Barry Wright/The Independent

Russian goaltender Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko and Norwegian power forward Jonas Gulbrandsen have signed OHL contracts with the Sarnia Sting.

The Sting took Tkach-Tkachenko, a Utah Mammoth prospect, with the tenth overall pick in the CHL import draft late last month.

“We’re excited to welcome Ivan to the Sting,” said General Manager Dylan Seca of the 6’3” left-catching puckstopper.

“We expect him to carry the load in net for us. He has the size, athletic ability and experience that are critical to a team’s success. Having him signed and knowing we’ll have the support and development resources from the Utah Mammoth organization is a huge bonus. We’re looking forward to having Ivan arrive in Sarnia in August and getting to work.”

Gulbrandsen, taken in the second round of the import draft, 71st overall, joins the Sting after spending the 2025-26 season with the Stavanger Oilers U20 program in his hometown of Stavanger, Norway.

Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 229 pounds, he recorded 18 goals and nine assists for 27 points in just 18 games with the Stavanger Oilers U20 during the 2025-26 campaign.

Meantime, the Sting has announced its preseason schedule beginning against the defending Memorial Cup champion Rangers in Kitchener on August 30.

Sarnia will play home-and-home preseason games against the Knights. The teams play at London on Sept. 10 before returning to Sarnia the following night.

Sting and Knights first round picks from last month are at Team Canada’s U17 development camp in Oakville currently.

The Sting took Adrian Sgro fourth overall and Ryan Beaulieu was selected with the 14th pick by London.

The World Under-17 Challenge is in Oakville in November.