Shanghai Dragons
| Shanghai Dragons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Shanghai, China Saint Petersburg, Russia |
| League | KHL |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | Tarasov |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Home arena | SKA Arena (capacity: 22,500) |
| Colours | |
| General manager | Evgeny Artyukhin |
| Head coach | Mitch Love |
| Website | hc-dragons |
| Franchise history | |
| 2016–2025 | Kunlun Red Star |
| 2025–present | Shanghai Dragons |
 Current season | |
The Shanghai Dragons (Russian: Шанхай Дрэгонс; Chinese: 上海龙之队; pinyin: Shànghǎi Lóngzhīduì) are a professional ice hockey team nominally based in Shanghai, China, and playing their home games at SKA Arena in Saint Petersburg. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). They joined the KHL as Kunlun Red Star prior to the 2016–17 season, moving to Shanghai on 7 August 2025.
History
The team, originally known as Kunlun Red Star, was established as part of China's preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.[1] In March 2016, representatives of Kunlun Red Star and the KHL signed a protocol of intent to have a Chinese-based team enter the KHL. The protocol was signed by the representative from the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia Vladislav Tretiak, the chairman of the KHL Gennady Timchenko, and the board of Kunlun Red Star. In mid-April, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, René Fasel, expressed hope that this would help China bring their hockey to a higher level.[2] However, despite the high ambitions, the team only made the playoffs once, in 2017, and stopped playing games in China starting in the 2019–20 season due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.[3]
After playing their games in Mytishchi Arena outside of Moscow since August 2020, the team announced they would play at SKA Arena in Saint Petersburg for the 2025–26 season, with the intent of returning to China the next year. On 7 August 2025, with Kunlun undergoing new ownership, they announced rebranding as the Shanghai Dragons, while still based at St. Petersburg.[4][5] Former HC Vityaz executive Igor Varitsky was brought as Shanghai's new general manager, and on 13 August 2025 Gerard Gallant was hired to lead the team.[6][7] The Shanghai Dragons played their first preseason game on 29 August, beating HC Spartak Moscow 3–2 in their first game of the Moscow Mayor's Cup, a preseason competition.[8] Two days later, the team defeated HC Dinamo Minsk 6–1 to clinch the bronze medal at the tournament.[9] On 6 September, the Shanghai Dragons announced Spencer Foo as their inaugural captain, with Adam Clendening, Alexander Burmistrov, Jake Bischoff, and Ryan Spooner serving as alternate captains.[10] That day, they played their first regular season game, defeating SKA Saint Petersburg 7–4 to claim their first win in franchise history.[11]
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, OTW = Overtime/shootout wins, OTL = Overtime/shootout losses, L = Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
| Season | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Top scorer | Playoffs |
| 2025–26 | 60 | 16 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 54 | 166 | 238 | 6th, Tarasov | Nick Merkley (45 points: 24 G, 21 A; 68 GP) | Did not qualify |
Players and personnel
Current roster
Updated 25 August 2026.[12][13]
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Head coaches
- Gerard Gallant, 2025–2026[7]
- Mitch Love, since 2026[14]
General managers
- Igor Varitsky, 2025–2026[6]
- Evgeny Artyukhin, since 2026[15]
Team president
- Ilya Kovalchuk, since 2026[15]
Team captains
- Spencer Foo, 2025–2026[10]
References
- ↑ Boka, Tom (16 March 2025). "China Hockey Team at the 2022 Olympics – Part I: How it All Began". AsianIceHockey.com. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
- ↑ Фазель: я был бы счастлив, если бы русские помогли китайцам в развитии хоккея (in Russian). 16 April 2016. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ↑ "Kunlun Red Star hockey team statistics and history at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ↑ "Unleashing The Dragon: Meet The New KHL Franchise - Shanghai Dragons". Kunlun Red Star. 7 August 2025. Archived from the original on 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- ↑ "KHL welcomes Shanghai Dragons for 2025–26 season" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Enter the Dragons" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Gerard Gallant named head coach of the Shanghai Dragons". Shanghai Dragons. 13 August 2025. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
- ↑ "Traktor, Magnitka triumph on home ice; Shanghai Dragons start with win". Kontinental Hockey League. 29 August 2025. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
- ↑ "Dragons Dominate Dynamo, Clinch Bronze at Mayor's Cup". Shanghai Dragons. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- 1 2 @shadragons (6 September 2025). "Spencer Foo named first captain in Shanghai Dragons history 🔥 Ryan Spooner, Jake Bischoff, Adam Clendening and Alex Burmistrov will wear A this season" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 August 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ "Flying start for Dragons, Nikitin returns with big win". Kontinental Hockey League. 6 September 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2025.
- ↑ "Shanghai Dragons current roster". Elite Prospects. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Shanghai Dragons current roster" (in Russian). Shanghai Dragons. 8 April 2026. Retrieved 8 April 2026.
- ↑ "Mitch Love Named Head Coach of Shanghai Dragons". Shanghai Dragons. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Ilya Kovalchuk Named President of the Shanghai Dragons, Evgeny Artyukhin Appointed General Manager". Shanghai Dragons. 26 April 2021. Archived from the original on 21 July 2026. Retrieved 14 August 2026.
External links
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