Ilya Samsonov has returned to North America after a short stint in the KHL last season.
Samsonov, 29, signed a one-year, two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. The deal will see the Russian backstop paid $850k with the Sharks in the NHL and $225k with the San Jose Barracuda in the AHL.
Samsonov got a late start to the 2025-26 campaign, signing with HC Sochi in November after becoming an unrestricted free agent the summer prior. He appeared in 14 KHL games, finishing the season with a 3.27 goals-against average, a .903 Save Percentage, and one shutout.
In his last NHL stint, Samsonov served as backup to Adin Hill for the Vegas Golden Knights. He appeared in 29 contests for the 2024-25 Golden Knights, posting a 16-9-4 record with a 2.82 goals-against average, a .891 save percentage, and two shutouts.
Samsonov, a former first-round pick of the Washington Capitals, has made 200 career NHL appearances with the Caps, Golden Knights, and Toronto Maple Leafs, totaling a 118-48-25 record with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and 15 shutouts.
The Sharks already have four other goaltenders under contract for next season, including Yaroslav Askarov, Eric Comrie, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Kyle Keyser. Askarov got the bulk of the starts last season (47), with Nedeljkovic serving as his backup.
