“Ak Bars” has finally signed a new goalkeeper—here’s what we know about him

Kazan’s “Ak Bars” has signed a new goalkeeper for its main roster. The newcomer is Mikhail Berdin, who previously played for “Avangard.” Will the player strengthen the team, and what is known about the transfer?

The Kazan team announced the transfer of the 27-year-old, who was part of Omsk’s “Avangard” last season. The contract with the goalkeeper is for one season. According to reports, the goalkeeper will earn 15 million rubles this year.

The head coach of “Ak Bars,” Anvar Gatiyatulin, essentially confirmed Berdin’s move to Kazan. When asked whether the collision between goalkeeper Maxim Arefyev and Wyatt Kalyniuk during a friendly match with “Neftekhimik” influenced Berdin’s signing, Gatiyatulin stated that the selection process was unrelated to this incident.

“I previously spoke about the positions we needed to strengthen. Work is underway in this direction, including for goalkeepers,” said the head coach of the Kazan team.

Arefyev was also asked if he was ready to compete with Berdin, to which the Kazan goalkeeper replied that he was “ready for anything.” In reality, Arefyev will now become the third goalkeeper for “Ak Bars.”

The general manager of the Kazan team, Marat Valiullin, stated after signing Berdin that the club had considered various options to strengthen this position. Reports suggested that Kazan was also interested in the goalkeeper of Minsk’s “Dinamo,” Vasily Demchenko. However, “Ak Bars” understood that starting the season with only two goalkeepers would be risky.

Valiullin said that Kazan needed a player with experience in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) who could compete for the starting role. The general manager noted that Berdin has a professional attitude and extensive experience, including playing in North America.

“He was ready to play full-time last season and prepared for this season as usual. Nevertheless, during negotiations, we considered potential risks and reached an understanding—the player’s side agreed to the move for the opportunity to play specifically for ‘Ak Bars,'” Valiullin stated.

The general manager also mentioned that the club is monitoring the situation in the training camp of Artur Akhtyamov, who could return to “Ak Bars.” A similar situation applies to Amir Miftakhov, who left the Kazan club this summer and moved to North America.

Berdin has played 94 games in the KHL for SKA St. Petersburg, “Sochi,” and “Avangard.” His teams won 33 games, and he maintained a save percentage of 91.3%. In the AHL, Berdin played for the “Manitoba Moose” and “Jacksonville Icemen,” appearing in 132 games with 66 wins and 8 shutouts, posting a save percentage of 90.8%.

Last season, Berdin played for “Avangard,” recording 7 wins in 11 games, conceding 19 goals with a save percentage of 92.9% and a goals-against average of 1.87. However, he did not play any games in the Gagarin Cup playoffs. During his two seasons with “Sochi,” he allowed 213 goals in 69 games.

Berdin made his debut for “Avangard” only in the middle of the 24/25 KHL regular season. He missed games due to an injury sustained during the Blinov preseason tournament. Rumors circulated during the season that the goalkeeper might leave the team. Before the season, Berdin was considered “Avangard’s” first-choice goalkeeper.

The goalkeeper is a product of Ufa’s “Salavat Yulaev” and also played for youth teams of “Vityaz.” In 2016, he was selected in the 6th round, 157th overall, in the NHL draft—his rights were acquired by the “Winnipeg Jets.” However,