Detroit Red Wings prospect Dmitri Buchelnikov is continuing his strong play for CSKA Moscow in the KHL preseason. The 21-year-old left-winger drew an assist on the second goal in CSKA’s 2-0 shutout of Spartak in the Moscow Mayor’s Cup tournament.
The player Detroit chose with the 52nd overall pick of the 2022 NHL entry draft has points in all three of CSKA Moscow’s preseason games. Buchelnikov scored three goals over the first two games.
It’s not easy to get one from Dmitry Buchelnikov.#KHLMoments pic.twitter.com/Sbtf6qNExK
— KHL (@khl_eng) July 9, 2025
CSKA acquired Buchelnikov from Vityaz in a summer trade. He has one season left on his KHL contract, so he could be heading to North America when his Russian commitment comes to a conclusion in the spring.
Former Red Wings Forward Sprong Nets Game Winner
It was ex-Red Wings forward Daniel Sprong who would open the scoring with what would prove to be the eventual game-winning goal.
“It’s nice, but this is a pre-season tournament and goals don’t count here,” Sprong told Russian website Sport-Express of his game-winner.
The 28-year-old Sprong is playing his first season in Europe after spending the past 10 seasons playing 374 NHL games for a total of six different clubs. That includes 76 games with the Red Wings in 2023-24, during which Sprong accounted for 18 goals and 43 assists in what was his second-best NHL season.
The Dutch-born Sprong is offering rave reviews so far about his Russian experience.
🚨 Daniel Sprong opens the scoring for CSKA in the 2nd period on the powerplay. #KHLpreseason pic.twitter.com/lb8k2GUNCH
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) August 28, 2025
“Moscow is a great city,” Sprong said. “I feel very good here. We have a very strong coach (Igor Nikitin) who won the championship last year (with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl). We are preparing for the season, figuring out teamwork.”
Drawing comparisons between the NHL and KHL, Sprong says, “I think they are a little different.”
He’s already noticing tendencies being exhibited by KHL opponents. “Each KHL team has its own style, and it is unique,” Sprong said. “Dynamo plays more defensively. Spartak is more aggressive.”
As for his own goals for the season, Sprong isn’t revealing much.
“This is my secret,” he said.