3x3 finalists set, Vityaz drops out
The on-going KHL 3x3 Championship is approaching the final stages. The six teams to go to the playoffs were confirmed at the weekend and the big showdown is coming up in Moscow next month. Elsewhere, Vityaz announced it is withdrawing from competition and a young goalie makes waves at the NHL draft.
Ak Bars leads way in new tourney
The KHL 3x3 Championship – the world’s first pro tournament in a fast and exciting new form of hockey – has reached the end of the group stage. Since December 2024, eight clubs have contested 24 rounds of 3x3 action to secure qualification for next month’s Superfinal. At the end of the regular season, Ak Bars leads the way with 116 points to top the Winline Division. That’s 21 points better than Fonbet Division leader Metallurg. Traktor, Dinamo, Avangard and Salavat Yulaev complete the playoff picture, with Sibir and Barys missing out this year.
The final runs July 6-12 at Moscow’s CSKA Arena. The six teams will go through a group phase, then the final four will contest the title on July 12.
Sibir snaps up Wilson
When Scott Wilson scored 6 (3+3) points in a single game for Salavat Yulaev against Sibir in this year’s playoffs, he clearly captured someone’s imagination in Novosibirsk. Now he’s a Sibir player, brought in following the departure of Taylor Beck to add firepower to the offense. His KHL career has been somewhat mixed: at Vityaz he was prolific, at Metallurg he struggled, then at Salavat Yulaev he was strong in a support role behind the team’s leaders.
Double scoop for Avangard
Guy Boucher’s Avangard is looking for more after losing to Lokomotiv in the playoffs. As the roster is rebuilt, the Hawks have brought back Slava Voynov from Torpedo to bolster a defense that found itself exposed in post season. And, on offense, the prized signature of Dmitry Rashevsky can add teeth to a forward line that will continue without the prolific Reid Boucher. At Dynamo, 24-year-old Rashevsky made a big impact in his first full season in 2021/2022 (35 points in 48 regular season games). His career total is now 174 (91+83) points in 302 games, including 20+24 in 2024/2025.
Admiral gets Canadian forward
Kyle Olson, 26, is on his way to Vladivostok after agreeing terms with Admiral. As a teen, he was part of Canada’s 2017 U18 World Championship roster and was then drafted by Anaheim. However, the peak of his career in North America with three seasons in the AHL with the Penguins. Last season was the most productive in his senior career, with 54 points in 50 games for Zvolen in Slovakia.
Huska returns to KHL
Slovak goalie Adam Huska is back in the KHL after signing a one-year deal with Admiral. Previously, Huska played two seasons for Torpedo: 74 games, 34 wins, stopping 91.3% of shots for a GAA of 2.57. Last term he played just 13 games for a struggling Lugano team in Switzerland, but still made Slovakia’s World Championship roster.
Misyul back at Lokomotiv
Gagarin Cup winner Lokomotiv welcomes back one of its home-grown talents. Daniil Misyul crossed the Atlantic two years ago but spent the bulk of his time in the AHL. He made just one appearance in the big league for New Jersey before he was traded to the Bruins. Now 24, he could be a natural replacement for the departed Dmitry Simashev, regarded as one of the brightest prospects to emerge from Yaroslavl in recent seasons. The champion also extended contracts with forwards Byron Froese and Yegor Surin from last season’s winning team.
CSKA goalie leads NHL draft cohort
Goaltending prospect Pyotr Andreyanov was the only Russian player selected in the first round of the 2025 NHL draft in Los Angeles. The 18-year-old netminder, who is part of the CSKA system, was selected at #20 by Columbus Blue Jackets. Andreyanov was an unused back-up for three KHL games last season but has yet to get on the ice for the first team.
The second round saw Montreal take forward Alexander Zharovsky (#34). The forward made his KHL debut with Salavat Yulaev in last season’s playoffs, playing seven games. Center Ivan Ryabkin, who played twice for Dynamo Moscow, was taken by Carolina at #64. Other notable names in the draft include Yegor Borikov, who had 78 games for Dinamo Minsk last season, including seven goals in 11 playoff appearances. The 19-year-old winger was taken at #110 by Utah Mammoths. And Magnitogorsk defenseman Artyom Gonchar, nephew of legendary blue liner Sergei Gonchar, was picked by the Rangers in the third round.
Vityaz drops out
Vityaz will not compete in the KHL until 2030. Last Tuesday, the Balashikha-based club informed the league that it would be unable to play in the upcoming 2025/2026 campaign. Following this news, an extraordinary meeting of the board of directors confirmed that the club would be excluded from KHL competition for 2025/2026 to 2029/2030. The juniors will sit out next season’s JHL campaign. In addition, all players currently contracted to the club will become unrestricted free agents if their rights are not traded to another club by July 15, 2025. Vityaz played in the KHL from the inaugural season. It reached the playoffs on four occasions but never got beyond the first round.
Assets traded away from Balashikha
In response to the club’s demise, several players have already moved on. Canadian defenseman Dean Stewart is off to Salavat Yulaev, goalie Maxim Dorozhko and forward Matvei Zaseda are moving to Amur and Vladislav Tsitsyura was snapped up by Severstal. In addition, Spartak secured the KHL rights to Ivan Vorobyov and Stanislav Yarovoi.
