Defender Ilya Karpukhin has signed a one-year contract extension with SKA St. Petersburg, accepting the qualifying offer from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club. The announcement was made by the SKA press service on June 3.

Karpukhin’s journey last season saw him start with Traktor Chelyabinsk before being traded to SKA on December 27 in exchange for forward Vasily Glotov. With SKA, he participated in 25 games, contributing significantly with 11 points (6 goals and 5 assists).

Throughout his KHL career, Karpukhin has accumulated considerable experience, playing in a total of 416 matches. His stats include 28 goals, 69 assists, and a plus/minus rating of +29.

Karpukhin had previously expressed his thoughts on joining SKA in an interview, describing the trade as unexpected but noting his quick adaptation to the team. He acknowledged the challenges of the season but conveyed his satisfaction with his role in St. Petersburg and his commitment to achieving success with the team.

The SKA team will also have a new head coach, Igor Larionov.