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It's full steam ahead for Yekaterinburg's "Avtomobilist" as they gear up for the new KHL season, bolstering their squad with shrewd signings. With key players renewing their contracts and several others bidding farewell (this off-season, the team said goodbye to Darren Dietz, Andrei Ogorodnikov, and Jesse Blacker), new talent is ready to fill the void.
The club has already announced the acquisition of Gagarin Cup winner Reid Boucher from "Avangard," and on June 4 and 5, two more forwards joined the Yekaterinburg team—Egor Chernikov from "Lada" and Roman Gorbunov, who transferred from Minsk "Dinamo."
Hailing from Nizhnevartovsk, Egor Chernikov, aged 22, emerged from the "Yugra" ranks and climbed the ladder with the Khanty-Mansiysk club, representing their junior squads. Last season, he made his debut in the KHL with "Yugra." Posting 146 points (64+82) in 225 games across four MHL seasons, he eventually became a full-fledged member of the main team. With the main team, Chernikov played 68 games, securing 28 points (18+10). He navigated his way to the KHL, joining the Tolyatti "Lada." Over 38 games with the latter, he tallied 12 points (8+4). Chernikov has signed on with "Avtomobilist" until the end of the next season. Embracing this fresh opportunity, Chernikov is prepared to take on any role to contribute to the team.
A Belarusian national hockey team veteran, 28-year-old Roman Gorbunov, kicked off his career in the MHL, playing for Nizhny Novgorod "Chayka" from 2013 to 2016. His next stop was HC "Sarov" in the VHL, where he played for his hometown team for two seasons before opting to continue his career in the Belarusian championship. In 2018, he inked a deal with Salihorsk "Shakhtar" and returned to the VHL in 2019, joining Tyumen "Rubin." Gorbunov moved on to Minsk "Dinamo" in 2020, where he launched his KHL career and spent the last five seasons. playing 293 games and amassing 140 points (67+73). Notably, Gorbunov is joining "Avtomobilist" following his greatest season to date—in the 2024/25 campaign, he scored 41 points (18+23) in 69 games, securing the team's second-best playoff run for the Gagarin Cup (9 points in 11 games). His "Avtomobilist" contract ends on May 31, 2028.
Previously, the "Regional Newspaper" revealed that "Avtomobilist" had penned a contract with the Gagarin Cup champion and "Avangard"'s top sniper, Reid Boucher.
While our search results lack specific statistics and details on Egor Chernikov's and Roman Gorbunov's KHL records, you can consult the official KHL website or other hockey databases to dig deeper into their careers and past performances.
- Egor Chernikov, fresh from joining "Avtomobilist," started his career with Yugra and climbed the ranks in Khanty-Mansiysk, now hoping to make an impact in the KHL.
- Roman Gorbunov, a veteran on the Belarusian national hockey team, is preparing to contribute to "Avtomobilist" after a successful stint with Minsk "Dinamo" and his best season yet in the 2024/25 campaign.
