Kale Clague swaps Manitoba for the KHL, signing with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg

Kale Clague’s hockey season in Manitoba has ended with an overseas next chapter. According to reports, the veteran defenceman has signed a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg of the KHL, choosing the European route after anchoring the defensive corps for the Manitoba Moose.

Clague, 28, spent the 2025-26 campaign with the Moose following a brief organizational stint in Winnipeg. Yahoo Sports and The Hockey News reported that he had signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Winnipeg Jets last summer, but the door to the NHL did not open during the regular season, and he remained with Manitoba for the full schedule.

In Manitoba, Clague produced from the back end while operating in a stabilizing role. The Hockey News reported that he finished the season with nine goals and 27 points in 67 games. That output matters in the AHL because it speaks to more than scoring. As a long, athletic defender who can move the puck and stay on the right side of transitions, his job is often to make the rest of the group look better, whether the game is being managed in the middle period or under pressure in the closing stretch.

The move also closes a recognizable circle. Clague is a Regina native, but he returned to Manitoba as a pro after building his junior résumé in the province. The Hockey News noted that he spent four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, including the 2015-16 Western Hockey League championship run, before moving into the professional ranks.

Before Manitoba, Clague carried NHL experience from his early draft pedigree. The Hockey News reported that the Los Angeles Kings selected him in the second round (51st overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, and he later made his NHL debut with the Kings. The same report summarized his league resume as 94 career NHL games with stints that included the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, with two goals and 21 points recorded at the top level.

The KHL is not simply a detour for players with NHL reps. It is one of the world’s highest-profile professional leagues, with a different style and a larger international pool of talent, and it often attracts defencemen looking for prominent minutes and a central role rather than depth deployment. For Clague, the reported contract length suggests the intention is to settle in and contribute as a full-time piece.

For the Jets and Moose, the immediate impact is roster planning. Manitoba will have to replace a veteran that can play heavy responsibility while still producing offensively. Winnipeg, meanwhile, faces the broader question of how it wants to balance internal development with experienced call-up options if another season goes the way this one did for Clague.

For Clague, the question in the coming months is how quickly he adapts to the KHL’s tempo and travel demands while maintaining the kind of puck-moving and scoring contributions that made him stand out in Manitoba. If his first KHL training camp role aligns with what the reports suggest, he could become one of Avtomobilist’s steady defensive organizers rather than a short-term bridge. The next watch items will be his early-season ice time, special-teams usage, and how the team uses him in different zone starts.