The NHL will drop the puck next on Oct. 7, but the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) will start this week with a head-to-head clash between last year’s finalists, Lokomotiv and Traktor, with the latter having 2023 fourth rounder Alexander Rykov in their lineup, already scoring points for the Chelyabinsk side in the offseason — differently from last year, when there were no Carolina Hurricanes prospects in the KHL Opening Cup match.
This KHL season promises to be especially intriguing for Hurricanes fans, with several top prospects spending the year overseas to continue their development. Here are five players worth keeping a close eye on.
Semyon Frolov
2024-25 stats: 13 games played (GP), 2.05 goals-against average (GAA), .915 save percentage (SV%) with MHK Spartak in the MHL
The 2025 second-round pick is expected to grow this season; however, he will need to earn his starts, as he was limited to a total of 25 games due to strong competition within the Spartak Moscow system. Last season, he was sent to Spartak’s affiliated Krylya Sovetov in the MHL for a bunch of games, but this season, Krylya Sovetov won’t be collaborating with Spartak anymore. Spartak declared a second team in the MHL, but the newly-formed Spartak-MAH team will feature another two NHL picks in Yegor Yegorov (Calgary Flames) and Yegor Midlak (Florida Panthers), thus the situation is tough for Frolov, who will start the season behind last season’s top goalie, Yaroslav Kuzmenko.
It may be a long season for Frolov, who lacked chances last season, but may get some more this season, depending on his game. Frolov’s head coach for MHL Spartak will be Alexander Barkov, the father of Florida Panthers’ superstar and Stanley Cup champion Aleksander Barkov.
Nikita Artamonov
2024-25 stats: 63 games, 39 points (22 goals, 17 assists), plus-5
Nikita Artamonov made a huge step forward last season, jumping to 39 points from 23, and from seven to 22 goals in his sophomore season in the KHL with Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. With Alexander Nikishin joining the Canes in May, it can be said that now Artamonov is the team’s most intriguing prospect in the KHL. Other than lining up with Torpedo, Artamonov also participated in the VHL playoffs with Torpedo’s minor league affiliates, helping the team lift the Cup.
In the offseason, Torpedo underwent several changes after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. Igor Larionov was dismissed as the team’s head coach, and Torpedo-Gorky’s Alexei Isakov was hired in his place in his first year in the KHL. As he’s very familiar with Artamonov, the Canes’ future winger should be guaranteed a solid role in the lineup and significant space. He was a first-liner last season, and this isn’t going to change, at least in the first part of the new campaign.
Alexander Rykov
2024-25 stats: 22 games, 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists), minus-2
Last season, many were expecting a breakout season from Alexander Rykov, but that simply didn’t happen. His numbers weren’t good in the KHL, with a mere two goals scored (against six in the previous season), but that may be tied to a lack of time on ice as head coach Ben Groulx rode his veterans for his run to the Gagarin Cup Final. However, his numbers regressed even in the VHL.
This time around, there will be more expectations on Rykov, who had a good preseason to his credit. However, it won’t be easy to gain space in a stacked lineup for a contending team, and under a coach who trusts his veterans for success. This is going to be another key season for Rykov.
Kurban Limatov
2024-25 stats: 46 games, 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists), plus-7 in the MHL
A second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, Kurban Limatov is an intriguing prospect with high potential who could have potentially gone even higher in the selections. Last season, he made his debut in the KHL with Dynamo Moscow, but that was just for a few shifts. This time around, he has a chance to start getting into consideration for a spot in the lineup, but his situation is a bit similar to Rykov’s — a young player on a stacked team with a veterans-first head coach.
Related: Hurricanes’ Prospect Limatov Ready to Prove Himself After Draft
However, Limatov’s prospects seem better than Rykov’s, at least for now. While he will start the season with the junior team, he has all it takes to become an impact player for Dynamo in the next campaign and jump to the Hurricanes ship once his contract runs out in 2027.
Timur Kol
2024-25 stats: 16 games, 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists), plus-2 in the MHL
Timur Kol’s season was better than what the numbers tell, but it wasn’t a breakout. He changed systems, moving from Avangard Omsk to SKA St. Petersburg, but the move didn’t pan out as expected. The defenseman played 11 games in the KHL with SKA, but failed to record points and make an impression. As a result, this summer he was moved to Dynamo Moscow.
Kol will start the season with his new team’s affiliate in the VHL, Dynamo St. Petersburg, and that may be a good chance to show his skills and earn a call-up to the KHL. In his limited games in the MHL, he played well, and he can certainly progress this season.
KHL Season Ahead
The KHL season starts on Sept. 5, and the last possible game will be held on May 31, 2025. Other notable names to keep an eye on for Hurricanes’ fans are Torpedo’s Andrei Krutov, Severstal’s Vladimir Grudinin, and Spartak’s Stanislav Yarovoi.
