On Wednesday, former Reading Royals and Lehigh Valley Phantoms goalie Kirill Ustimenko signed a two-year deal with the Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL). On Monday, the Flyers did not offer Ustimenko a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Kirill Ustimenko (23-years-old) split his time last season with the Reading Royals and Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In Reading, Ustimenko was 9-6-3 with a 2.67 GAA and a .916 SV%, and in Lehigh Valley was 1-3-3 with a 2.91 GAA and a .900 SV%. Ustimenko missed the 2020-21 season when he injured his hip and had surgery. He worked his way back when he was loaned to HK Gomel (Belarus) with a 2.50 GAA and a .910 SV%.
In the 2019-20 season, he played 31 games for the Royals with a 19-4-5 record, a 2.40 GAA, and a .919 SV%. He also played five games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms with a 1-3-2 record, a 3.84 GAA, and a .889 SV%.
The Gomel, Belarus, native was the Flyers third-round pick (80th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft. Ustimenko played two seasons with the Reading Royals with a 28-10-8 record, a 2.50 GAA, and a .918 SV% in 50 games, while in Lehigh Valley was 2-6-5 with a 3.33 GAA and a .895 SV% in 13 games.
