Spartak strengthen the blue line, Sibir signs duo, Traktor adds Calder Cup champion. Top transfers
Markus Phillips joins SKA, Joey Keane returns to Spartak, Chase Priskie signs with Sibir, and Ty Smith heads to Dinamo Minsk. KHL.ru presents the best moves on the international market for the last week.
Markus Phillips
From Torpedo to SKA
As Igor Larionov moved to St. Petersburg, it was obvious that he brought with himself a few players from his last season in Nizhny Novgorod, and after bringing in his son Igor—and strengthening the defense with Brennan Menell and Trevor Murphy—he also opted to acquire Markus Phillips from Torpedo. The blueliner had a decent first season in the KHL last term, scoring 13 points from the blue line (2 goals, 11 assists) in 58 regular season games. He will give SKA more depth in its defensive core, adding some size and skating ability. And of course, familiarity with Igor Larionov’s system. In the meantime, Torpedo also lost another international player as forward Bobby Lynch signed in Germany.
Noel Hoefenmayer
From Lavar Rocket to HC Sochi
The Black Sea franchise had another interesting signing on the international market, acquiring the defenseman Noel Hoefenmayer, who lined up for the Bakersfield Condors and the Laval Rockets last year. The Ontario native had a very strong junior career, especially in his final OHL season, when he was awarded the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the league’s blueliner of the year. He will bring to the Sochi franchise his excellent skating and solid two-way abilities. He’s the third international player on the team, after Will Bitten, who returns after a strong finish of the last season, and recently signed, forward Jean-Christophe Beaudin.
Joey Keane
From San Jose Barracuda to Spartak
In this case, we have a return—Keane has already lined up for the Red-and-Whites between 2022-2024, playing 108 KHL games where he recorded a solid 35 points (10 goals, 25 assists). The Chicago, Illinois, native returned to North America for the 2025-2026 campaign, where he had two goals and eleven points for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL. Keane, who turned 26 about two weeks ago, is already known to Alexei Zhamnov’s staff, and will play an important role for the Red-and-Whites, who have now three import slots completed, with also Lucas Lockhart and Michal Cajkovsky under contract.
Chase Priskie
From Hershey Bears to Sibir
The Novosibirsk side made two strong signings this week, one being defenseman Chase Priskie from the Hershey Bears of the AHL. The American blueliner had an impressive 12 goals and 35 points in the regular season for the Bears, and brings with himself a solid experience in the AHL and four NHL games with the Florida Panthers. Priskie, 29, had an excellent showing in the 2024 playoffs with Hershey, ending up as the best scorer in the entire league from the blue line, with 14 points in 20 games.
Louis Domingue
From Hartford Wolf Pack to Sibir
After losing forward Andy Andreoff to Swiss side ZSC, Sibir inked a new international player in goalie Louis Domingue, who lined up for the Hartford Wolf Pack last season. Sibir’s new goalie has extensive experience in the NHL, having played more than 150 games in the league for multiple teams, including collecting one appearance with the New York Rangers in the 2024-25 campaign. With Domingue, Sibir will now have a strong option between the piping after Denis Kostin moved to Nizhny Novgorod earlier in the offseason. The Novosibirsk side has still one import spot open after signing Priskie, Domingue, David Farrance, and Scott Wilson.
Ty Smith
From Carolina Hurricanes to Dinamo Minsk
The Belarusians were seeking a capable defenseman to lead their offensive play after the departure of Jordan Gross to Traktor and found a suitable replacement in Ty Smith. The Alberta native was off to a solid start in the NHL after being selected in the first round by the New Jersey Devils, but then failed to repeat himself with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Carolina Hurricanes. Last year, the mobile blueliner played eight games with the Hurricanes, with one goal and one assist, plus 36 matches in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves, scoring an impressive 28 (5+23) points. It’s expected that Ty Smith will play a prominent role for the Dmitry Kvartalnov’s squad in the upcoming 2025-2026 campaign.
Pierrick Dube
From Hershey Bears to Traktor
The Chelyabinsk squad signed yet another player off the Hershey Bears, after Zach Fucale two seasons ago, getting Pierrick Dube, who will be joining Stephane Da Costa as the second Frenchman in the league. The Lyon native comes off a strong season in the AHL with the Bears, scoring 40 (19+21) points in 58 regular season games. In 2024, he helped the Hershey-based franchise lifting the Calder Cup, being tied for second in goals for his team, with seven tallies in his rookie campaign. Dube, 24, is a gifted offensive player who is thought to add creativity and offensive awareness to Traktor, who will have to compensate for the loss of Maxim Shabanov—and Vitaly Kravtsov, who is still an impending free agent to the Chelyabinsk side.
