The New Jersey Devils’ 98th overall selection in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Nikita Popugaev, has spent his career internationally. He never signed with the Devils after being drafted, and the 26-year-old announced he would be playing in the KHL this season. He is set to join the Shanghai Dragons, the newest KHL team. The Dragons are the rebranded Kunlun Red Star and will play their home games in St. Petersburg for the 2025–26 season, with plans to move to Shanghai in the future. In the meantime, the team is filling out its inaugural roster. Another former Devil will also appear on the roster. Nick Merkley, the 30th overall selection in the 2015 NHL Draft, played four games with the Devils in 2019–20 and 27 games in 2020–21. Merkley recorded two points in his first season with New Jersey and 10 points in his second. Popugaev was once expected to make an impact on the Devils’ roster. Instead, he played one season of professional hockey in North America before returning to Russia, stepping away from the game entirely, then making a comeback in the KHL. Now he will join the first roster of the Shanghai Dragons. He attempted to break into North American hockey in 2018–19 but was unsuccessful. Popugaev spent his time with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils and the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder. He appeared in 17 games with Binghamton, tallying five points, and later played 47 games with Adirondack, where he recorded 25 points. In 2021, he announced via Instagram that he was retiring from hockey at 22 years old to pursue a career as an influencer. He shared a message in Russian, later translated by Championat, declaring that he was leaving hockey behind to “try something new”. He asked fans for their support as he launched video content. His influencer career was short-lived, and by 2022–23, he had returned to the KHL. Now, Popugaev is looking to continue his professional hockey journey with the Shanghai Dragons after a whirlwind career on and off the ice.
