Shaping up for summer
The countdown for the big return to pre-season on Aug. 1 is well underway. Last week brought new imports from Sweden and the USA, plus a fistful of Russians returning from North America. It also saw announcements of the first pre-season schedules, including details of six summer tournaments.
Summer plans take shape
For most KHL players, the return to pre-season training is still almost a month away. But there are already some dates to ink into the diary. Several clubs have announced their preparation plans ahead of the 2026/2027 campaign – and that means we have some confirmed summer tournaments. The first on the schedule so far is the Minsk Cup, set for Aug. 13-17 in the Belarusian capital. Alongside Dinamo Minsk, Admiral is a confirmed participant. Then the focus switches to Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev hosts the Republic of Bashkortostan Cup from Aug.17-20. Russia’s oldest summer tournament, the Romanzan Memorial in Magnitogorsk, runs Aug. 25-29. It closely coincides with Omsk’s Blinov Cup on Aug. 26-31. And there are tournaments running simultaneously in Moscow (Mayor of Moscow’s Cup) and St. Petersburg (Puchkov Tournament) on Aug. 27-30.
Lokomotiv adds Fiore
Defending champion Lokomotiv saw import forward Byron Froese and Richard Panik leave at the end of the season. One of those slots is now taken by Giovanni Fiore. The Canadian came to the KHL in 2023 with Admiral and moved to Avangard partway through the 2024/2025 season. With the Hawks he twice suffered playoff defeats against the Railwaymen. Following the arrival of Josh Leivo, Avangard is oversubscribed for imports, and combative center Fiore is the one to make way.
Brickey builds Torpedo’s defenses
After losing a handful of defensemen this summer, Torpedo has acquired 27-year-old American Scooter Brickey (Ronald on his birth certificate). He’s big – 193cm, 97kg – but his move to the KHL will represent a significant step up. Previously he spent five seasons in the NCAA and three in the AHL within the Penguins organization. He’s likely to be more of a stay-at-home guy, giving the likes of Bogdan Konyushkov or Robert Nardella the freedom to get forward.
SKA swoops for Swede
Linus Weissbach is the latest Swedish player to come to the KHL – and the pacy winger arrives as a European champion after helping his hometown club Frolunda win last season’s CHL. That was the 28-year-old’s second season back in Gothenburg after eight years in North America. During that time he played for University of Wisconsin, then he three seasons at Buffalo’s farm club. Weissbach’s arrival in Petersburg may owe something to Igor Zakharkin’s Swedish connections. The experienced coach worked in Sweden early in his career and retains good familiarity with that market. He took on an advisory role at SKA last season.
Homeward bound
As well as imports, recent trades brought a handful of Russian players home from North America. Olympic silver medallist Ivan Fedotov might be the highest profile returnee: the 29-year-old goalie is heading to Spartak following a frustrating season with Columbus last term. His Blue Jackets team-mate Yegor Zamula is also coming back: the 26-year-old left Magnitogorsk aged 17 and went on to play 188 games through six NHL seasons but is now joining the CSKA defense. Another D-man, Alexander Alexeyev, is on his way back to Ufa. He played the 2020/2021 season on loan at Salavat Yulaev and did well in his first campaign at the top level. However, on returning to the Capitals he largely played AHL and that continued after a trade to Pittsburgh last summer.
On offense, Zakhar Bardakov returns to SKA after a season with Colorado. The powerful center played 60 games in the NHL, producing 10 points, but never really secured a role on the team. Now he’s looking to rekindle his relationship with SKA head coach Igor Larionov, with whom he worked at the 2021 World Juniors. Another forward, Yegor Afansyev, is going to Avangard. He spent the 2024/2025 season back at CSKA before heading to San Jose for another crack at the NHL. However, he got no further than the Barracuda in the AHL and it seems he might be back in his homeland for the long haul.
