Shanghai Dragons

Lore & Background

The team was originally established as Kunlun Red Star as part of China's preparations for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. 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, with the protocol signed by Vladislav Tretiak, Gennady Timchenko, and the board of Kunlun Red Star. The team only made the playoffs once, in 2017, and stopped playing games in China starting in the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After playing their games in Mytishchi Arena outside 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, under new ownership, they rebranded as the Shanghai Dragons while still based in Saint Petersburg. Former HC Vityaz executive Igor Varitsky was brought as general manager, and Gerard Gallant was hired as head coach on 13 August 2025.

The Shanghai Dragons played their first preseason game on 29 August 2025, beating HC Spartak Moscow 3–2 in the Moscow Mayor's Cup, and two days later defeated HC Dinamo Minsk 6–1 to clinch the bronze medal. On 6 September, they announced Spencer Foo as their inaugural captain, with Adam Clendening, Alexander Burmistrov, Jake Bischoff, and Ryan Spooner as alternate captains. That day, they played their first regular season game, defeating SKA Saint Petersburg 7–4 for their first win in franchise history.

Reader's Guide

The Shanghai Dragons represent a notable chapter in the KHL's expansion into Asia, originally founded as Kunlun Red Star to boost Chinese hockey ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Despite high ambitions, the team only reached the playoffs once, in 2017, and was forced to relocate its home games from China due to the COVID-19 pandemic, first to Mytishchi Arena and later to SKA Arena in Saint Petersburg. The rebranding to Shanghai Dragons on 7 August 2025 under new ownership marked a fresh start, with Igor Varitsky as general manager and Gerard Gallant as head coach. The team's early success in the 2025–26 season—winning its first preseason tournament bronze and its first regular-season game against SKA Saint Petersburg—established immediate momentum. The appointment of Spencer Foo as inaugural captain and the subsequent leadership changes (Dmitrij Jaškin as captain from 2026, Mitch Love as head coach from 2026, Evgeny Artyukhin as general manager from 2026, and Ilya Kovalchuk as team president from 2026) show ongoing organizational evolution. The Dragons' legacy is tied to their unique status as a Chinese-named team playing in Russia, with a stated intent to return to China.

Did You Know?

• The team rebranded from Kunlun Red Star to Shanghai Dragons on 7 August 2025.
• They played their first regular-season game on 6 September 2025, defeating SKA Saint Petersburg 7–4.
• Spencer Foo was named the inaugural captain of the Shanghai Dragons.
• The team clinched the bronze medal at the 2025 Moscow Mayor's Cup preseason tournament.