The Genting Casino Coventry Blaze are delighted to announce the signing of American defenceman Ivan Chukarov for the 2025/26 Elite League season.
Chukarov, 30, joins the Blaze from the Jacksonville Icemen of the ECHL, where he enjoyed a career-best season in 2025/25, producing 33 points (seven goals, 26 assists) in 67 regular season appearances and posting an impressive +16 plus/minus rating.
It was Chukarov’s second season with the Icemen, following a strong debut campaign in 2023/24 in which he tallied 28 points (5 goals, 23 assists) over 70 regular season games with a +15 rating. He added one assist in seven playoff appearances and was honoured as Jacksonville’s Defenseman of the Year.
Over his ECHL career, the 6’2” blue-liner has played in 298 regular season and playoff games, recording 94 points (18 goals, 76 assists) with Jacksonville, Adirondack Thunder, and Worcester Railers. He also made a single AHL appearance with the Utica Comets during the 2022/23 season.
Before turning professional, the Des Plaines, Illinois native spent four years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he posted 25 points (6 goals, 19 assists) and helped the team capture the Hockey East regular season title in 2019.
Earlier in his career, Chukarov won the Robertson Cup with the NAHL’s Minnesota Wilderness in 2015, capping off a 44-point season.
That same year, he was selected for the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament and drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He later attended the Sabres’ summer development camp.
Head Coach Kevin Moore said, “Ivan is a rangy, skilled defenceman who has great defensive habits. He possesses the ability to hold tight gaps and use his stick to create transition.
“He will be a great fit within our team with his competitiveness and grit and I look forward to being able to coach him this season.”
Chukarov will wear #91 for Blaze in the 25/26 Elite League season.
