Russian center Nikita Soshnikov, 30, has signed a one-year contract with Admiral Vladivostok, the KHL club announced Friday on social media.
Last season, Soshnikov had 30 points in 78 regular-season and playoff games for Traktor Chelyabinsk.
Originally from Nizhny Tagil, in the Sverdlovsk Oblast just north of Yekaterinburg and east of the Ural Mountains, Soshnikov developed and turned pro with the Atlant club in the Moscow suburb of Mytishchi.
Soshnikov played in North America from 2015 to 2019, mostly in the AHL but also played several NHL games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and St. Louis Blues. After three seasons back in Russia, Soshnikov returned for a brief three-game stint with the New York Islanders early in the 2022-23 season.
In all, he played 90 NHL games, during which he recorded 16 points and 26 penalty minutes. In 103 AHL regular-season and playoff games, he recorded 62 points and 44 penalty minutes. In seven KHL seasons with Atlant, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, CSKA Moscow, Avangard Omsk and Chelyabinsk, Soshnikov has so far played 353 games, recording 182 points and 188 penalty minutes.
Internationally, Soshnikov played for Russia at the 2018 IIHF World Championship, where he notched three assists in four games.
In Vladivostok, Soshnikov joins a roster that includes Canadian forward Jack Rodewall, Czech defenseman Libor Šulák and Slovak defenseman Mário Grman – the latter a member of the Slovak team that recently qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
As of Friday, Admiral has already played 10 KHL regular-season games, winning five.
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