KHL expands to China

The KHL is bringing an expansion franchise to Beijing, China next season. The team will share the 18,000 seat MasterCard Center with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association.

The new team will be financed by Russian and Chinese businesses and will include an academy staffed by several Russian coaches to develop players. There is also support from the Chinese government, which is seeking to expand hockey in time for the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022.

In 2016, the KHL will have 29 teams spread across seven countries in Europe and Asia, with 22 teams located in Russia.