First-round pick Klim Kostin makes a significant return to the KHL, bringing North American experience back to a top-tier Russian club.
Russian winger Klim Kostin, 26, has signed a contract to play the remainder of the current season with Avangard Omsk, the KHL club announced on Monday.
Selected in the first round, 31st overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues, Kostin played almost continuously in North America from 2017 until 2025, except for the 2020-21 season, which be played in Omsk while the NHL delayed the start of its season due to pandemic-related issues.
“We are happy to have Klim back with Avangard,” said Omsk GM Alexei Sopin. “Obviously, a lot of time has passed since our initial offer, so we needed to renegotiate all the terms. Kostin is familiar with the demands of North American coaches, has experience in the KHL, and can play in any situation. He will have his first practise today and will go to the Far East road trip with the team.”
Avangard currently has the best record in the KHL’s Chernyshev Division with 29 points in 21 games. The team’s roster includes Nail Yakupov, Michael McLeod, Vyacheslav Voynov and Maxime Lajoie, and the head coach is Canadian Guy Boucher.
Between 2019 and 2025, the 6-foot-4, 231-pound Kostin played 190 NHL regular-season games for the Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks, recording 53 points and 169 penalty minutes. He also played in 12 playoff games in Edmonton’s run to the finals in 2023, recording five points and nine penalty minutes.
Last season, he had seven points and 27 penalty minutes in just 35 games for San Jose.
