Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) club HC Sibir Novosibirsk have terminated the contract of 35-year-old Canadian forward Taylor Beck on the team's initiative with a compensation payout.
The departure was reported by Russian sports outlet Sports.ru, citing the Novosibirsk club. In a farewell statement, HC Sibir's press service thanked Beck for his standout play with the team and wished him success in his future career.
Beck appeared in 11 KHL games for Sibir during the current season, recording five points from two goals and three assists. Under KHL contract rules, a club that unilaterally ends a player's agreement on its own initiative must pay severance compensation to buy out the remainder of the deal.
Waivers and VHL assignment to Dynamo-Altai
The contract termination followed a roster move made last month. On October 18, Sibir placed the Canadian winger on KHL waivers, making his contract available to the rest of the league.
Under league regulations, rival clubs have a set window to claim a player placed on the waiver wire. After no other KHL team claimed Beck, Sibir assigned him to Dynamo-Altai in Barnaul, a club competing in the Vysshaya Hokkeinaya Liga (VHL).
The VHL, also known in English as the All-Russian Hockey League, operates as the second tier of professional ice hockey in Russia directly below the KHL, allowing top-flight clubs to send players who clear waivers to lower-tier partner teams. Based in Barnaul, the administrative centre of Altai Krai south of Novosibirsk, Dynamo-Altai represent the southern Siberian region in the second division.
During his assignment in Barnaul, Beck held a masterclass for young hockey players, but he never played an official game for Dynamo-Altai before Sibir ended his contract.
Taylor Beck's KHL records and career statistics
Despite his quiet start to the current campaign, Beck departs Novosibirsk as one of the most productive players in the club's modern history. Based in Siberia's largest city, HC Sibir compete in the KHL's Eastern Conference against professional clubs from across Russia and Eurasia.
Born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Beck began his professional career in North America after the Nashville Predators selected him in the National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. The right-handed winger played in the NHL for the Predators, the New York Islanders, the Edmonton Oilers, and the New York Rangers before moving to the KHL, where he also suited up for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, Kunlun Red Star, Avangard Omsk, Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and Dinamo Minsk.
Beck joined Sibir in the 2022/23 season and played for the Novosibirsk side continuously apart from a break of several months in 2025. Over his tenure with the club, he became the second-highest scorer in Sibir's KHL history, recording 197 points from 61 goals and 136 assists in 241 games.
In February 2026, the forward set an all-time KHL record for the most points in a single game, scoring two goals and delivering five assists in one match. Across his entire KHL career, Beck has played 530 games and collected 406 points, consisting of 133 goals and 273 assists.
