North Raleigh Today

Don Waddell, the President and General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, has announced that goaltender Ruslan Khazheyev has been signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the team. The agreement ensures Khazheyev will earn $775,000 annually at the NHL level from 2024-25 to 2026-27. At the American Hockey League (AHL) level, he will receive $82,500 per season over the same period. Additionally, signing bonuses totaling $210,000 are included in the contract.

"Ruslan is a big goaltender who moves extremely well for his size and has good instincts in the crease," said Waddell. "He has had a strong junior career in Russia, and we're excited to see him transition to the pro level in North America."

Khazheyev, aged 19, played this season for Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk in Russia's top junior league, MHL. He recorded a 16-5-2 record with a goals-against average of 2.19 and a save percentage of .927 across 28 appearances. The netminder also made his debut with Chelmet Chelyabinsk in Russia's VHL league where he posted impressive stats: a record of 1-0-0 with a goals-against average of 1.00 and a save percentage of .958.

Over parts of three seasons (2021-24) with Belye Medvedi, Khazheyev accumulated a record of 27-16-10 with an average goals-against rate of 2.34 and save percentage standing at .923 over 61 MHL games. During this season’s playoffs for Belye Medvedi, he achieved a playoff record of 5-7 with an average goals-against rate at 2.48 and save percentage marked at .917 across twelve games helping his team reach league semifinals.

Originally from Chelyabinsk in Russia, Khazheyev was selected by Carolina as their fifth-round pick (158th overall) during the NHL Draft held last year in 2023.