KHL goes Dutch, legend bids farewell
Metallurg celebrated the career of one its biggest stars at the weekend, while CSKA signed the league’s first ever player from the Netherlands. And, amid all that, we saw our first pre-season action of 2025.
Koshechkin’s big day
Legendary goalie Vasily Koshechkin, who ended his playing career in 2023, was back on the ice for a special occasion in Magnitogorsk on Saturday. A star-studded line-up included fellow goaltending greats Alexander Yeryomenko and Igor Shestyorkin, plus team-mates from Magnitka’s Gagarin Cup-winning squad Sergei Mozyakin and Danis Zaripov.
The game, like most exhibition games, was a high-scoring affair. That’s not always ideal for a goalie, so Koshechkin took the opportunity to show off his skating skills as well. He played as a forward in the second period, and even scored on Yeryomenko in the midst of a 9-9 tie. With his playing career officially over, Koshechkin remains a key part of Metallurg’s system: the Olympic and World Champion is now overseeing goalie development throughout the organization, sharing his elite experience with the next generation.
Father & Son
The first period of Koshechkin’s farewell game saw him face a familiar opponent in the opposition net – his son, Maxim Mayorov, who is currently with Lokomotiv. “I wanted to play against my son in an official game for a long time,” he said afterwards. “Finally, I got to do it in my farewell game. It’s special to see my boy as a pro hockey player. He’s getting better and I still want to compete with him.” For his part, Mayorov, 21, is just starting his KHL career – making two appearances for Lokomotiv last season. After he got the better of his father in the first period of the farewell game, he said: “I’m an active player and Dad’s already retired, so that’s probably how we got to that score. It’s a long time since he put on the uniform. But I’m very grateful to my dad, and proud of his great hockey career.”
CSKA signs flying Dutchman
The KHL has a new country among its playing staff – Daniel Sprong, born in Amsterdam, is the first Dutch player to feature in the league. But while the Netherlands has a rather modest hockey tradition, CSKA’s new forward has plenty to recommend him. Sprong moved Canada early in his career and played nine seasons in the NHL. His best years came with Seattle (46 points in 2022/2023) then Detroit (43 points the following year). His impressive shot brought in 166 points, although coaches have offered concerns about his defensive game. That could make for some interesting discussions with ultra-disciplined CSKA coach Igor Nikitin, but if the Muscovites can harness Sprong’s electric wing play he could be a big hit.
Hawks refresh D-corps
Avangard signed up two new defensemen from the AHL. Max Lajoie is well-known to Guy Boucher, who entrusted the 27-year-old with a full season in the NHL when the two were together at Ottawa. The two were also on the same team in Toronto for a time. In addition, Lajoie played on the Chicago Wolves Calder Cup winning team alongside Josh Leivo, now setting scoring records for Salavat Yulaev. While Lajoie is a two-way defenseman, Joseph Cecconi is more of a stay-at-home type. The 28-year-old American is a solidly-built right-hander with World Junior gold on his resume but he never cracked the NHL.
Blacker back to Yekaterinburg
For Avangard to bring in those two defensemen, the Hawks had to spring a surprise. Jesse Blacker, who signed for Omsk at the start of the summer, left the club without attending a single practice and duly returned to Avtomobilist. Having played the previous four seasons in Yekaterinburg, he signed up for two more – and following the departures of Nick Ebert and Darren Dietz, his two-way skills are even more in demand in the Urals.
Neftekhimik wins first warm-up game
Sunday brought the first pre-season action of the summer, with Neftekhimik facing Chelny of the VHL. The Wolves had to rely on a roster of players on two-way or try-out contracts, due to KHL rules, but eased to a 3-0 victory over their Tatarstan rival. Defenseman Timur Khairullin opened the scoring with a power play goal in the second period, then Sevastyan Sokolov doubled the lead in the 29th minute. Matvei Nadvorny’s empty-netter wrapped up the win.
Summer tournament schedule set
After that opening warm-up game in Nizhnekamsk, the next action is scheduled for Aug. 6 when Dinamo Minsk and Ak Bars play their first games. But, as always, the main focus is on the pre-season tournaments. These start in Belarus with the Minsk Cup (Aug. 11-17, featuring Dinamo Minsk, Admiral, Lada and Metallurg). Then Omsk will stage the Blinov Cup from Aug. 20-25, with Avangard, Sibir, Lokomotiv, Neftekhimik and Severstal. After that, the pace picks up. Chelyabinsk (Aug. 25-29, Traktor, Lada, Amur, Sochi) and Magnitogorsk (Aug. 26-29, Metallurg’s opponents to be confirmed) run competitions at the same time, while the three-team Puchkov Tournament brings Ak Bars and Avtomobilist to St. Petersburg to face SKA from Aug. 25-27. The traditional end to the tournament schedule is the Mayor of Moscow Cup (Aug. 28-31, featuring Dynamo Moscow, Spartak, CSKA, Torpedo, Dinamo Minsk and Kunlun Red Star).
