The San Jose Sharks are bringing a player back to North America from the KHL by signing forward Egor Afanasyev. The team officially announced on Monday that Afanasyev has agreed to a one-year contract valued at $800,000. This signing follows his recent season (2024-25) playing in the Kontinental Hockey League for CSKA Moscow.
Sharks general manager Mike Grier commented on the acquisition, stating, “Egor brings a combination of size and skill to our forward group. We are excited to bring him into our organization as he continues his growth in the North American game.”
Afanasyev`s move back to the KHL for the 2024-25 campaign came after he spent the previous three seasons within the Nashville Predators organization, during which he split time between the NHL and AHL levels.
Over two seasons with Nashville, the Russian forward appeared in 19 NHL games. In these appearances, he recorded one goal and finished with a minus-8 rating, averaging 11 minutes and 4 seconds of ice time per game.
He experienced greater offensive production in the AHL, particularly during the 2023-24 season with the Milwaukee Admirals. That year, he registered 27 goals and 27 assists, accumulating a total of 54 points across 56 regular-season games.
In his single season with CSKA Moscow (2024-25), Afanasyev posted seven goals and 14 assists through 53 games played.
Afanasyev was originally selected by the Nashville Predators as the 45th overall pick in the second round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to turning professional, he played the 2019-20 season with the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) before being loaned to CSKA Moscow for the 2020-21 season.
The 24-year-old forward was acquired by the Sharks from the Predators in June 2024 as part of a trade package that saw forward Ozzy Wiesblatt head to Nashville.
