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The first week of June is the first week of player trading in the close season – and we have a big new coaching appointment plus a host of imports on the move. The KHL also announced the host city for the 2027 Fonbet KHL All-Star Game.

The 2025/2026 KHL is officially over, with the tradition closing ceremony taking place last week. Here’s your recap of all the prizes handed out there, plus news of a long-serving import leaving his club and the transfer window opening today.

KHL TV commentator Anton Vasyatin takes an in-depth look at the nominees for the Alexei Cherepanov Award, presented annually to the league’s top rookie. Following the 2025-2026 season, the award contenders are Alexander Zharovsky, Matvei Polyakov, and Mikhail Fyodorov. For the first time in four seasons, the list of nominees consists exclusively of forwards.

KHL.ru takes a closer look at the nominees for the league’s Best Goalie award — the finalists are Semyon Vyazovoi (Salavat Yulaev), Daniil Isayev (Lokomotiv), and Nikita Serebryakov (Avangard).

KHL.ru highlights the nominees for the Best Coach award—for the 2025–2026 season, the nominees are Anvar Gatiyatulin (Ak Bars), Viktor Kozlov (Salavat Yulaev), and Andrei Razin (Metallurg).

KHL.ru presents the finalists for the Alexei Cherepanov award, whose recipient is the top rookie of the 2025-2026 season.

We’re down to the last four in the race for the Gagarin Cup after wrapping up round two swiftly last week. Two teams swept into the semis, the other two series were done in five games. That sets up some mouthwatering encounters when action resumes Friday.

Daniil Isayev’s third shut-out in four games helped Loko steam into the 2026 Gagarin Cup semi-finals.

Lokomotiv and Avangard stand one win away from a sweep as both series stay on the road, with Salavat Yulaev and CSKA facing must-win games on home ice to keep their seasons alive and force a return to Yaroslavl and Omsk.

Salavat Yulaev scored its first goals of this 2026 Gagarin Cup playoff second round series but could not avoid a third successive loss to Lokomotiv.

Lokomotiv rides Isayev’s remarkable shutout streak to tighten its grip on the series, leaving Salavat Yulaev searching for answers, while CSKA returns home under pressure as Avangard aims to extend its lead behind the red-hot Poturalski and Okulov.

For the second game in a row, Lokomotiv edged a shut-out verdict over Salavat Yulaev. The defending champion now leads its Gagarin Cup second round series 2-0 as the teams head to Ufa for Sunday’s game three.

Avangard and Lokomotiv drew first blood with disciplined, low-scoring wins, shutting out CSKA and edging Salavat Yulaev to take early control of their series, as both matchups now hinge on whether the trailing sides can break through two red-hot defenses and in-form goaltenders in Game Two.

A tight game in Yaroslavl was decided by a single goal as the defending champion made a winning start in round two.

Avangard and CSKA renew a rivalry shaped by two recent Gagarin Cup Finals, splitting those matchups with one title each, while Lokomotiv looks to build on last year’s semifinal win over Salavat Yulaev. With limited playoff history beyond that, both second-round series open balanced but with clear recent reference points.

Round 1 of the playoffs is done. From eight series, we saw one sweep and one pair go to six games. But every contest produced drama and special moments, with a sprinkling of KHL records along the way.

Salavat Yulaev left it late, but Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sheldon Rempal put the Ufa club into the second round of the playoffs. Kuznetsov tied the game four seconds before the hooter, then assisted on Rempal’s winner in overtime. Salavat Yulaev will now face Lokomotiv in round two, with the series starting in Yaroslavl on April 8.

The Motormen try to save the season after Game Five success in today’s lone match as the Gagarin Cup playoffs continue.

An overtime winner from Dmitrij Jaskin sent Ak Bars into the second round of the 2026 KHL playoffs. His 61st-minute strike earned a 2-1 win over Traktor, settling the series in five games. The series between Avtomobilist and Salavat Yulaev returns to Ufa after Stepan Khripunov lead the Motormen to a 5-2 win. Salavat will hope to finish the job on Thursday, but saw its advantage reduced to 3-2.

