One of the few goalies to leave Russia for North America shortly after being drafted, Khayzheyev played in 20 games for the Chicago Wolves of the AHL in 2024-25. He was not meaningfully outplayed by older, more experienced goalies and the Wolves were terrible defensively most of the season. As such, you can’t fault the goalie for his .876 SV% and 3.49 GAA during his 20 year old season. He should continue growing his starts in 2025-26 and could take over the starting job by the end of the season if he settles into a groove while adjusting to the North American game. Look for him to get his first NHL start within the next few years if he continues seizing his opportunities.

Starting 5 of Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk’s games and playing in 6 of 8, Khazheyev has cemented himself as the bonafide starter. Posting an extremely impressive .939% save percentage (a .942% if you include the one game in which he came in relief), Khazheyev had a strong January. This month also saw him post a 32 save shutout, which must have gotten the attention of the Traktor coaches, seen by him practicing with the team on January 19th. He also started off February with a 39 save win in which he faced 42 shots. Khazheyev’s contract with Traktor/Belye Medvedi runs out at the end of the year and he has not yet re-signed, which might be an indication of a potential ELC coming (or he is waiting until the end of the season).