CSKA signed one-year contracts with four hockey players for the 2025-26 season as part of "Zvezda", the second team within the franchise, playing in the VHL (All-Russian Hockey League).
New contracts were signed by forwards Sergei Shamshurin and Nikita Shalyshkin, both graduates of the CSKA Hockey School. The 23-year-old Shamshurin played 148 games in three VHL seasons with "Zvezda" (23 goals, 37 assists, +12 plus−minus statistic). The 21-year-old Shalyshkin had 41 (11+30) points in 113 games for "Zvezda".
Forward Sergei Lapin is back with the Red-and-Blue. The 29-year-old played three seasons for "Zvezda", and played in the KHL for Khabarovsk Amur in 2022-25.
Another fresher of the team is defender Mark Lypkan. The 31-year-old skated in the VHL for Dynamo Balashikha, Sokol Krasnoyarsk, Saryarka Karagandy, Novokuznetsk Metallurg, and Rubin Tyumen. Lypkan was the league champion, winning the Bratina Cup and the Petrov Cup in 2018 and 2019.
