Football, goalie of the year and the first warm-up games
This week is the last before the KHL’s players return to their clubs. Some have already seen action – Admiral tested its depth in a pre-season game in Minsk, while Alexander Radulov swapped sports as Lokomotiv kicked off its football season in Moscow. Rosters continue to take shape, and a top AHL goalie is on his way for the 2026/2027 season.
Two more imports for Barys
Barys has signed goalie Hunter Shepard as a replacement for Adam Scheel. Shepherd, 30, is a two-time Calder Cup winner in the AHL, lifting the trophy with the Hershey Bears in 2023 and 2024. He was also named goalie of the year in that second trophy-winning campaign. He has 185 career appearances in the AHL, plus six in the NHL for Washington and Ottawa. Shephard will likely compete with home-grown goalie Nikita Boyarkin for the starting role in Astana this season. Barys also acquired American forward Justin Bailey on a one-year deal. The 31-year-old made his NHL debut for his hometown Buffalo Sabres in 2015, going on to play 141 games through eight seasons with the Sabres, Canucks and Sharks. Most of his career (509 games, 319 points) has been in the AHL and this is his first move outside of North America.
Reilly shifts to Spartak
After a solid debut season in the KHL with Shanghai Dragons, defenseman Will Reilly agreed a two-year deal with Spartak. The one-time Penguins prospect had 18 (4+14) points in 64 games with the Dragons last season after coming to the KHL from Motor Ceske Budjovice in the Czech Republic. He becomes the third import D-man with the Muscovites alongside America’s Joey Keane and Slovakia’s Christian Jaros.
Traktor signs sniper
Canadian forward Nathan Legare is heading to Chelyabinsk on a one-year deal. The 25-year-old Montreal native managed a handful on NHL appearances for New Jersey but played the bulk of his career to date in the AHL. Possessed of a good shot, his stats suggest a player with more goals than assists in senior hockey (53 tallies, 39 helpers in his AHL career). Can he compensate for the departed firepower that Josh Leivo brought to the team?
Buteyets loaned to Dragons
Traktor also took back goalie Vyacheslav Buteyets after two seasons in North America. However, the 24-year-old was immediately loaned on to Shanghai Dragons rather than compete for game time behind summer signing Henrik Haukeland and last season’s addition Dmitry Nikolayev. Buteyets emerged through the Traktor system and was drafted by Anaheim. After two seasons within the Ducks organization he managed a fleeting appearance in the NHL and is now back in Russia looking to add to his solitary KHL outing from 2023/2024.
Menell leaves SKA
Defenseman Brennan Menell has agreed to terminate his contract with SKA by mutual consent. The 29-year-old American, who became a Russian dual national during his time at Dynamo Moscow, moved to Petersburg last season and was a regular for Igor Larionov’s team. However, with 17 (8+9) points in 56 regular season games, he had his least productive campaign in the KHL since impressing with Dinamo Minsk back in 2020/2021.
Radulov plays football for Lokomotiv
Last weekend saw the start of the Russian Premier League football season, and Alexander Radulov swapped Yaroslavl for Moscow to join FC Lokomotiv. The three-time Gagarin Cup winner took part in a symbolic kick-off as Loko faced Akhmat Grozny in its season’s opener on Sunday. Radulov’s winning instincts might be a handy inspiration for Lokomotiv’s footballers: despite an early lead, they were held to a 1-1 tie. The club last won the Russian championship in 2018, while its hockey counterpart secured a second successive Gagarin Cup in May.
Pre-season starts
Saturday saw the first warm-up game involving a KHL team this season. Until Aug. 1, clubs cannot use players solely contracted to the first team, so Admiral’s roster for its game at Yunost Minsk was far from familiar. Just five players with league experience featured; of them Artyom Kudashov’s 37 appearances last term made him the most established figure. The game itself saw Oleg Bratash take charge of the Sailors for the first time, and he presided over a 2-0 victory. Admiral dominated the play throughout, but struggled to find a breakthrough until Ilya Morozov’s 58th-minute marker. Rostislav Zinchenko added a second before the hooter.
The big return
Saturday, Aug. 1, is officially the end of the KHL’s summer vacation. That’s the date when clubs can recall their players for medical tests and the start of pre-season camp. It’s also the first time clubs can use their full rosters in warm-up games, although the earliest scheduled fixture is on Aug. 6 when Ak Bars visits its VHL farm club Neftyanik. In July, clubs can still work with two-way players and try-outs, and this week brings a few more warm-up games for experimental rosters. Admiral faces Belarusian opposition again on July 28 (Shakhter Soligorsk) and July 29 (Brest). Also on the 29th, Neftekhimik faces Chelny of the VHL.