Elimination pressure builds across the slate, with Salavat Yulaev, Ak Bars and CSKA all holding 3–1 leads over Avtomobilist, Traktor and SKA respectively, each with a chance to close out the series. Meanwhile, Torpedo also sits one win away at 3–1 against Severstal, who must respond on home ice to keep their playoff hopes alive.

One week into post season, and all 16 teams are still in the Gagarin Cup race. We’ve seen competitive, exciting hockey in every series – and we might see our first qualifiers advance later today.

Salavat Yulaev and Ak Bars are both one game away from advancing to the second round of the 2026 Gagarin Cup playoffs after victories on Sunday. Salavat enjoyed a 5-2 win at home to Avtomobilist, while Ak Bars needed a second period of overtime to see off Traktor in Chelyabinsk. Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team can finish the series on home ice on Tuesday, while Avtomobilist returns home to try to save its series on the same day.

Home teams made their move in Game Three, with Salavat Yulaev and Torpedo taking a 2–1 lead over Avtomobilist and Severstal respectively, while Traktor and SKA cut the gap to 2–1 against Ak Bars and CSKA, setting up a crucial Game Four across all four series.

Maxim Kuznetsov scored a late winner for Salavat Yulaev as the forwards found their range at last in the series against Avtomobilist. A 4-3 verdict in Ufa put the host up 2-1. And the Ak Bars vs Traktor series is also 2-1 after Traktor won 3-2 in Chelyabinsk to claim its first victory of post season.

The Eastern matchups are already diverging, with Salavat Yulaev and Avtomobilist tied 1–1 after two tight, low-scoring games, while Ak Bars seized a 2–0 lead over Traktor. In the West, Severstal responded emphatically to level the series 1–1 against Torpedo, whereas CSKA took full control with a 2–0 edge over SKA as the action shifts venue.

Day three of the Eastern playoffs saw a 1-0 win for Salavat Yulaev square its series against Avtomobilist. The teams head to Ufa locked at 1-1. Then Ak Bars won 4-2 at home to Traktor, claiming a 2-0 advantage in the series.

In the East, Avtomobilist and Ak Bars hold a 1–0 edge after taking the opening games, while in the West CSKA also leads its series 1–0 following a marathon win. Torpedo produced the only road upset so far, stealing Game 1 against Severstal to take the early advantage, as Salavat Yulaev, Traktor, Spartak and SKA all look to respond and level their respective series.

Day one of the 2026 KHL Playoffs began with Daniel Sprong firing Avtomobilist to victory over Salavat Yulaev. And the other Eastern Conference action saw Ak Bars edge past Traktor in overtime.

Commentator for KHL TV channels and expert at KHL.ru, Anton Vasyatin, presents the top ten most prominent young players (U23) in the league based on their performance in the third month of the regular season.

Four pairs open today, with eight teams beginning their chase for the Gagarin Cup. In the East, Avtomobilist faces Salavat Yulaev, while Ak Bars meets Traktor. In the West, Severstal and Torpedo clash for the first time in playoff history. The classic series between CSKA and SKA reaches its 10th edition, with CSKA leading the all-time playoff record 6–3, in a heavyweight opening slate across the KHL playoffs tonight.

The last day of the regular season saw Sam Anas tie Nikita Gusev’s record 89-point haul in a regular season campaign. He scored twice in Dinamo Minsk’s 8-2 win over Avtomobilist, but could not find a third point to set a new mark. Sibir did set a new record, beating a mark established in the KHL’s inaugural season. Today’s shoot-out win over Sochi was its 12th of the season, beating Metallurg’s 11 from 2008/2009.
Elsewhere, the big issue was resolving the Western playoff pairings. With the season complete, Lokomotiv faces Spartak in round one, Dinamo Minsk will take on Dynamo Moscow, Severstal is up against Torpedo and CSKA faces SKA.

