ECHL: Greensboro Announces Pair of Goaltender Moves

Ruslan Khazheyev

Ruslan Khazheyev is a Russian-born goaltender who was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 5th round of the 2023 NHL Draft. Prior to joining Greensboro, Khazheyev spent time last season in the AHL and ECHL with the Chicago Wolves and the Bloomington Bison. In his time with the Wolves, Khazheyev went 5-13-0 with a .876 sv% and a 3.49 GAA. Khazheyev also made an appearance with Bloomington posting a .800 sv% in a loss. The 6’4 Russian netminder is still only 20 years old and has been adjusting to the North American game. Before coming to North America, Khazheyev was a dominant force in the Russian MHL, going 16-5-2 with a .927 sv% and a 2.19 GAA.

Khazheyev is a development project in net, as are most 20-year-old goaltenders. The young netminder is an incredibly strong goaltender and excels at moving post to post. While Khazheyev is a very strong skater he can become too aggressive at times, as he is still very young for a goaltending prospect I would expect this to be a key part of his development in Greensboro. Fans can expect to see a healthy dose of Khazheyev in net this season as the Hurricanes are likely trying to maximize his opportunities by sending him to the ECHL.

Currently, Carolina has three goaltenders on their NHL roster with Andersen, Kochetkov, and Bussi all in Raleigh. Chicago has two goaltenders with Miftakhov and Quapp manning the crease for the Wolves. Once Kochetkov is healthy in the NHL, some movement can be expected in the organization. With the addition of Khazheyev, the Gargoyles instantly add significant skill to their goaltending group.

Dominic Basse

Earlier today, the Greensboro Gargoyles added another goaltender to their roster with the signing of 6’6 Dominic Basse. Basse is a 24-year-old goaltender from Virginia who was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 6th round of the 2019 NHL Draft. Prior to joining the Gargoyles, Basse spent time at Colorado College, St Cloud State University, and, most recently, St Lawrence University. While at St Lawrence University, Basse went 1-5-1 with a .894 SV% and a 3.43 GAA. Basse’s best collegiate season was in 2022-2023, where he went 11-5-2 with a .911 sv% and a 2.30 GAA. Basse is currently the third goaltender on the Gargoyles roster and will be competing with Sibell and Khazheyev for the crease.