5 Hurricanes Prospects to Watch in the KHL in 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Hurricanes Prospects

The NHL will drop the puck next on Sept. 29, but the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) will start this week, as usual right after August’s end. This year, the action will be more active since the first match day, with the league getting rid of the Opening Cup game between last year’s finalists. Much surprisingly, the Canes drafted no Russians in the 2026 selections, so there will be no new names in this year’s article. Carolina has intriguing unsigned names in North America, so it’s interesting to check what Russia has to offer.

Nikita Artamonov, Severstal Cherepovets

2025-26 stats: 53 games, 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists), minus-12 split between Torpedo and Neftekhimik

Arguably the crown jewel of Carolina’s Russian prospect pool. Artamonov is a high-motor, highly skilled winger who plays with an edge and has proven he can produce against men in the KHL at a young age. With that being said, however, last year the 2024 second-round pick failed to repeat an excellent 2024-25 season. After scoring only one assist in sixteen regular-season games with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, he was then loaned to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.

Perhaps he failed to adapt to his new coach’s assignments, with Alexei Isakov replacing Igor Larionov behind Torpedo’s bench, but he also didn’t shine with Neftekhimik, scoring only three goals – he had 22 in 2024-25. For the 2026-27 campaign, he was loaned out from Torpedo once again, this time to Severstal Cherepovets. The franchise is known for being an excellent team for younger players, and Artamonov is likely to see plenty of actions, at least at the start of the season. Then, it will be up to him. His KHL contract will run out next May.

Vladimir Grudinin, Severstal Cherepovets

2025-26 stats: 53 games, 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists), minus-7

Now a teammate of Nikita Artamonov at Severstal, Grudinin is an agile, smooth-skating left-handed defenseman. Grudinin excels at transitioning the puck out of danger and playing a modern, fast-paced game, with puck control being one of his strong parts. Grudinin, a fifth round pick in 2022, showcases a strong familiarity with the puck joined by an effortless skating. While not producing at very high levels, he found consistency in his game and is a good candidate for a breakout season with Severstal.

The other side of the coin is his physicality. Standing at only 5-foot-10, 157 pounds, he doesn’t boast an NHL body and with such size, his chances are not the highest. However, he has legit NHL potential considering his excellent skating and puck abilities. Perhaps, he’ll cross the pond for the next season, as his deal in the KHL will end this season.

Alexander Rykov, Traktor Chelyabinsk

2025-26 stats: 56 games, 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists), plus-3

A smart, competitive forward with a strong work ethic along the boards and good hockey sense. Rykov has steadily developed through the Russian junior ranks (MHL) and VHL before carving out time in Traktor’s system. His progress is evident, with eight goals and seven assists last term in 56 regular-season appearances. While his production didn’t explode, it went considerably up, as much as his role.

While he doesn’t come with a superstar label, the former 2023 draft pick is still very young at 21 and still has plenty of room for further improvement. Like Artamonov and Grudinin, his contract will run out next May, however, he may want to sign another deal at home to further hone his skills – that is the most likely scenario for Rykov at this point.

Andrei Krutov, Amur Khabarovsk

2025-26 stats: 21 games, 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists), minus-2

Much like Artamonov, Krutov failed to deliver with Torpedo despite an excellent play for the franchise in the juniors and was loaned out to Amur Khabarovsk. There, he failed to give a strong impression on the scoresheet, with only four points to his credit, but his stint was convincing enough for Amur to request him on loan from Torpedo for the 2026-27 campaign as well.

This time, Amur enters the season with a revamped roster and higher expectations. This is something that Krutov may use at his own advantage. It will be interesting to see the forward adapting to heavier minutes and finding consistency in the grind of a full KHL schedule out east with Amur Khabarovsk. He has a further year in the KHL in his current deal.

Timur Kol, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk

2025-26 stats: 35 games, 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists), plus-15 in the MHL, 8 games, 2 assists, even in the KHL

A towering defenseman with an NHL body, Kol had a strong season last term in the Russian juniors, but had little space in the KHL with Dynamo Moscow. The result is that this summer he was drafted to Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. A less ambitious team, but that can guarantee a player like Kol more space and opportunity to grow.

His stats in the juniors speak for themselves – Kol needs to play in the KHL to further improve his game. At this point, he needs to work on himself and do the next step in progressing. A team like Neftekhimik may be the correct place to do it, with head coach Igor Grishin loving offensive hockey and young players. The team had a good howing in 2025-26, and they will want to do even better this season.

KHL Season Ahead

The KHL season starts on Sept. 5, and the last possible game will be held on May 31, 2027. Other notable names to keep an eye on for Hurricanes’ fans are Spartak’s goalie Semyon Frolov, Dynamo Moscow’s defenseman Kurban Limatov, and Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s blueliner Alexander Siryatsky.