MOSCOW, Aug 18 Striker Nikita Popugaev, who in 2021 announced retirement, signed a trial contract with the club of the Continental Hockey League (KHL) Sochi, according to the website of the hockey club. The trial contract is designed for the pre-season training camp. Based on the results of the viewing, a decision can be made to sign a full-fledged agreement with the club. Popugaev is 23 years old, he is a graduate of the Dynamo Moscow school, played in the KHL for Amur, CSKA, Dynamo (Moscow) and Neftekhimik. In the KHL, he played 78 games and scored 9 points (3 goals + 6 assists). In 2017, the hockey player was drafted by the New Jersey National Hockey League club in the fourth round under the 98th overall number. In 2021, the hockey player announced his retirement from playing and recorded a video in which he burned his hockey uniform. He became a blogger, but in April 2022 he said that ending his career was a mistake.
