The 18th season of the Kontinental Hockey League starts today. Tomorrow, September 6, Ak Bars will play its opening regular season match against Metallurg in Magnitogorsk. The game will start at 2:30 PM (Moscow time).

Ak Bars retained most of its 2024/25 season roster, parting ways with two Internationals (Eric O’Dell and Nicolas Petan) and several Russians. Goalie Amir Miftakhov, who decided to go to NHL, was replaced by Mikhail Berdin. Defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk and forward Brandon Biro took two vacant international slots. The most high-profile signing of the summer for Kazan was the return of forward Grigory Denisenko to Russia.

Ak Bars started the preseason with four test matches and won three of them. Anvar Gatiyatulin’s team was stronger than Neftyanik (4:3), Neftekhimik (4:1) and Dynamo Moscow(3:1), but lost to Lada (1:2 SO). Then Ak Bars played two games at the Puchkov tournament – they beat SKA (3:2 OT) and lost to Avtomobilist (1:6). The preseason ended with a victory in Nizhnekamsk (5:3).

The opponents have met 76 times in KHL. Metallurg won 37 times (four in overtime, six in shootouts), and lost to Ak Bars 39 times (three times in overtime, four in a series of post-match shootouts). The goal difference is 156:169 in favor of “snow leopards”.

The game will be shown live on the KHL Prime and TNV channels. Before the match, during breaks and after the game, fans will be able to watch the “Ak Bars Show” on the TNV channel and in the club’s official VKontakte community.