Pestov joins the Stars following three seasons with Torpedo Ust-Kamenogorsk, where he established himself as one of Kazakhstan’s top young goaltenders.
The 23-year-old split his junior hockey between Russia and Kazakhstan before turning professional with Snezhnye Barsy Nur-Sultan during the 2020/21 season.
Since then, Pestov has made 100 regular-season appearances in the Pro Hokey Ligasy, compiling a 45-54-0 record with a .910 save percentage and a 2.95 goals-against average. He has also appeared in 18 playoff games, posting a 10-8-0 record alongside a .925 save percentage and a 2.54 goals-against average.
Last season proved to be the most successful of his career, as Pestov helped Torpedo lift the Kazakhstan Cup before claiming a Pro Hokey Ligasy bronze medal. He also backstopped the club to the Continental Cup Final in Nottingham, earning the tournament’s Best Goaltender award.
Pestov made his international debut for Kazakhstan last season at the 2025 IIHF Asia Championship, helping his country secure a second consecutive gold medal.
Through his agent, Pestov shared his excitement after signing with the Stars:
“I’m very excited to join Dundee. I really want to come as soon as possible to experience a different style of hockey. I’m so happy to join the Stars and I will give more than 100% to help us win.”
His agent, Nik, also explained how the move came together:
“When we started working with Vladislav, he was very interested in playing in Europe. He was one of the best goaltenders in the Continental Cup last season, so many teams knew about him.
“I spoke to Scott and he was very interested, and Vlad decided he wanted to play in Dundee and in this league.”
Finally, Pestov shared a message for the Stars fans:
“I’m coming to Dundee to fight for wins with great emotion, and I want to help the team as much as I can.”
Head Coach Scott Dutertre believes Pestov has all the attributes to become one of the league’s top goaltenders:
“This is a guy I was working on earlier in the summer. I got a long list of goaltenders from different agents, so I went through them all and when I watched Vladislav, I saw a young guy who can really stop a puck.
“I talk about it all the time — with defencemen and goalies, it can take a few years for them to mature, and for his age he’s really poised.
“I watched him in the Continental Cup, then again with Kazakhstan, and I think he’s going to be a very good addition for us and a top end goalie for our league.”
Pestov is our 15th signing of the summer, joining Josh Nelson, Jonathan McBean, Ben Brown, Travis Ewanyk, Keaton Jameson, Craig Moore, Evan Brand, Tyson Laventure, Gary Haden and Matt DeBoer, Zack Hoffman, Brodi Stuart, Kris Inglis and Sebastian Bengtsson on next season’s roster.
You can see Vladislav’s complete career history and statistics by clicking HERE!
Fans will be able to hear more from Vladislav and Scott in an exclusive interview on Stars TV, coming soon, with more signing news to follow in the coming days.
