Season preview. Shanghai Dragons: new coach and a new roster

KHL.ru continues its club-by-club preview of the 2025-2026 season. The Chinese franchise made some bold changes before the upcoming campaign.

Last season

Kunlun Red Star won 28 games in the 2024-2025 season under Mikhail Kravets, but that wasn’t enough to make the playoffs — the Dragons’ chances of finishing in the top eight of the conference were lost at the beginning of March.

After that, Kunlun went through an unprecedented overhaul. At first, there wasn’t much news coming from the Chinese club, but the closer the 2025-2026 season approached, the more interesting things became. Moving to St. Petersburg to play at the SKA Arena, rebranding, a change in management, the hiring of Gerard Gallant as head coach, and a completely rebuilt roster — the Shanghai Dragons are beginning a new era.

Recruitment   

Arrivals:

Goalies: Andrei Kareyev (Vityaz), Andrei Tikhomirov (Dinamo Minsk). Defensemen: Jake Bischoff (Henderson, AHL), Alexander Bryntsev (Amur), Jeremie Groleau (Färjestad, Sweden), Will Reilly (Ceske Budejovice, Czechia), Vladislav Valentsov (Vityaz). Forwards: Pavel Akolzin (SKA), Alexander Burmistrov (Dynamo Moscow), Ivan Chekhovich (Vityaz), Vladimir Kuznetsov (Avtomobilist), Nick Merkley (Avtomobilist), Nikita Popugayev (Lada), Gage Quinney (Henderson, AHL), Borna Rendulic (Metallurg), Riley Sutter (Hershey, AHL), Ryan Spooner (Avangard), Nate Sucese (Hartford, AHL).

Retained:

Goalies: Patrik Rybar (new contract), Jeremy Smith. Defensemen: Joseph Duszak (new contract), Adam Clendening (new contract), Doyle Somerby (new contract), Forwards: Jan Drozg (after tryout), Parker Foo, Spencer Foo, Jayden Halbgewachs (after tryout), Semyon Sinyatkin (after tryout), Brandon Yip, Austin Wong.

Departures:

Goalie: Kyle Keyser (Colorado, AHL). Defensemen: Jake Chelios (retired) Alexei Kozhevnikov (Lokomotiv, return from loan), Martin Lefebvre, Ian McCoshen (Barys), Ziyat Paigin, Yuri Pautov, Kyle Wood. Forwards: Colin Campbell, Hudson Elynuik (Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia), Tyler Graovac, Tomas Jurco, Yaroslav Likhachyov (Lokomotiv, return from loan), Lukas Lockhart (Spartak), Danny O’Regan, Kyle Rau, Alexander Sharov (Admiral), Stepan Zvyagin (Dinamo Minsk, return from loan).

Top-3 signings

Gage Quinney
The 30-year-old American spent most of his professional career within the Vegas Golden Knights system. In the 2019-2020 season, the forward debuted with the senior team under Gerard Gallant and then played five productive seasons with the Knights’ affiliate in the AHL. With the Henderson Silver Knights, Quinney not only collected 170 (65+105) points in 217 games, but also earned the role of alternate captain.

Ryan Spooner
Spooner has been playing in the KHL since the 2019-2020 season, having suited up for Dinamo Minsk, Avtomobilist, and Avangard. He has never scored fewer than 30 points in a single KHL season. In 2023-2024, playing for Omsk, he set a personal best with 61 (23+38) points in the regular season and added another 6 (1+5) in the playoffs. Spooner excels at creating offense and carrying the puck into the attacking zone, both at even strength and on the power play.

Alexander Burmistrov
A Gagarin Cup champion with Ak Bars, Alexander Burmistrov can be considered one of the most experienced players on the Shanghai Dragons roster. A skilled forward, strong in the faceoff circle and effective on the penalty kill, he has played nearly 500 KHL games and more than 300 in the NHL.

Coaching

Gerard Gallant signed a two-year contract with the Shanghai Dragons. As a head coach, he spent eight seasons in the NHL and, in 2018, led the expansion team Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in their very first year. Gallant also coached Team Canada, guiding them to gold at the 2021 World Championship.

Gallant is known as a coach who can deliver results in a short period of time. His teams play with aggressive forechecking, lots of movement, and active use of all four lines.

Goalies

In the offseason, the Shanghai Dragons brought in Andrei Kareyev from Vityaz and Andrei Tikhomirov from Dinamo Minsk. The club also extended Patrik Rybar, who joined Kunlun Red Star last season from Spartak after being claimed off waivers.

Defense

New contracts were given to offensive defenseman Joseph Duszak, all-around blueliner Adam Clendening, and stay-at-home shot blocker Doyle Somerby. We’ve already seen these players in action, just like the Russian newcomers to the Dragons — Alexander Bryntsev and Vladislav Valentsov.

Three more defensemen are set to make their KHL debut – American Jake Bischoff and Canadians Jeremie Groleau and Will Reilly. The 31-year-old Bischoff spent the last four seasons with the Henderson Silver Knights, logging 367 AHL games with 110 (27+83) points. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Groleau and 28-year-old Reilly arrive in the KHL with European hockey experience. The big and physical Groleau spent the last two seasons in Sweden’s top league with Farjestad, while right-handed Reilly played in the Czech league — the Dragons brought him in partly to bolster their second power play unit.

Forwards

From Kunlun’s “old guard,” the Foo brothers remain in the attack. Last season, Spencer was named team captain and had his best KHL campaign with 35 (17+18) pointd in 63 games. Parker collected fewer — 15 (6+9) points — though he missed a third of the season.

The Shanghai Dragons made significant upgrades up front. First, proven KHL imports are arriving in St. Petersburg — Ryan Spooner, Nick Merkley, and Borna Rendulic. Second, the club signed Gagarin Cup champions Alexander Burmistrov and Pavel Akolzin. Third, the roster was strengthened with Ivan Chekhovich, who enjoyed a resurgence in Vityaz (12+24 in 47 games), and Nikita Popugayev (13+7 in 38 games for Lada).

Finally, the fresh blood from North America also looks promising — coming over from the AHL are Gage Quinney, Riley Sutter, and Nate Sucese. Last season, Sutter played for Hershey (6+6 in 63 games) and Sucese for Hartford (8+20 in 66 games).

What to expect

Gerard Gallant has said that his first goal with the Shanghai Dragons is to take the team to the playoffs. It’s a modest statement for such an experienced coach with a strong resume, but a realistic one. Reaching the top eight in the West is certainly within the Dragons’ grasp.