Russian prospect terminates KHL contract, heading to North America

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Cooper Godin
August 1, 2024 (2:16 PM)

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A Russian prospect has decided to terminate his KHL contract and is heading to North America for the 2024-25 season.

One of the top Russian prospects from the 2024 NHL Entry Draft has made a pretty significant decision on his future and will no longer be suiting up in the KHL.

According to Sergey Demidov, a reporter for the NHL's Russian site, San Jose Sharks second round pick Igor Chernyshov has terminated his contract with KHL club Dynamo Moscow and will be playing in North America next season.

"Igor Chernyshov (2024 round 2, #33 overall by @SanJoseSharks) just terminated his contract with Dynamo and is going to the NHL." Demidov said.

While Demidov said in his post on X that Chernyshov will be going to the NHL, it's more likely that he'll spend time in the American Hockey League with the San Jose Barracuda. Another option for Chernyshov, depending on what the Sharks think is best for his development, is the Ontario Hockey League. Earlier this month, the OHL's Saginaw Spirit selected Igor Chernyshov in the second round of the CHL Import Draft.

Last season, Chernyshov split time between Dynamo Moscow in the KHL and their junior team, who plays in the MHL. In 34 games in the KHL, the Penza, Russia native had four points (three goals, one assist), nine penalty minutes and was a minus-three. Meanwhile with the junior team, he put up 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 22 games.

This is big news for the San Jose Sharks and their fans as they'll now have one of their top prospects closer to them next season and will be able to monitor his development in-person on a regular basis.