Spirit sign defenceman Gordei Khotkov

Saginaw, MI – The Saginaw Spirit have signed Russian defenseman Gordei Khotkov (GOR-dee KAWT-kawv) to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, General Manager Dave Drinkill has announce. Khotkov was Saginaw’s first selection in the 2026 CHL Import Draft at 16th overall.

“Khotkov is a player that came up on our radar a year ago,” said Drinkill. “We watched a lot of video on him and he was a big-time player of interest for us moving into the import draft. When the rules changed to allow us to draft 2010-born players, we were very excited at the chance to add him to our already impressive group. Gordei is a mobile, skilled, and smooth-skating defenseman who can contribute at both ends of the ice.”

Khotkov is a left-shot defenseman from Yaroslavl, Russia standing at 6’5”, 210lbs. At 16 years old, he spent the 2025-2026 season playing at the U16 and U17 levels for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and CSKA Moskva. In 56 regular season and tournament games at both levels, Khotkov finished the season with 63 points (24G-39A).

“We believe Gordei has the abilities and the mindset to be successful in our system. He is physically mature for his age as well, which will allow for an easier transition into matchups against older players. I believe that under Chris Lazary and our staff, Gordei has the potential to be a star in this league and beyond. We are extremely happy to sign Gordei today and look forward to working with him in August.”

The young defenseman’s finest performance of the season came at the U16 Russia Cup with CSKA Moskva. He tallied 31 points (13G-18A) in 19 games and led all defenseman in tournament scoring. Khotkov also appeared internationally at the U16 level, with four assists in four games while representing Russia.