Yaroslav Korostelyov terminates KHL contract, will join Sharks organization
Goaltender Yaroslav Korostelyov has terminated his contract with the KHL’s SKA St. Petersburg and will come to North America next season to join the San Jose Sharks, according to Hockey News Hub’s Jeremy Garrett and SJ Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng.
Sharks’ president Jonathan Becher appeared to confirm Garrett’s report on Saturday, but as of Sunday morning, the team itself had not released a statement or shared anything on social media.
In 2025-26, Korostelyov, 21, posted a 14-5-0 record with a .917 save percentage (SV%) and 2.22 goals against average (GAA) in 20 games with Russia’s MHL, a junior-tiered league of the KHL. In parts of five MHL seasons, Korostelyov, a 2024 seventh-round pick for the Sharks, has a 46-18-3 record with a .926 SV% and 2.29 GAA in 74 appearances.
Next season, Korostelyov, a native of St. Petersburg, Russia, will likely play with either the American Hockey League’s San Jose Barracuda and the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder.
It’s been a busy offseason for the Sharks. At the end of July, San Jose signed Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf to contract extensions, with Celebrini going to earn $18.8 million starting in 2027-28. Celebrini was also named the cover athlete for EA Sports NHL 27.
Celebrini, 20, scored 45 goals and added 70 assists for 115 points with San Jose in 2025-26, breaking the franchise record for the most points in a single season. He finished fourth in the NHL in goals, seventh in assists and fourth in points.
San Jose also acquired veteran defenseman Darnell Nurse from the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, in exchange for defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin and Zack Sharp.
