Riley Sutter is officially Russia-bound after agreeing to a one-year contract with the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons for the 2025-26 season.
The official announcement comes a month and four days after Sutter reportedly agreed to terms with the franchise.
“Riley Sutter brings size and reliability down the middle,” Igor Varitsky, Shanghai Dragons general manager, said in a release. “He’s effective on faceoffs, sacrifices his body to block shots, and strengthens our penalty kill.”
Sutter was one of five player signings announced on Tuesday, joining defenseman Joseph Duszak and forwards Ivan Chekhovich, Max Ellis, and Nate Sucese on the team.
The 25-year-old Canadian forward will wear number 14 with the club. Gerard Gallant, a longtime NHL head coach with four different teams, will be the Shanghai’s bench boss. The Dragons have also inked former NHL players Jake Bischoff and Gage Quinney to contracts, both of whom played under Gallant with the Vegas Golden Knights.
As Sutter awaited his signing to be announced, the franchise, formerly known as the Kunlun Red Star, rebranded to the Shanghai Dragons on August 7, relocating their base of operations in China from Beijing to Shanghai. The team will play their home games at SKA Arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, this season, which has a spectator capacity of 22,500, before relocating to China as soon as the 2026-27 season.
Sutter departs the Capitals organization after six seasons with the Bears, where he was a crucial member of Hershey’s back-to-back Calder Cup championship teams in 2023 and 2024.
Sutter, a 2018 third-round pick (93rd overall) by the Caps, notched 65 points (21g, 44a) in 279 AHL games, posting a career-best season in 2023-24 where he tallied 23 points (9g, 14a).
The writing appeared to be on the wall at the end of the year when Sutter discussed his time in Hershey with the media during his breakdown day interview.
“You come in here at 19 and you don’t really know what to expect in pro hockey,” Sutter said. “I’ve learned a lot of life lessons here from finding my own apartment, having to get my own groceries, and just really growing up. I think I’ve really matured a lot as a player and person here. All the support I’ve got from the fans, coaches, teammates is nothing short of amazing. I’ve been pretty lucky that I can, that I’ve been able to be here my whole career so far. It’s hard to think that I might have to be somewhere else next year.”
He added, “I love it here,” Sutter said. “It’s going to hold a special place in my heart. And, you know, it’s been a lot of fun.”
With Sutter’s departure, Hershey has seen most of its veterans from the last several seasons move on, including Mike Vecchione, Hunter Shepard, Pierrick Dubé, Chase Priskie, Mike Sgarbossa, Alex Limoges, and Jake Massie.