An eight-game KHL matchday closes the regular season with action across both conferences. Salavat Yulaev hosts HC Sochi, Sibir faces Barys, and Traktor takes on Admiral. In the West, Dinamo Minsk welcomes Avtomobilist, while SKA meets the Shanghai Dragons. Two Moscow games see Dynamo play Ak Bars and Spartak face Neftekhimik. The day concludes in Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv clashes with Metallurg in a matchup between the regular season’s conference leaders.

The playoff pairs for the Eastern Conference are set after Wednesday’s play. The top four places were confirmed ahead of today’s action, and wins for Salavat Yulaev over Neftekhimik (3-0) and Traktor over Metallurg (6-2) sealed places five through eight. Those first-round pairings will be: Metallurg vs Sibir; Avangard vs Neftekhimik; Ak Bars vs Traktor; Avtomobilist vs Salavat Yulaev. In the Western Conference, CSKA secured fourth place thanks to a shoot-out win over Spartak. Fifth-placed Dynamo fell 1-2 at home to Admiral.

A seven-game KHL matchday opens in Novosibirsk with Sibir hosting SKA as the regular season nears its conclusion. Salavat Yulaev faces in-form Neftekhimik, while Traktor and Metallurg renew the Southern Urals derby. Action then shifts west with HC Sochi welcoming Ak Bars and a Moscow doubleheader featuring Spartak against CSKA and Dynamo taking on Admiral. The evening closes in China, where the struggling Shanghai Dragons host Avtomobilist. Several teams still have positioning to play for before the playoffs.

The Kontinental Hockey League’s commission has determined the best players of the 2025-2026 Regular Season’s twenty-sixth week in four categories.

A last-minute goal from Danil Yurtaikin gave Amur the win it needed to stay in playoff contention. The Tigers’ 3-2 success at Sochi means Sibir must win tomorrow to confirm its playoff spot. Elsewhere, Sam Anas moved to 86 points for the season with an assist in Dinamo Minsk’s 2-1 shoot-out victory over Lokomotiv. Anas is chasing Nikita Gusev’s 89-point record for a KHL regular season. Sunday’s other game saw Salavat Yulaev beat Shanghai Dragons 5-3.

Three games are on schedule today on a light KHL Saturday. Amur visits Sochi absolutely needing a win to keep playoff qualification. Salavat Yulaev hosts the Shanghai Dragons with both teams trying to turn the tide, and finally Dinamo Minsk hosts Lokomotiv with the Belarusians seeking a return to victory.

With nine games on Friday’s card, this was the most action-packed day of the KHL season. The focus was on the Eastern Conference, where Sibir and Amur are fighting for the last remaining playoff spot. And the outcome was inconclusive as both teams suffered overtime losses. Sibir fell at home to Metallurg, while Amur stumbled at Spartak. There were big victories for Avangard (6-1 vs Dragons), SKA (5-0 vs Severstal) and Admiral (6-2 vs Barys). Traktor came from behind to beat Torpedo in overtime, Dynamo recovered twice before winning a shoot-out in Ufa. Maxim Shalunov potted a hat-trick as Lokomotiv won 4-2 at Lada and Dmitrij Jaskin’s 200th KHL goal helped Ak Bars to a 2-0 win over Sochi.

A nine-game KHL matchday features crucial battles across both conferences. Barys seeks a fourth straight win in Vladivostok, while Sibir eyes a potential playoff-clinching result against regular-season champion Metallurg. Avangard hosts the struggling Shanghai Dragons, and Traktor looks to halt a skid versus Torpedo. Salavat Yulaev meets Dynamo Moscow in a tight cross-conference clash, as Lokomotiv visits Lada. Later, Ak Bars targets a perfect homestand against Sochi, Spartak faces desperate Amur, and SKA hosts Severstal.

An overtime victory in Ufa, coupled with Lokomotiv’s defeat against Avtomobilist, means Metallurg will finish top of this season’s regular season standings. It’s the first time Magnitka has claimed top spot: in 2021/2022 the Steelmen topped the standings for points and ppg, but the regular season was not played to a finish after the Olympic break and the trophy was not awarded. Wednesday’s other action brought wins for Avangard, Severstal, CSKA, Dynamo Moscow and SKA.