- Martin Frk signed a two-year deal with the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons
- The 32-year-old winger heads to Russia for the first time after 13 pro seasons
- Read below for what the AHL scoring machine brings to China’s lone KHL club
Martin Frk is taking his game to China. The 32-year-old winger signed a two-year contract with the KHL’s Shanghai Dragons, the club announced, closing the book on 13 seasons of pro hockey in North America.
This is his first crack at Russia’s top league. It’s only his second stop in Europe at all, after a one-year run in Switzerland’s National League back in 2023-24.
Frk made his name in the minors. The Red Wings took him 49th overall in 2012, and he bounced through Detroit, Carolina, Los Angeles, St. Louis and Calgary at the NHL level. The numbers up top never followed, just 41 points in 124 career games.
Down a level, he’s been a machine. Two seasons with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers produced back-to-back 60-point years, including 30 goals and 60 points in 66 games this past season. That pushed him to 437 AHL points in 536 games, and only eight players have scored more in the league since 2013.
Casual fans might remember the shot. In January 2020, Frk cranked a 109.2 mph blast at the AHL All-Star Skills competition, topping Zdeno Chara’s NHL record of 108.8.
Shanghai needs the help. The Dragons finished tied for fifth-worst in their debut KHL season and spent the summer loading up on North American talent, bringing in Brett Murray and Givani Smith. Frk might be the biggest get of the group, and he should slot into top-six minutes right away.
He also fills a hole. The Dragons lost leading scorer Nick Merkley, who put up 45 points last year before leaving for Dynamo Moskva this summer.
Frk joins a growing list of North American pros chasing minutes overseas this offseason. For a guy who could never stick in the NHL, a top-six role in the KHL is a fresh start at 32.
