Scott Gordon to Coach KHL Side Traktor Chelyabinsk

Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) has signed American coach Scott Gordon to a contract through the 2026-27 season, the team has just announced through its official site. The 61-year-old arrives with a deep résumé that spans the NHL, American Hockey League (AHL), ECHL and international hockey, marking a clear statement of intent from Traktor’s management after a disappointing 2025-26 campaign ended with a first-round exit at the hands of Gagarin Cup finalist Ak Bars Kazan.

A former goaltender who appeared in both the NHL and AHL before taking on a coaching career, Gordon became the youngest head coach in International Hockey League (IHL) history with the Atlanta Knights at age 32. He later spent eight seasons in Providence, Boston Bruins’ AHL affiliate, winning the regular-season title in his final year and earning AHL Coach of the Year honors in 2008. That success got him to the NHL, where he led the New York Islanders and later served as an assistant in Toronto and San Jose, as well as interim head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

On the international stage, Gordon has worked multiple times with Team USA, including as an assistant during the silver-medal run at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and at several World Championships and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Most recently, he focused on player development in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with Youngstown and Waterloo.

Traktor general manager Alexei Volkov, a former Los Angeles Kings draftee, emphasized Gordon’s organizational skills, special-teams expertise, and track record in developing NHL-caliber players as key reasons behind the hire, expressing confidence that the veteran coach is ready to apply his extensive experience in Chelyabinsk and in the KHL.