Konstantin Shafranov became the new head coach of Metallurg.

Konstantin Shafranov has been appointed head coach of Metallurg Magnitogorsk, the hockey club's press service reported on Friday, October 23. The agreement with the 58-year-old specialist runs until the end of the current season of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Shafranov has a rich history of playing for the Magnitogorsk team. In the 1994/95 and 1998/99 seasons, he played for Metallurg, where he became the champion of Russia, the bronze medalist of the national championship and the winner of the Euroleague. As RIA Novosti Sport notes, the specialist has already won the Gagarin Cup in 2021, working as an assistant coach at Avangard Omsk.

The specialist was replaced by Andrey Razin, with whom the club officially terminated the contract on October 18. Earlier, on October 6, Razin was suspended from his job at Metallurg due to disagreements with players on gaming issues and the nature of interaction. Before the coach's dismissal, the team was leading in the Eastern Conference, but suffered a number of defeats from outsiders amid public criticism of the hockey players from the mentor. After leaving the Magnitogorsk club, Razin became the head of the St. Petersburg SKA.

In the period between the departure of the former mentor and the appointment of Shafranov, the duties of the head coach were performed by Vladimir Vorobyov and Yuri Trubachev. Under Trubachev's leadership, Metallurg lost to Ufa's Salavat Yulaev on October 21 with a score of 4:5 in a shootout.

Prior to this appointment, Shafranov worked as an assistant coach at several KHL clubs, including Avangard, SKA, Ak Bars, Amur and Avtomobilist. He has also been a member of the coaching staff of the Russian national team since 2021, and in December 2025, the specialist was included in the staff of the Russia 25 national team.

"He won the Gagarin Cup, gained tremendous experience and managed to establish himself as a competent specialist who knows how to set the majority, and instills bright, attacking hockey in his players. This is exactly the kind of playing style that Metallurg has always been characterized by, and it is precisely this model that our team is built for," said Evgeny Biryukov, Magnitogorsk Sports Director.

The club's management emphasized that the team's goal remains to win the Gagarin Cup. Sports director Evgeny Biryukov clarified that Shafranov was chosen precisely for his ability to put the game in the majority and his commitment to an attacking style. The club expects that the combination of the achievements of the new coach and the skills of the current squad will help achieve the goals set.

At the moment, Metallurg occupies the first place in the Eastern Conference standings, having scored 30 points after 19 meetings. Despite the recent defeat by Salavat Yulaev, the team retains its leadership in its division.