Season preview. Traktor: recruitment reshuffle and a new push for the cup

KHL.ru continues its series of club-by-club previews ahead of the new season. Last season’s runner-up, Traktor, is hoping a new-look line-up can take it one step further in 2026.

Last season

A year ago Traktor’s management took the bold decision to ditch the head coach who led the team to the playoff semi-finals. As it turned out, Benoit Groulx’s appointment entirely justified itself. He got the team playing attractive, successful hockey and quickly settled among the leaders in the east. Then came a minor slump but in January Chelyabinsk marched back to the top of the standings and battled with Lokomotiv for the Continental Cup. In the end, Traktor could not get ahead of the Railwaymen, but it did secure top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Traktor’s playoff campaign was unusual, not least for the team’s regular comebacks from losing positions. In the first round, Groulx’s team was pushed all the way by Admiral and in this series Traktor produced its most unlikely fightback – down 0-4 going into the third period, the team rallied to win in overtime.

Then came Dinamo Minsk, and more surprises. Despite a crushing 0-8 loss, Traktor did not crumble and advanced to semifinal against Dynamo Moscow. Here, in the first game, Traktor again rallied from 0-2 to win and the comeback kings went on to reach the final. Against Lokomotiv, Groulx’s team took the opening game but that was the end of the run: Loko reeled off the next four to claim the cup.

Recruitment

Arrivals

Goalie: Chris Driedger (Winnipeg, NHL). Defenseman: Jordan Gross (Dinamo Minsk). Forwards: Mikhail Grigorenko (SKA), Pierrick Dube (Hershey, AHL), Yegor Korshkov (Ak Bars), Josh Leivo (Salavat Yulaev), Artemy Nizameyev (Tri-City, USHL), Andrei Nikonov (HC Sochi).

Departures

Goalies: Vladislav Sukhachyov (Ugra, VHL), Zach Fucale (Dinamo Minsk). Defensemen:  Artyom Blazhievsky (Avangard), Steven Kampfer (retired), Ilya Nikolayev (HC Sochi). Forwards: Michael Vecchione (Barys), Matvei Guskov (HC Sochi, via Severstal), Nikita Korostelyov (Spartak), Vitaly Kravtsov (Vancouver, NHL), Yegor Popov (Admiral), Denis Pochivalov (Avangard, via Severstal), Charles Robinson, Ostap Safin, Vladimir Tkachyov (Sibir), Maxim Shabanov (Islanders, NHL).

Top 3 signings

Josh Leivo

Last season’s leader in goals and points, with a record-breaking 49 regular-season snipes and a Golden Stick award, Leivo was the brightest diamond to shine on this summer’s transfer market. Everyone knows what the Canadian can do: a great shot, a flair for goals and a capacity for the unexpected. True, there are some flaws: last season it wasn’t unusual to see Leivo getting into conversation with the officials, and his performance for Salavat Yulaev was a touch weaker in the playoffs than in the regular season. Nonetheless, this is clearly the biggest signing for Traktor this summer.

Mikhail Grigorenko

Another excellent goalscorer in Groulx’s pack, Grigorenko has title-winning experience, knows how to deal with pressure and brings his best in every situation. His final season at SKA was a little uneven, but his quality remains apparent. If the coaching staff can create the right set-up for him and integrate him onto the power play, fans in Chelyabinsk could enjoy the sight of prime Grigorenko.

Jordan Gross

After Steven Kampfer hung them up, Traktor needed a quality attacking defensemen to run the power play, and the club found him Jordan Gross. He played his first KHL season with Dinamo Minsk last term and had 42 (7+35) points in 77 games.

Coaching

This will be Benoit Groulx’s second season in charge of Traktor. His debut went wonderfully, despite the skepticism that accompanied his appointment. However, he showed his qualities and got to the final in his first season in a new league and new country. Nonetheless, he and his coaching staff have plenty of work to do to ensure that their new signings perform as well as the players leaving the team. And for Groulx himself it’s fair to say that anything short of a return to the final would be a disappointment.

Goaltending

One of the motors behind last season’s success, goalie Zach Fucale, left the club in the summer. His replacement is Chris Driedger, meaning much depends on how quickly another import can adapt to the KHL. Fucale offers a positive example, but that’s counterbalanced by Hunter Miska’s struggles last season when he struggled to settle at Dynamo Moscow. Sergei Mylnikov plays the back-up role again and he looked the part whenever he was called upon last season.

Defensemen

In numerical terms, Traktor lost out on defense. Three players left, and only Gross arrived. Aside from Kampfer’s retirement, the departure of Artyom Bazhievsky, previously an important player, catches the eye. Right now, Groulx has six defensemen available and he may be happy without adding to that – North American coaches are known to be comfortable going into games with three pairs. And it’s always possible to promote someone from within the club to cover for injuries or suspensions.

Forwards

Here too, things are very interesting. Last season’s offensive leaders, Maxim Shabanov and Vitaly Kravtsov, both left the club. From the outside it would appear that Leivo and Grigorenko are direct replacements for Shabanov and Kravtsov, but it’s unclear how quickly they can adapt to a new environment. Other newcomers include Pierrick Dube and Yegor Korshkov, who will clearly find it difficult to deliver from day one. In addition, Traktor also lost Charles Robinson and Vladimir Tkachyov: the former was a big contributor in the playoffs and the latter was club captain, although from time-to-time he found himself playing in the bottom six. It will be fascinating to see how Traktor copes with its losses with its current resources.

Prospects

As for juniors, last season saw decent contributions from Arseny Koromyslov, Mikhail Goryunov-Rolgizer and Alexander Rykov. All three can probably regard themselves as part of the first team. Of those who have yet to get much game time, defensemen Dominik Mikanovich and Alexei Rykmanov could make a breakthrough, as could forward Stepan Gorbunov. It’s entirely possible these guys will progress with more ice time.

What to expect this season

On paper, Traktor’s current roster does not appear much weaker than last year’s, which means that the targets should be the same – leadership in the east and a serious bid for the cup. The big question is how Groulx can integrate all his stellar newcomers into the team. However, there is still time before the deadline and, if the coach feels that not everyone is up to speed, we could see further trading. We don’t need to look far for examples: several trades throughout last season helped Traktor get out of a small slump at the start of winter.