The move is in stark contrast to the National Hockey League (NHL), which has previously revealed there will be no break factored into its 2017-2018 calendar, due to take place from October 5 to April 7.

It means the top players from the North American-based NHL will not be able to compete at Pyeongchang 2018. 

The KHL schedule also includes a break from January 24 to February 8 to assist the Russian national team in its preparations for Pyeongchang 2018, due to take place from February 9 to 25.

It was confirmed after the KHL sought and received the approval of its member clubs and of the Russian Hockey Federation.

Other breaks are timed to free players to participate in the Eurotour stages in Finland, from November 7 to 11, and Russia, from December 13 to 17.  

"Our specialists have done a great job," Georgy Kobylansky, the KHL’s hockey operations vice-president, said.

"This new season is a very busy time for hockey with several big international events, the main one of which is the Olympics.

"To create a calendar that best accommodated the interests of the national team and the clubs in the KHL was a very difficult task, but I believe they accomplished it.

"The schedule has good tempo and balance, considering all the external factors with which we had to comply, and was created in close cooperation with the Russian Hockey Federation, with whom we held many consultations until we finally arrived at the version of the schedule we have unveiled.

"I am sure that this 10th anniversary season of the KHL will be an exciting one and will captivate hockey fans everywhere."

It is claimed the calendar for the 2017-2018 season has many advantages compared with those of previous Olympic years in the KHL, which features clubs from Russia, China, Finland, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia and Slovakia.

Out of the 27 clubs, 21 are based in Russia.

Next season, there will be fewer days without games - 48 in total compared with 56 in 2009-2010 and 61 in 2013-2014 - and there are only eight days which are hockey-free for reasons unconnected to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) calendar compared with 16 in both the previous seasons during Olympic years.

On average, each match day has 5.21 games compared with 5.46 in 2009-2010 and 6.25 in 2013-2014.

The unveiling of the calendar followed the announcement that Russia’s Ilya Kovalchuk confirmed he will be staying in the KHL next season, citing participation at Pyeongchang 2018 as one of the main factors in his decision.

Kovalchuk has signed a new one-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg, ending the chances of him returning to the NHL this year.

He left the NHL after the 2012-2013 season and has since been playing for SKA.

"One of the main factors was the upcoming Olympic Games," Kovalchuk was reported as saying by NBC Sports.

"In 2018, only players who play in European Championships and the KHL can compete there.

"It was important to stay with SKA, because I have only played here in the KHL.

"I have a lot of warmth for the club and our fans."

Last month, Pyeongchang 2018 President Lee Hee-beom claimed he remained hopeful the NHL will reverse their decision to prevent players from competing at next year’s Winter Olympics.

The NHL issued a statement in April claiming their players would not travel to South Korea for the Games. 

IIHF President René Fasel said in May that a final decision on whether players will take part must be made by the middle of this month at the absolute latest.

He also revealed that he was still negotiating with both the NHL and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in an attempt to broker a deal.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman claimed recently that they were not going to change their mind.

In response to their statement, IOC President Thomas Bach said that the offer from the IIHF to cover the travel and insurance costs was "off the table" for both Pyeongchang 2018 and Beijing 2022.