Sharov excited by Red Star playoff push

15 January 2025

In mid-December, center Alexander Sharov joined KRS from Traktor. At once, he found himself moving from a club looking to top the Eastern Conference to a team battling to make the playoffs in the West.

Since the 29-year-old’s arrival, we’ve enjoyed a club record winning run of seven games (and counting!), with that playoff dream coming clearly into view. And Sharov himself gave an interview to Championat.com, sharing his early impressions of life in the Dragons’ lair after last week’s 3-0 win over CSKA.

The chat started with the club record – which was probably a bigger deal outside the club than in the locker room.

“We knew about the record, but we didn’t pay much attention to it,” Alexander said. “We have slightly different aims. Our task is simply to win, because we’re in a fight to make the playoffs. We really want that, so we’re going out to win every game. Against CSKA we played a good game.”

Sharov admitted that his move from Traktor, his hometown team, was a surprise, but he added that he’s found it easy to fit into Kunlun’s multinational roster.

“I thought it would be harder to adapt,” he said. “But the team welcomed me kindly. Not least because the staff and coaches are Russian speakers. And there are players who helped me. I’ve played with Yaroslav Likhachyov before, Ziyat Paigin arrived recently. And I speak a bit of English, so things are more or less fine.”

It also probably helps that he’s been asked to play a similar role here in Mytishchi.

“People expect an aggressive game from me, plus some reliable defense. When possible, I need to score and push the team forwards. It’s pretty much what I was doing with Traktor,” Alexander said.

Meanwhile there’s a playoff race to win. It’s not quite the same target as Traktor, which has ambitions of going deep into the playoffs under Benoit Groulx. But that doesn’t make it any less of a motivation.

“Maybe for a moment after the trade there was a slight regret, but that quickly passed,” Sharov said. “Now I’ve got a new mission: make the playoffs. That’s also an interesting challenge. We have a good team and I’m looking ahead happily.”

The playoff race seems to be a three-way battle, with Torpedo, Vityaz and Red Star all fighting over eighth place in the West. But while the team is keeping abreast of all the permutations, the main focus is on winning our games.

“After the game we look at what’s going on with the other teams. Of course, we’re interested in how the race is playing out. But, first and foremost, we’re interested in our game. If we just keep winning, then we have something to aim for.”

Record run earns respect

Our record-breaking run is picking up plaudits. The KHL nominated its top players of the week, and two of the chosen four are Dragons! Goalie Patrik Rybar was chosen after winning his first two games in our colors. He stopped 96.92% of shots faced for a GAA of 0.97 in victories over CSKA and Lada.

Captain Spencer Foo also made the list. His hot streak dates back to the end of last year, but in week one of 2025 he had 6 (3+3) points from three games, as well as a +6 rating, making him the league’s top forward.

And there’s more recognition for Red Star’s hot streak from the editorial team at Championat.com, with Mikhail Kravets leaping from 18^th to fifth in the head coach rankings. Our leader is the biggest climber on this week’s chart.