08 February 2026

World Stars Finish Fourth with Kravets and Scheel

The 2026 KHL All-Star Weekend came to a close in Yekaterinburg.

In the third-place game, World Stars fell to Ural Stars by a score of 9–6. Adam Scheel started the game in goal, making several impressive saves during the opening period. As a result, the team coached by Mikhail Kravets and Mitch Love finished the tournament in fourth place.

Mikhail Kravets, Head Coach of KHL World Stars and Barys

"As I said before, this is more of a show than a competitive game. Our job was to entertain the fans, make them smile, and help them enjoy the event. Scheel allowed six goals? Most of them came on breakaways or two-on-none situations. It's extremely difficult for a goaltender to play without any defensive support. Hockey curling? I'd never taken part in anything like that before—there hadn't been competitions like this for coaches in the past. I wanted to make a softer shot, but the ice had just been resurfaced, so I actually needed to throw it with even less force. What's next? First, we need to get back to Astana safely. Then it's back to practice and preparing for games. We have a five-game homestand ahead of us against strong opponents, and we'll be doing everything we can to win."

Adam Scheel, Goaltender of KHL World Stars and Barys

"This wasn't the result we were hoping for, but the most important thing is that everyone had fun and nobody got injured. We enjoyed a great weekend with our families and friends. Personally, I wanted to play better, but statistics weren't really the focus here. This weekend is about entertainment, kids, and families. Coach Kravets in the skills competition? I didn't actually see his attempt, but judging by the result, I'd say he put a little too much into it. We'll work on that together. Maybe some of the guys will give him a few tips once we're back home."

On the second day of the All-Star Weekend, fans enjoyed the remaining Master Show events: Hardest Shot, Goaltenders' Challenge, and Hockey Curling.

The Hardest Shot competition was won by Grigory Dronov of Ural Stars and Traktor, whose shot was clocked at 154.88 km/h.

This year's Goaltenders' Challenge tested not only shot-stopping ability but also stickhandling, shooting accuracy, and shooting power. Vladimir Galkin of Ural Stars and Avtomobilist claimed first place.

All head coaches participated in the Hockey Curling event, where they attempted to slide a puck as close to the center target as possible from the goal line. Coaches were also allowed to knock away their opponents' pucks to improve their own position. Each participant had one attempt, with the best shot delivered by Igor Grishin, head coach of U23 Stars and Neftekhimik.

The second day of the 2026 KHL All-Star Weekend attracted 11,423 spectators, bringing the total attendance over two days to 22,769.

In the championship game, Rus Stars cruised to a 9–2 victory over U23 Stars. One of the highlights of the game was a unique two-on-two goaltender fight, with Maksim Dorozhko challenging Sergey Ivanov, while Ilya Nabokov squared off against Filipp Dolganov. All four goaltenders were sent to the penalty box after the altercation, allowing Daniil Aimurzin to score into an empty net. The Severstal forward finished the game with five goals and was named the Most Valuable Player of the final.