Traktor's final scorer from the 2025/26 season has hang 'em up, calling it a career.
American defenseman Stephen Kampfer, 36, announced his retirement from professional hockey during the season-ending ceremony of HC Traktor. According to the team's press service, this marks the culmination of a nearly two-decade-long career that started in 2006.
Kampfer, who debuted in the NHL with the Boston Bruins in the 2010-2011 season, was part of the championship-winning squad that year. In total, he played 234 NHL games, scoring 40 points with 16 goals and 24 assists. He also logged 392 games in the AHL, amassing 174 points, including 41 goals and 134 assists.
Kampfer's KHL career began in the 2021/22 season with Ak Bars Kazan and continued with Traktor in the summer of 2024. Over 131 games in the KHL, he recorded 76 points, netting 27 goals and tallying 49 assists. It was with Traktor that Kampfer helped secure the silver medal in the 2024/25 KHL Championship. In the final game of the Gagarin Cup series against Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, he tied the score, allowing Traktor to fight for victory in overtime.
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HC Traktor expressed their gratitude to Kampfer for his professionalism, significant contributions to the team's play, and wished him success in his future endeavors. The team's press service acknowledged Kampfer's hard work, stating simply, "Great job!"
As Kampfer embarks on his post-hockey career, fans, teammates, and colleagues will no doubt reflect on his impressive career spanning various levels of professional hockey.
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Sports enthusiasts might reminisce about Stephen Kampfer's NHL career, particularly his contribution to the championship-winning Boston Bruins squad in the 2010-2011 season. Despite his successful KHL journey, including silver medal wins with HC Traktor in the 2024/25 KHL Championship, his retirement from professional hockey marks the end of a two-decade-long sports career that also includes extensive play in the AHL.
