Nikita Kucherov
| Nikita Kucherov | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
June 17, 1993 Moscow, RUS | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Tampa Bay Lightning CSKA Moscow | ||
| National team |
 Russia | ||
| NHL draft |
58th overall, 2011 Tampa Bay Lightning | ||
| Playing career | 2011–present | ||
Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (born June 17, 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Juniors
Kucherov originally played professionally in his native Russia, for CSKA Moscow, of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected 58th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. In an attempt to transition to the North American style, Kucherov played major junior hockey with Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).
Tampa Bay Lightning
During the 2013–14 season, on November 25, 2013, with his first shot, on his first shift, against Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, Kucherov became the seventh player in Lightning history to score a goal in his NHL debut.[1] On October 28, 2014, he recorded his first career hat trick against Mike Smith of the Arizona Coyotes.[2]
During the 2014–15 NHL season Kucherov had a breakout season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kucherov posted 29 goals, 36 assists, and 65 points. Kucherov also tied for the NHL lead in plus-minus with Max Pacioretty at a +38 rating. The +38 rating also set the Lightning single season franchise record for +/- rating.[3] On May 20, 2015, Kucherov joined Martin St. Louis as the only players in Lightning history to record two game winning goals in overtime in a single playoff year, having scored a winner that evening against the New York Rangers; he had scored one in Game 1 of the prior round against the Montreal Canadiens.[4]
International Play
On March 2, 2016, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation named Kucherov to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Kucherov is being joined by Lightning teammates Vladislav Namestnikov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The tournament is set to take place from Sept. 17 to Oct. 1, 2016, in Toronto.[5]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Krasnaya Armiya | MHL | 53 | 29 | 25 | 54 | 40 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Krasnaya Armiya | MHL | 47 | 27 | 31 | 58 | 81 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 16 | ||
| 2010–11 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Krasnaya Armiya | MHL | 23 | 24 | 19 | 43 | 40 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 18 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Quebec Remparts | QMJHL | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | 27 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 10 | ||
| 2013–14 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 17 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 52 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 82 | 29 | 36 | 65 | 37 | 26 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 14 | ||
| KHL totals | 27 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 134 | 38 | 45 | 83 | 51 | 27 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 14 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Russia
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2013 Ufa | |
 |
2012 Canada | |
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Russia | WJC18 | 
|
7 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 6 | |
| 2012 | Russia | WJC | 
|
7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Russia | WJC |
|
7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 21 | 18 | 18 | 36 | 12 | ||||
Awards and honours
- 2011 IIHF World U18 Championships – First Team All-Star[6]
References
- ^ "Kucherov provides early debut goal". TBO.com. November 25, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Kucherov hat trick leads Lightning past Coyotes". NHL.com. October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Tampa Bay, Lightning (June 19, 2015). "Infographic: Highlighting the Bolts Record-Breaking 2014-15 Season". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
- ^ Burns, Bryan (April 20, 2015). "Nikita Kucherov's overtime winner gives Bolts 6-5 win in Game 3". Tampa Bay Lightning Beat Writer. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Peters, Chris (March 2, 2016). "World Cup of Hockey: Ovechkin, Malkin lead NHL-only Russia roster". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
- ^ "Prospects report from World U18's". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. April 10, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
External links
- Nikita Kucherov career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Nikita Kucherov career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
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