Man of the Week: Justin Bailey

KHL.ru’s weekly column continues with Justin Bailey. The American forward had a strong performance last week, helping Barys continuing their run. The Kazakhs are currently the fifth team in the Eastern Conference, but sport the best offense in the league.

Justin Bailey continued his impressive start to life in the KHL last week, helping Barys produce one of the most eye-catching results of the early season. The American forward scored three goals and added an assist in three games, including a two-goal performance against Lada and another goal in Barys’ sensational 5:0 victory over defending Gagarin Cup champions Lokomotiv on the road in Yaroslavl.

Bailey’s week began in Togliatti, where Barys responded to its previous loss to Amur in emphatic fashion. The visitors scored six times against Lada, with Bailey finding the net twice. His second goal came in the second period, when he added to Barys’ advantage and helped put the game beyond doubt.

After being held scoreless in a 0:3 loss to Eastern leader Metallurg, Bailey returned to the scoresheet in spectacular fashion in Yaroslavl. Barys arrived to face a Lokomotiv team that had won each of its first six games and conceded only seven goals along the way. That unbeaten start came to an abrupt end, however, as the visitors dominated the defending champions on their own ice.

The Kazakhs netted five unanswered goals, while Andrei Shutov stopped everything thrown his way. Bailey struck in the second period, redirecting a Garrett Pilon shot to make it a 3:0 game. It was his sixth goal of the season, and Barys went on to complete a remarkable shutout victory. Through six games, the forward had already collected 10 points, with six goals and four assists, putting him among the league’s leading scorers, trailing only SKA’s Nikolai Goldobin.

Early years and a new beginning

Bailey arrived in Kazakhstan this summer with considerable North American experience but no previous European hockey background. Barys signed the 31-year-old to a one-year contract after he spent the 2025-2026 campaign with the San Diego Gulls, where he recorded 42 (25+17) points in 71 regular-season games. The move represented a significant change for a player who had spent his entire professional career in North America.

A son of a ten-year NFL linebacker, and born in Buffalo, New York, Bailey was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, 52nd overall, of the 2013 NHL Draft, Bailey made his NHL debut with his hometown team in 2015. He went on to play 141 NHL games over eight seasons with Buffalo, Philadelphia, Vancouver, and San Jose, recording 23 (10+13) points. Most of his career was spent in the AHL, where he established himself as a productive scorer and accumulated more than 500 appearances and 300 points.

His AHL career included stops with Rochester, Lehigh Valley, Utica, Abbotsford, Bakersfield, and San Diego. During the 2019-2020 season, he produced 47 (28+19) points in 53 games for Utica, while his most recent campaign with San Diego saw him score 25 goals.

Making an impact

Bailey’s arrival was part of Barys’ effort to add more offensive firepower following a difficult and inconsistent 2025-2026 campaign. His combination of size, speed, and physical play made him an intriguing addition, but the transition to the KHL represented a new challenge after more than a decade playing pro hockey in North America.

So far, he has adapted quickly. His production has been accompanied by some of Barys’ most convincing performances of the young season, from the early 7:1 win over Sibir to the six-goal showing against Lada and, most impressively, the 5:0 demolition of Lokomotiv in Yaroslavl.

For a player experiencing European hockey for the first time, Bailey could hardly have asked for a more productive opening chapter. Six games into his KHL career, he is already leaving a significant mark on Barys and showing that his North American scoring pedigree can translate to the biggest stage outside the NHL. If Bailey keeps on scoring this way, he will be a formidable weapon for Barys, who is eager to return to postseason hockey after a four-year hiatus.