01 October 2025

September recap: Barys, by Sport Qory

Let’s look back at Barys’ performance in the opening month of the 2025/26 KHL regular season. This review was prepared in cooperation with the club’s partner, the Tourism and Sports Industry Support Fund.

Barys played 10 games in September, earning 5 wins and 1 overtime loss. With 11 points, Mikhail Kravets’ team sat sixth in the Eastern Conference standings as of noon on October 1.

The Astana side scored 27 goals (2.7 per game), also sixth-best in the East. Their biggest win came on September 15 at home against Dynamo Moscow (5:2). Defensively, they allowed 26 goals (2.6 per game), ranking fifth in the conference, though some defensive leaders have played fewer games. Their toughest loss was a 1:5 defeat in Magnitogorsk against current conference leaders Metallurg on September 18.

On the power play, Barys converted 7 of 47 chances (14.9%), placing 18th in the KHL. However, their penalty kill was the best in the league: only 3 goals conceded on 36 opportunities (91.7%).

Michael Vecchione was both the team’s top scorer and points leader through 10 games, the only Barys player to reach double digits with 10 points (4+6).

Jake Massie (2+6) ranked among the top five scoring defensemen in the KHL early this season and led all Barys blueliners in points. He also topped the team with 22 blocked shots.

Goaltender Andrey Shutov carried the bulk of the workload in September, logging 451 minutes. He posted a 3.19 GAA with a .907 save percentage.

Forward Emil Galimov was the team’s most efficient player with a +4 rating and had the longest scoring streak, recording points in six straight games from the start of the season. That run ended in Minsk against Dinamo, when Barys was shut out for the first time this season.

Riley Walsh led the team in average ice time (22:59) and hits (17).

Ansar Shaikhmeddenov was Barys’ best faceoff center, winning 74 of 136 draws (54.4%). Vecchione also deserves a mention — stepping in occasionally, he won 21 of 27 faceoffs (an elite 77.8%).

Attendance was strong: Barys’ seven home games drew a total of 59,175 fans (8,454 per game on average). The first sellout of the season came on September 13 against Dinamo Minsk, with 11,626 spectators filling Barys Arena.