prospect. Defenseman Yegor Morozov is worth a mention: the 22-year-old played 27 games, averaged 12:03 on the ice and had 3 (1+2) points and a +1 rating. Fellow D-man Karim Vafin also took a step towards the KHL. He only had eight games in the first team, but was a regular in the second-tier VHL with 41 games for VVS Samara.
Three forwards looked handy: Alexander Volkov (34 games, 7+6), Yegor Chrenikov (38 games, 8+4) and Alexander Gosudarev (28 games, 2+3). But Volkov and Chernikov will play elsewhere next season, and only Gosudarev, a leader in the juniors, remains within the Togliatti organization.
Lada’s management has changed and Boris Mironov has arrived as the new head coach. As for the playing staff, Mikhailov and Kugryshev have already signed new contracts in Togliatti, as have Artyom Manukyan, Danil Yurtaikin and Evgeny Kalabushkin. Among the new arrivals, goalie Ivan Bocharov (ex Torpedo) and forward Vyacheslav Osnovin (ex Admiral) are well-known in the KHL. Canadian defenseman Alex Cotton, 24, signed on Saturday from Slovakia’s HK Nitra promises to be an intriguing newcomer. In addition Daniil Bashkirov and Ilya Reingardt join Lada from Avangard, while defenseman Igor Safaonov and forward Daniil Anop are stepping up from the VHL.