Kochetkov, 22, started the 2021-22 season with Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), posting a 10-10-2 record, 2.23 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and two shutouts in 23 appearances and finishing tied for sixth in the KHL in save percentage. He was reassigned to Chicago on Feb. 15 at the conclusion of the KHL's regular season, and he has earned a 13-1-1 record, 2.09 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 15 games with the Wolves. The 6'3", 205-pound goaltender was named the AHL's Rookie of the Month for March after starting his North American tenure with a 7-0-1 record and ultimately improved to 11-0-1 before suffering his only AHL regulation loss against Texas on April 13.
Kochetkov has played 49 career KHL games with Sochi, St. Petersburg, Vityaz and Nizhny Novgorod from 2018-22, posting a 16-25-3 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and three shutouts. He also registered an 11-13-4 record, 2.19 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts in 33 career games with Penza, Ryazan and SKA-Neva of the VHL, Russia's second-highest professional league. The Kazan, Russia, native was named Best Goaltender at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship after earning a 4-1 record, 1.45 goals-against average and .953 save percentage to lead his home country to a bronze medal. Kochetkov was selected by Carolina in the second round, 36th overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft and signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Hurricanes on May 1, 2021.
