Traktor Chelyabinsk Signs Goalkeeper Dmitry Nikolayev from Spartak

On Sunday, January 25, it became known about the possible transfer of goalkeeper Dmitry Nikolayev to Chelyabinsk«s Traktor from Moscow»s Spartak. The information was published by Sport-Express, indicating a transfer fee of 15 million rubles (approximately $150,000).

The 26-year-old goalkeeper signed a contract with Spartak in 2025, but in the fall, the club placed him on waivers. Currently, Nikolayev plays for the farm club Khimik from Voskresensk.

Later that same day, the Continental Hockey League (KHL) confirmed that Dmitry Nikolayev signed an agreement with Traktor.

The Chelyabinsk club officially announced the acquisition of the goalkeeper, clarifying that the deal was in the form of an exchange for monetary compensation.

General Manager of Traktor Alexey Volkov stated:

«The goalkeeper position is extremely scarce in the KHL today, and we have finally managed to reach a consensus with Spartak on the transfer of Dmitry Nikolayev. At 26 years old, he is already an experienced hockey player, having played three full seasons in the League and performed well in the playoffs. We expect that he will compete with Sergey Mylnikov and strengthen our goaltending line.»

Simultaneously, Timeout observer Ivan Nevsky reported that Traktor is negotiating with former Spartak defender Michal Čajkovský.

The Slovak hockey player left the Moscow club in the offseason, and in the fall joined Swiss Ambrì Piotta. However, on January 25, the club«s press service announced that Čajkovský terminated his contract, »expressing a desire to immediately return to Slovakia.«

This same week, former Traktor head coach Benoît Groulx took over the coaching staff of Swiss Zug, and Chelyabinsk club graduate Maxim Shalunov once again extended his agreement with Yaroslavl«s Lokomotiv.