Season preview: Shanghai Dragons. Ambitious management and playoff target

KHL.ru continues its club-by-club preview of the 2026/2027 season. Shanghai Dragons are starting from ground zero after an almost total rebuild over the summer.

Last season

After moving to St. Petersburg and changing the team’s name barely a month before the start of the season, the new-look Dragons started strongly. Under Gerard Gallant the team found itself in the top four of the Western Conference, briefly rising as high as second. But before long, the almost complete absence of pre-season preparations took a toll. A team that came together just two weeks before the opening game could not maintain that form. The slump saw the Dragons drop out of the playoff zone in December and Gallant left the club the following month. He was replaced by Mitch Love, who was unable to climb the standings. Shanghai finished 16 points adrift of a playoff spot.

Recruitment

Arrivals: 

Goalies: Vyacheslav Butseyets (Traktor, loan), Amir Miftakhov (Chicago, AHL), Pavel Khomchenko (HC Sochi). Defensemen:  Sergei Boykov (Torpedo), Pavel Koledov (SKA, try-out), Daniil Malorosiyanov (Avtomobilist, loan), Brennan Menell (SKA), Mikhail Naumenkov (Torpedo), Turner Ottenbreit (Calgary, AHL), Nick Cicek (Calgary, AHL), Calen Addison (Utica, AHL). Forwards: Vyacheslav Barulin (Neftekhimik, try-out), Mikhail Kotlyarevsky (Avangard), Brett Murray (Nuremberg, Germany), Nic Petan(Ambri-Piotta, Switzerland), Givani Smith (Carolina, NHL), Martin Frk (Calgary, AHL), Stepan Khripunov (Avtomobilist), David Chen (Yale University, NCAA), Artyom Chernov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitrij Jaskin (Ak Bars). 

Departures:

Goalies: Andrei Kareyev, Patrik Rybar, Andrei Tikhomirov, Dmitry Shikin (Lada). Defensemen: Jake Bischoff, Alexander Bryntsev (Spartak), Vladislav Valentsov (Traktor), Wyatt Kalynuk, Adam Clendening, Vladislav Leontyev (Lada), Will Reilly (Spartak), Doyle Somerby (Lada), Ben Harpur. Forwards: Pavel Akolzin, Alexander Burmistrov, Austin Wagner (Lowen Frankfurt, Germany), Troy Josephs, Ilya Kablukov, Gage Quinney (HC Sochi), Kevin Labanc (Rapperswill, Switzerland), Nick Merkley (Dynamo Moscow), Kirill Rasskazov, Borna Rendulic, Nate Sucese, Parker Foo, Spencer Foo (HC Sochi). 

Top 3 Signings

Dmitrij Jaskin

Jaskin played the previous three seasons at Ak Bars, helping the team to last year’s Gagarin Cup final. The former Czech international struggled with personal problems during the season and, for only the second time in his KHL career, failed to reach 50 points. The only other time that happened was the injury-hit 2023/2024 season. Jaskin is one of the best centers in the KHL, especially when it comes to playing on the slot. The man himself regards getting to the slot as his life’s credo, because that’s where he finds his goals.

Amir Miftakhov

After a year in North America Amir Miftakhov is back in the KHL, but now with Shanghai Dragons rather than Ak Bars. The young goalie twice played 30+ games in a KHL season. In those campaigns he stopped 91.7% of shots in 2022/2023 and 92.7% in 2024/2025. At the Dragons, Amir has every chance of establishing himself as the first-choice goalie.

Martin Frk

This Czech forward has spent most of his career in North America, playing in both NHL and AHL. First and foremost, Frk is a goalscorer with a powerful shot. He scored 234 goals in 575 AHL games.

Coaching

This will be Mitch Love’s first full season behind the Dragons’ bench. After joining part way through the 2025/2026 campaign, this time he will have a full pre-season to work with his players. That’s a stark contrast with last term, when the players assembled just two weeks before the start of the season. Love will be expected to get this team into the playoffs.

Goalies

The Dragons come into the new season with three goalies: Pavel Khomchenko, Amir Miftakhov and Vyacheslav Butseyets. Khomchenko has the most experience, but faces serious competition. Many experts regard Buteyets as the back-up option, but he is also more than capable of pushing for a place ahead of his colleagues.

Defense

Only Jeremy Groleau remains from the players who were with the Dragons last season – and he played just once in an injury-wrecked campaign. An assortment of new faces arrived over the summer, including the big, powerful Turner Ottenbreit, Mikhail Naumenkov and Sergei Boykov, as well as two-way players like Nick Cicek, Calen Addison and Brennan Menell.

Offense

There are big changes up front as well. From last year’s roster, only Nikita Popugayev, Riley Sutter and Vladimir Kuznetsov return. The additions of Dmitrij Jaskin, Martn Frk and Nic Petan could be game-changers. Mikhail Kotlyarevsky, from Avangard, could also make a strong contribution. Power forwards Brett Murray, Givani Smith and Stepan Khripunov complete the new arrivals.

Youngsters

Daniil Malorosiyanov, who joins on loan from Avtomobilist, is the stand-out this season. The 20-year-old defenseman has already been seen in the second pair in pre-season. Another youngster to watch might be 23-year-old forward David Chen. Having previously played in the NCAA for Yale, moving to the KHL is a step up in the career of this American player with Chinese heritage.

Expectations

The club’s management changed in the off season. Hockey legend Ilya Kovalchuk became president and Evgeny Artyukhin took over as GM. This duo has ambitious goals. The team is expected to battle not just for a playoff spot, but for the Gagarin Cup itself. Making post season for the first time since 2016/2017 is the minimum acceptable result.