Ivan Chekhovich is no longer a member of the Sharks organization.
A seventh-round selection by San Jose in the 2017 NHL Draft, Chekhovich and the Sharks agreed to a mutual termination of his contract on Monday.
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Chekhovich, 22, had a rollercoaster tenure with the Sharks. He quickly gained favor within the organization after tallying three goals and six assists in six AHL games with the San Jose Barracuda in 2017-18. However, his production fell off the next two seasons. Chekhovich then left for the KHL, where he starred as a rookie last year with 34 points in 43 games. He then made his NHL debut, appearing in four games for the Sharks in 2020-21, with zero goals and one assist.
Chekhovich's departure can be directly tied to the additions the Sharks have made this offseason. After adding Nick Bonino, Andrew Cogliano and others to the incumbent forward group, Chekhovich's chances of making the Sharks' roster out of training camp were extremely low.
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But rather than return to the Barracuda in the AHL, Chekhovich reportedly is heading back to the KHL. San Jose Hockey Now's Sheng Peng reported Monday, citing a source, that Chekhovich is returning to Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, his KHL club last year.