Astana-based hockey club Barys has signed one-year contracts with its alumni, forwards Abzal Alibek and Asanali Sarkenov, who have spent the past two seasons playing in North American leagues, reports the website infohub.kz.

Alibek recorded 32 points (12 goals, 30 assists) in 46 games last season for the Philadelphia Rebels in the North American Hockey League (NAHL), a junior league for players aged 16-20. Sarkenov played for the Spokane Chiefs in the Western Hockey League (WHL) of Canada, also for the same age group, tallying 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) in 46 games including the playoffs.

"We are glad to have Abzal and Asanali back in our system," said Barys general manager Leonid Metallnikov. "The two-way contracts (allowing them to play both in the Kontinental Hockey League for Barys and in the Kazakhstan Championship for Nomad) will give them a chance to prove themselves, compete for a spot on the main roster, and add depth to our reserve. We hope they will quickly adapt to the coaching staff's requirements. We expect full dedication and progress from them."

The contracts are for one season, through May 31, 2027. On Thursday, July 17, both newcomers held their first ice practice alongside seven other players on two-way deals. Main roster players will join them in early August.

On August 17, Barys will play its first game of the KHL preseason tournament, the Republic of Bashkortostan Cup in Ufa, facing local team Salavat Yulaev, as well as Khabarovsk's Amur and Tolyatti's Lada. On August 27, the Astana-based club will meet St. Petersburg's SKA in the second preseason tournament, the Nikolai Puchkov Memorial Tournament honoring the late Soviet national team and CSKA goaltender. This tournament, like many others, follows a round-robin format with the winner determined by total points. In addition to Barys and SKA, participants include SKA's farm team SKA-VMF and Khabarovsk's Amur.

Since the Puchkov tournament was revived in 2014, the host team has won eight times, while Finland's Jokerit has two titles, and Avangard Omsk and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg have one each. The Kazakh team's final preparation stage for the 2026/27 KHL season will take place at Barys Arena from August 31 to September 6. Barys' regular-season opener is scheduled for September 7 at home against Novosibirsk's Sibir.