World Championship star for Traktor
The highest-profile new import of the summer so far is here – and he’s heading to Chelyabinsk to try to fix Traktor’s goaltending problem. Lokomotiv says farewell to a long-serving two-time champion, and a Torpedo prospect is chosen in the first round of the NHL draft.
Haukeland heads to Traktor
Norwegian goalie Henrik Haukeland is on his way to the KHL after backstopping his country to a first ever World Championship medal last month. The 31-year-old was named goalie of the tournament by the IIHF after helping Norway to bronze in Zurich. Haukeland is moving to Traktor after spending the last five seasons in Germany. He also played in Sweden as well as his homeland. The netminder agreed a two-year term in Chelyabinsk.
Severstal extends Liska
Slovak forward Adam Liska is staying in Cherepovets for another year. Severstal’s captain signed an extension to his contract last week. Last season he played 50 games for the Lynx, scoring 38 (22+16) points. His career tally is 183 (83+100) points in 459 games since making his KHL debut with Slovan Bratislava in 2018/2019.
Dynamo adds two
Defenseman Sergei Zborovsky and forward Andrei Nikonov joined Dynamo Moscow last week. Zborovsky spent last season at Avtomobilist and was initially traded to Torpedo in a deal that saw forward Nikita Artamonov and defenseman Andrei Salnikov going the other way. However, the 29-year-old was immediately traded on to Dynamo. Nikonov, 23, is heading back to the club where he made his KHL breakthrough. After an early taste of the league with Torpedo, he played 55 games for the Muscovites in 2022/2023. Later he had a season at Sochi before moving to Traktor last term. He signed a two-year deal with the Blue-and-Whites.
Long-serving Lokomotiv forward leaves
After 699 games for the club, forward Pavel Kraskovsky is leaving Lokomotiv. He made his debut for the Railwaymen in 2013/14 and went on to win two Gagarin Cup in Yaroslavl. However, that long era is at an end and he will play for Torpedo next season. Another forward, Stepan Nikulin, joins Sibir after 237 games for Loko. However, he was used sparingly last season, and it was little surprise that the club chose not to match the offer for the 25-year-old. The Railwaymen also parted company with Yaroslav Likhachyov. The 24-year-old joined Amur on a permanent basis after two successful loan spells in Khabarovsk.
Pugachyov leads draft picks
Torpedo’s Gleb Pugachyov was taken by Montreal in the first round of the NHL draft at the weekend. The 18-year-old power forward made his KHL debut this season, playing 13 games for Torpedo and contributed 3 (2+1) points. He got his first goal in the league on Jan. 14 against Lokomotiv, then potted the winner in a 1-0 verdict at Spartak three days later. Clubmate Viktor Fyodorov was selected in the fourth round by Seattle. He too had 13 games in the KHL last season with 4 (1+3) points.
In the second round, Ufa-based Nikita Shcherbakov (defenseman, seven KHL games for Salavat Yulaev) and forward Alan Shaykhlislamov (one game) were chosen by New Jersey and Calgary respectively. New Jersey also picked up Avtomobilist forward Lavr Gashilov in the fourth round. He made three KHL appearances and led the Junior Hockey League in assists last season. Traktor defenseman Yaroslavl Fedoseyev, who potted his first KHL goal during his nine appearances last term, was picked by Toronto in round six.
In the final round, CSKA defenseman Ivan Patrikhayev was taken by New York Rangers. Aged 20, it’s perhaps surprising that Patrikhayev had not been chosen earlier. However, a full season in the league (66 regular season games, 20 points, plus 10 playoff outings) persuaded the Rangers to look at an older draft-eligible player. Another defenseman, Alexander Ivanov of Ak Bars, also went in round seven. He was selected by Chicago after making his KHL debut this term.
Inspired by Radulov
Many have likened Pugachyov to KHL legend Alexander Radulov, who recently won his third Gagarin Cup at the age of 39. And the Torpedo prospect is happy with the comparison. Speaking exclusively to KHL.ru earlier this season he said: “[Radulov] is one of my favorite players. I’ve been watching him since I was a kid. He’s also big, he’s a strong character. He really lives the game, even aged 39, and gives it everything. I played against him in our games with Lokomotiv. After the games we congratulated each other, but at the time he was wild.” Pugachyov also picked out Valery Nichushkin, Alexander Barkov and Auston Matthews as influences – each one a power forward with good mobility and shooting.
