The schedule is out

9 July 2021

Dragons to start in Nizhnekamsk, first home game against Riga

The schedule is out – and there are just 56 days to go before the Dragons are back on the ice in competitive action.

Our season starts on Sep. 2 with a road game at Neftekhimik. The Nizhnekamsk team should be a familiar opponent for us by then, following two warm-up games in Tatarstan in late August. Two days later, we continue on the road at Ak Bars – current home of Trevor Murphy.

The home campaign begins on Sep. 6 with the visit of Dinamo Riga. That means a quick return to the Dragons’ Lair for Hunter Shinkaruk, who joined the Latvians in the summer. Shinky played 66 games for KRS, producing 39 (15+24) points and setting a club record eight-game productive streak last season. Dinamo kicks off a four-game home stand that also takes in match-ups with Jokerit, Sochi and Avtomobilist.

Because of the Beijing Olympics in February, this season has a month-long break from Jan. 22 to Feb. 21. As a result, the regular season finishes slightly later than usual, on March 1, and the playoffs will start on March 4. The Dragons wrap up the regular season with a road trip to the Far East, visiting Amur and Admiral.

The latter is back in the KHL after a one-year absence. That means the Dragons’ ‘local’ rival is back in the game. The Sailors’ home port is 829 miles from our Beijing home, which would normally make Vladivostok our shortest road trip. However, while we continue in our temporary home in Mytishchi, our ‘neighbor’ faces a 4,000-mile voyage for our games on Sep. 28 and Jan. 19.

Another eye-catching fixture sees the Dragons take on defending champion Avangard – another Eastern Conference team in temporary exile on the outskirts of Moscow – on Sep. 25 in Balashikha and Nov. 17 in Mytishchi. Last season’s runner-up, CSKA, will play against us twice in one week: in Moscow on Oct. 4 and in Mytishchi on Oct. 9.

That extended Olympic break also means slightly fewer games this term. Red Star will play 56 times in the regular season, facing every opponent in the league twice and then playing an addition pair of games against five teams from the Eastern Conference. These ‘extras’ will be against Amur, Admiral, Neftekhimik, Traktor and Sibir.

We’re looking forward to welcoming our players and staff back later this month, and all the latest news about our preparations for the coming campaign will appear on our website and social media as it happens.