KHL press office
exclusive for khl.ru
Season preview: Barys. Kravets’ second season and targeted reinforcements
KHL.ru looks at the state of the League’s clubs as they prepare to start the new season. Barys have made no major changes this summer, which could help the team put together more consistent performances and achieve a better result.
Last Season
January was the key stretch of the season for Barys. The team lost ten of eleven games, despite having generally enjoyed a solid campaign up to that point and occasionally even taking down some of the top teams: they recorded wins over Lokomotiv (4:0), Avangard (6:2) and Dynamo Moscow (5:2, 4:2). That major January slump had a significant impact on Barys’ chances of competing for a playoff spot, leaving them with an uphill battle.
In the end, the Kazakhstan franchise failed to make the Gagarin Cup playoffs, but there was still some progress, both in their final position in the regular-season standings (18th overall) and in the number of wins (21) and goals scored (154, 55 more than the previous season).
Recruitment
Arrivals:
Goalie: Hunter Shepard (Montreal, NHL). Defensemen: Logan Day (Traktor), Chase Priskie (Sibir). Forwards: Justin Bailey (San Diego, AHL), Garrett Pilon (Ottawa, NHL), Arkady Shestakov (Admiral).
Departures:
Goalies: Nikita Boyarkin (Admiral), Artyom Shestakov, Adam Scheel (Löwen Frankfurt, Germany). Defensemen: Dmitry Breus (Torpedo, returned from loan), Tamirlan Gaitamirov, Riley Walsh (Montreal, NHL), Mstislav Shipilin. Forwards: Michael Vecchione (Torpedo), Emil Galimov, Vyacheslav Kolesnikov, Maxim Mukhametov, Roman Starchenko (retired), Max Willman.
Top 3 Signings
Day spent his entire KHL career with Traktor, and in the 2025-2026 season he led the League in blocked shots, with 213 in 71 games. That figure shows his ability to read the play, get into the right position and block shooting lanes. Day is also solid in physical play and can contribute offensively when needed. The two-way defenseman should be a good fit in Astana.
Priskie, who joined Barys from Sibir, is more offensively minded. He was trusted with power-play duties in Novosibirsk, and it is quite possible that he will also feature on one of Barys’ power-play units. Last season was his KHL debut and proved to be a very good one, as he recorded 24 (4+20) points in 55 games. He is also well-rounded defensively and reads the game well.
The prodigal son returns. Before spending two seasons with Admiral, Shestakov played for Barys for five seasons, making the playoffs with the club three times. So the Astana management knows exactly what he can bring. He is a solid bottom-six forward who can score, set up teammates and get under opponents’ skin. Will Shestakov’s return to Astana prove successful?
Coaching
The upcoming season will be Mikhail Kravets’ second at the helm of Barys. Last season, he and his team earned 39.71% of the available points, which was a respectable figure for the Astana club. The main task for the coaching staff, and Kravets in particular, will be to make the team more consistent, as only then can Barys become a genuine playoff contender. Kravets has experience working with mid-table teams, too: in 2020, for example, he led Vityaz to the Gagarin Cup playoffs.
Goalies
Barys struggled in this area last season, starting with Nikita Boyarkin’s serious injury and ending with Olivier Rodrigue, who never made a single appearance for the team. Despite that, the position looked fairly solid thanks to Adam Scheel and Andrei Shutov. This offseason, the club opted to rebuild its goaltending corps, signing Hunter Shepard to partner Shutov, while Scheel, Boyarkin, and Artyom Shestakov left the team. Much will depend on Shepard’s adaptation, as the KHL has seen international goalies produce very different results, from the quality play of Zach Fucale to the decidedly underwhelming performances of Chris Driedger and Spencer Martin.
Defense
Barys managed to retain several key players here, while adding targeted reinforcements in Day and Priskie. Most notably, Jake Massie re-signed with the club. Last season, he led Barys in blocked shots, ranked second on the team in ice time and added 25 (8+17) points in 67 games. Ian McCoshen also signed a new contract, while Barys have a number of Kazakh defensemen on the roster; Adil Beketayev and Samat Daniyar both looked quite good last season.
Forwards
Barys suffered their biggest losses up front compared with last season, most notably with the departures of Max Willman and Michael Vecchione. Justin Bailey and Garrett Pilon are expected to replace them, but once again, adaptation will be key: how quickly can these imports, who have never played outside North America, reach their full potential? Mason Morelli and Tyce Thompson remain with the team after having very solid KHL debut seasons.
Youngsters
Barys have several young players worth keeping an eye on. On defense, there is Beibarys Orazov. His ice time and number of appearances decreased last season compared with the previous campaign, but he has serious potential. Among the forwards, Semyon Simonov and Vsevolod Logvin became regulars under Kravets, playing 63 and 59 games respectively in the 2025-2026 campaign. If they continue to enjoy the coach’s trust, their offensive numbers could rise significantly in the upcoming campaign. Kirill Lyapunov made 21 appearances in the last regular season and is now ready to establish himself as a full-time first-team player.
Expectations
Barys avoided a major rebuild this summer, focusing instead on targeted additions while retaining some of last season’s key players. There was also no coaching change, something that has accompanied the club almost every offseason in recent years. This gives the Astana franchise a somewhat better chance of making the playoffs, but ultimately everything will depend on how consistent they can be throughout the upcoming regular season.
