Traktor signs top goalie, Comtois moves to Spartak. Top transfers
Henrik Haukeland gives Traktor a new No.1 in goal, Maxime Comtois begins a new chapter with Spartak, the Shanghai Dragons continue to add North American talent ahead of their second season, and Ty Smith commits his long-term future to Dinamo Minsk with a three-year extension.
Gage Quinney, F
From the Shanghai Dragons to HC Sochi
Quinney joins Sochi after a productive first KHL campaign with the Shanghai Dragons. The American center recorded 32 (11+21) points in 67 regular-season games, finishing among the club’s top scorers and spending much of the season in a top-six role. He also made an immediate impact after arriving in the league, scoring twice in Shanghai’s historic first victory under its new identity, a memorable 7:4 upset of SKA early in the season.
Before moving to the KHL, Quinney established himself as one of the most consistent forwards in the AHL. The 30-year-old amassed 280 points (114 goals, 166 assists) in 383 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Chicago, and Henderson, while adding 11 points in 26 Calder Cup Playoff appearances. His best season came in 2022-2023, when he posted 64 (25+39) points in 66 games for the Henderson Silver Knights, and he remains the franchise’s all-time leader in both goals and points. Quinney also appeared in three NHL contests with the Vegas Golden Knights.
With his combination of professional experience, offensive production, and versatility down the middle, Quinney gives Sochi a proven scorer capable of playing in all situations and providing valuable leadership to a young roster.
Brett Murray, F
From Nurnberg (German DEL) to the Shanghai Dragons
The Shanghai Dragons add size, strength, and proven North American experience with the signing of Brett Murray. Standing 195 cm tall and weighing 103 kg, the Canadian forward is a classic power winger who does his best work around the crease and along the boards.
Murray arrives in the KHL after a strong season with Nüurnberg in the DEL, where he recorded 33 (17+16) points in 38 regular-season games. Before moving to Europe, he spent six seasons with the Rochester Americans in the AHL, compiling more than 200 points and establishing himself as one of the club’s most dependable offensive players. His best AHL campaigns came in 2022-2023 and 2024-2025, when he produced 49 points in each season, including a career-high 27 goals in 2024-2025.
Originally selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Murray appeared in 26 NHL games and collected 6 (2+4) points. Earlier in his career, he was one of the most dominant scorers in the USHL, leading the league with 41 goals in 2018-2019 while adding 76 points and earning First All-Star Team honors.
Still only 27, Murray arrives in Shanghai with a reputation as a net-front presence and power-play weapon. Given his combination of size, scoring touch, and professional experience, he has the potential to become one of the Dragons’ most impactful forwards immediately.
Henrik Haukeland
From Straubing Tigers (German DEL) to Traktor
Henrik Haukeland joins Traktor after a standout international season and a strong DEL campaign with Straubing Tigers, arriving as the club’s clear solution in goal following inconsistency between the pipes last year.
The 31-year-old posted elite numbers at the 2026 World Championship: 8 games played, 7–1 record, 1.74 GAA and .938 save percentage, along with 211 saves on 225 shots. He was named Best Goaltender of the tournament and backstopped Norway to a historic bronze medal — the country’s first ever at the World Championship level.
At club level in 2025/26, Haukeland appeared in 40+ games for Straubing in the DEL, maintaining starter workload status after previously winning DEL Goaltender of the Year in 2022-2023.
Norwegian goaltenders remain a rarity in the KHL. Before Haukeland, Lars Haugen played 84 KHL games for Dinamo Minsk between 2011 and 2015, posting a 2.30 GAA, .921 save percentage, 35 wins and 7 shutouts, and helping establish Norway’s early footprint in the league.
Haukeland now becomes the latest Norwegian to enter that small group, but arrives with a much stronger résumé and recent top-tier international form, giving Traktor a proven No.1 option after last season’s struggles in net.
David Chen
From Yale University (NCAA) to the Shanghai Dragons
David Chen departs Yale University after a strong senior season and joins the Shanghai Dragons, marking a rare direct move from NCAA hockey to the KHL.
The American-Chinese forward served as Yale’s captain in 2025-2026, producing 24 (7+17) points in 31 games while leading the team in scoring. Over his NCAA career, Chen appeared in 111 games, recording 74 points (approx. 0.67 points per game), developing into a reliable top-six forward and special teams’ contributor.
In his final collegiate season, he also registered 2 game-winning goals and averaged nearly 19 minutes of ice time per game, underlining his all-situations role for the Bulldogs. Across his junior and senior years, he was a consistent secondary scorer, including a 18-point sophomore campaign and a 20-point junior season, while earning All-Ivy recognition and academic honors.
For Shanghai, the signing fits a broader vision that also ties into the club’s “legacy” as a Chinese-rooted project: an American-born player with Chinese heritage entering the KHL stage, bringing leadership, discipline, and NCAA-tested reliability rather than high-end offensive production.
Ty Smith, D
New contract with Dinamo Minsk (3 years)
Ty Smith has signed a new three-year contract extension with Dinamo Minsk, securing his place as one of the club’s key offensive defensemen long-term. The 26-year-old Canadian blue-liner enjoyed a standout 2025-2026 campaign in his first full KHL season, posting 50 (5+45) points in 76 games, making him Minsk’s top-scoring defenseman and one of the most productive rearguards in the league. He also finished the season with a plus-17 rating.
Originally selected 17th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2018 NHL Draft, Smith brings significant North American pedigree, including NHL experience with the Devils, Penguins, and Hurricanes, as well as a strong early-career reputation as a high-end puck-moving defenseman.
Across his North American professional career, he appeared in 150+ NHL games and spent additional time in the AHL, where his offensive instincts from the blue line were consistently evident. Now locked in through 2028-2029, Smith remains a central piece of Dinamo Minsk’s defense corps as the club continues to build around mobile, play-driving puck movers on the back end.
Maxime Comtois, F
From Dynamo Moscow to Spartak
Maxime Comtois moves from Dynamo Moscow to Spartak on a one-year deal, entering his third KHL season. The 27-year-old Canadian forward spent the 2025-2026 campaign with the Blue-and-Whites, where he produced 34 (19+15) points in 54 regular-season games, playing a middle-six role and adding physical presence on the wing. It followed a solid first year in the league in 2024-2025, when he adjusted to the KHL pace and posted 50 (21+29) points across the regular season.
Before signing with Spartak, Comtois’ KHL rights were traded from Dynamo Moscow in exchange for the rights to Nikita Korostelyov, clearing the way for his move as a free agent to the capital rival.
Originally a second-round pick (50th overall) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2017 NHL Draft, Comtois brings NHL experience (190+ games) and several seasons of AHL play, where he developed into a power forward capable of driving play off the cycle. Now, he will try to physically drive the Red-and-Whites after an unsatisfactory 2025-2026 campaign.
