Ready for action – with one more signing

2 September 2024

Dragons face a tough trip to start new season

The new season is with us at last. Summer 2024 has been a bit different from previous years. Kunlun’s management was quick to secure the head coach it wanted, and GM Nikolai Feoktistov quickly provided Mikhail Kravets with a roster that enjoys greater depth than in previous seasons.

And that recruitment process continues. Just this weekend, the Dragons agreed the signing of Semyon Sinyatkin, a 20-year-old forward from SKA’s system. He was part of the Russian national team that won the 2021 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, one of the most prestigious U18 tournaments, and was perhaps unfortunate not to figure in the 2022 NHL draft. Since then, he’s made his KHL debut for SKA and had a goal and an assist last season in 12 games in the big league. He’s regarded as a creative winger and even when handed a bottom-six role at the Hlinka, Sinyatkin contributed a point a game on a Russian team that defeated Slovakia – Slafkovsky, Nemec and a record-breaking Dalibor Dvorsky to boot – in the final.

Whether we’ll see Sinyatkin in our opening three games is unclear: he’s a young player and will need time to adapt to new surroundings. But we can certainly look forward to watching his talents develop over the coming months.

Meanwhile, our first week of action promises a tough road game followed by two home encounters with teams who are likely to be in the battle to secure a playoff place.

Dynamo Moscow (A), Sep. 4. 1930 Moscow Time

Last season: Brandon McMillan’s overtime goal on Nov. 8 secured the Dragons’ first ever victory over Dynamo. In doing so, the club snapped a five-game skid and completed the set with a win over every team it has played in the KHL. Red Star also pushed Dynamo hard in our first meeting last term before losing 2-3. However, later in the campaign the regular season champion showed its class with a couple of big wins.

Familiar faces: Goalie Konstantin Volkov came to the Dragons from Dynamo over the season. Last season he was restricted to just 10 appearances for the Muscovites, but he saw more action in 2022/23 and backstopped two wins against Red Star in that campaign.

Setting the scene: Dynamo powered through last year’s regular season to finish top of the pile. A potent offense led by KHL top scorer Nikita Gusev proved hard to stop until it all went wrong in the playoffs. Gusev is back this year to continue his productive relationship with Eric O’Dell and Jordan Weal. The addition of Max Comtois, a player with extensive NHL and international experience, adds to the threat. It promises to be a test for KRS’s new-look defense, but at the other end our offensive recruits – Chartier, Yakupov, Wilkie, Helbgewachts – may get opportunities as our host adjusts to life without long-serving captain Andrei Mironov.

Admiral Vladivostok (H), Sep. 6. 1930 Moscow time

Last season: We didn’t have much luck against the Sailors last season, sinking to a 1-3 loss at home and a 3-5 reverse on the road.

Familiar faces: It’s an early-season reunion for ex-Dragon Jack Rodewald. He left Red Star for Traktor as deadline day approached and in the summer he moved on to Vladivostok. In total, Jack played 96 games for Kunlun, scoring 18 goals and 25 assists. From our ranks, defenseman Yury Pautov joined us from Admiral, where he played the last two seasons. As a Sailor, Yury had 11 (4+7) points from 105 games, which include 12 playoff appearances.

Setting the scene: Depending on how you look at it, Admiral could be seen as one of the most successful teams in pre-season. The Sailors did not enter any tournaments, but won six of their nine warm-up games. Only Traktor had more success. However, it should be noted that many of Admiral’s sparring sessions were against teams from outside the KHL: Belarusian clubs and VHL opposition made up much of the program. Leonids Tambijevs’ team was active in the transfer market again this summer: goalie Ilya Konovalov arrives as the replacement for Nikita Serebryakov, whose departure to SKA last season was so damaging; Slovak international Mario Grman adds experience on defense and, as mentioned, Jack Rodewald offers some extra firepower. But not all of the recruitment was effective: the Austin Ortega saga, which saw the American forward signed and released without playing a competitive game for the club suggests concerns about communication between head coach and GM.

Severstal Cherepovets (H), Sep. 8. 1700 Moscow Time

Last season: In four encounters last season, we had four close games but managed just one point. That came from a shoot-out loss in Mytishchi on Nov. 6. Two goals from Teemu Pulkkinen and another from Spencer Foo helped us to a 3-1 tie in regulation but visiting goalie Konstantin Shostak was too good in the shoot-out. More recently, we met again at the Puchkov Memorial tournament in St. Petersburg, with the Steelmen taking a 7-3 victory.

Familiar faces: Alexei Kruchinin, who joined Severstal in the summer from Torpedo, had a brief spell in the Dragons’ Lair in 2020/21, playing 10 games and scoring one goal.

Setting the scene: Under Andrei Kozyrev, Severstal was one of the most entertaining teams in the KHL last season, setting a new club record for games won and goals scored. The Steelmen have retained much of the roster that comfortably reached the playoffs and, of course, its promising crop of young players is now a year older and more experienced. The additions of Yanni Kaldis and Yaroslav Dyblenko on defense should add stability at the back. However, it’s hard to say that the team has strengthened compared with the 2023/24 season, and while stability is always a desirable quality it will be important that this does not lead, in turn, to stagnation.