Canadian former NHL forwards Ryan Spooner and Nick Merkley have signed one-year contracts to play for the Shanghai Dragons, the Chinese-based KHL club announced on Saturday. Also signed on Saturday were goaltender goaltender Andrei Kareyev, defenseman Doyle Somberby and forward Nikita Popugayev. “Ryan Spooner is no stranger to the KHL and his strengths are well known: elite skating, speed, hockey IQ and a team-first mentality,” said Dragons CEO Igor Varitsky [https://hcredstar.com/?p=24236]. “He can ignite the offense and move the puck deep into the offensive zone, contributing both at even strength and on the power play.” Spooner, 33, was chosen in the second round, 45th overall, by the Boston Bruins [http://thn.com/boston] in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2012 and 2019, he played 325 NHL regular season games for the Bruins, New York Rangers [http://thn.com/nyrangers], Edmonton Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton] and Vancouver Canucks [http://thn.com/vancouver], recording 167 points and 63 penalty minutes. He also had two points in four playoff games for Boston in 2017. Since 2019, he’s played in the KHL for all but two games for HC Lugano in Switzerland. He has 271 points in 336 KHL regular-season and playoff games for Dinamo Minsk and Avangard Omsk. 2015 first-rounder Nick Merkley signs with KHL’s Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg [https://images.saymedia-content.com/.image/MjA3NzU0MTc1NjQ2Mjc5NDkz/usatsi_10495930.jpg] 2015 first-rounder Nick Merkley signs with KHL’s Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg Canadian forward Nick Merkley, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, <a href="https://www.hc-avto.ru/news/8669/">the KHL club recently announced</a>. For the past two seasons, Merkley played for Dinamo Minsk, the KHL’s Belarusian-based club. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/2015-first-rounder-nick-merkley-signs-with-khls-avtomobilist-yekaterinburg] “As for Nick Merkley, he is a skilled right-handed forward with speed and a scorer’s touch,” said Varitsky. Merkley, 28, was drafted 30th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes. Between 2017 and 2022, Merkley recorded 15 points in 41 NHL games for the Coyotes, New Jersey Devils [http://thn.com/newjersey] and San Jose Sharks [http://thn.com/sanjose]. He also had 13 points in 19 games for Finnish Liiga club Ässät Pori early in the 2020-21 season before the NHL belatedly commenced its season amid Covid restrictions. Over the past three KHL seasons for Dinamo Minsk and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, Merkley has 101 points in 209 regular-season and playoff games. Jake Chelios Retires From Chinese KHL Team [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f1e93641-ca54-4f7c-97c6-b3f69ea73e77.webp] Jake Chelios Retires From Chinese KHL Team Defenseman Jake Chelios, 34, has announced his retirement via video on the Instagram page of the Chinese-based KHL club that he’s played for the past six seasons. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/jake-chelios-retires-from-chinese-khl-team] It’s been a busy week for the Chinese-based KHL club, which was previously known as Kunlun Red Star but is undergoing a major rebranding. On Monday, defenseman Jake Chelios announced his retirement [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/jake-chelios-retires-from-chinese-khl-team]. On Wednesday, the club announced the signing of new head coach Gerard Gallant [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/gerard-gallant-takes-over-khl-s-shanghai-dragons], and on Friday the club announced the signings of five other players, including Slovak Olympic bronze-medal-winning goaltender Patrik Ryba [https://thehockeynews.com/international/players/slovak-olympic-medalist-goalie-changes-khl-teams]r. The Kunlun-Shanghai franchise has played its home games in suburban Moscow since early 2020 and will play in St. Petersburg this season, but plans to return to China in either 2026 or 2027. Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/e479c092-abba-4970-b86f-b5695d6460f5.webp] Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday. [https://thehockeynews.com/international/latest-news/gerard-gallant-takes-over-khl-s-shanghai-dragons]
