Mikhail Sergachev
Russian defenceman and two-time Stanley Cup champion.
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sergachev (born 25 June 1998) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted ninth overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2016 and won consecutive Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020 and 2021.
Sergachev started his junior career in Russia with Irbis Kazan of the Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga (MHL). He was selected sixth overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and committed to the team on 8 July 2015, believing the OHL gave him the best path to the NHL. In his rookie OHL season, he finished third in scoring among defencemen and won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the league’s top defenceman. Leading up to the 2016 NHL draft, scouts considered him one of the top defencemen available; he went ninth overall to Montreal, the second defenceman taken after Olli Juolevi. On 1 July 2016, the Canadiens signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract. On 28 May 2017, he helped the Spitfires win their third Memorial Cup championship and was named an All-Star of the tournament.
Sergachev made Montreal’s opening-night roster for the 2016–17 season after training camp and debuted in a 4–1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on 13 October 2016. After four games, he was returned to Windsor on 31 October 2016 for further development. On 15 June 2017, the Canadiens traded him and a conditional second-round pick in the 2018 draft to Tampa Bay for forward Jonathan Drouin and a conditional sixth-round pick. He made his Lightning debut on 6 October 2017, recording his first NHL assist on a Nikita Kucherov goal in a 5–3 win over the Florida Panthers. On 19 October, he scored his first two NHL goals in a 2–0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, becoming the youngest Lightning defenceman and second-youngest Russian-born defenceman to record a multi-goal game. On 16 December, his game-winning goal against the Colorado Avalanche made him the fourth rookie defenceman in NHL history to score five game-winners in a season. He made his playoff debut on 12 April 2018, notching his first playoff assist in a 5–2 win over the New Jersey Devils, and scored his first playoff goal on 21 April in a series-clinching 3–1 win, becoming the youngest player in Lightning history to do so.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 25 June 1998
- Birth Place
- Nizhnekamsk, Russia
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 3
- Weight Lb
- 212
- Position
- Defence
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Utah Mammoth
- Former Teams
- Montreal Canadiens / Tampa Bay Lightning
- Ntl Team
- Russia
- Draft
- 9th overall
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Sergachev began his junior career in Russia with Irbis Kazan of the Molodezhnaya Hokkeinaya Liga before being drafted sixth overall in the CHL Import Draft by the Windsor Spitfires. He committed to the Spitfires in July 2015, stating that playing in the OHL offered the best chance of achieving his NHL dream. In his rookie OHL season, he finished third in scoring among defencemen and won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the league's most outstanding defenceman. He helped the Spitfires capture the Memorial Cup in 2017 and was named an All-Star of the tournament.
After being drafted by Montreal, Sergachev made the Canadiens' opening night roster for the 2016–17 season and made his NHL debut in October 2016. He was returned to junior after four games. In June 2017, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Jonathan Drouin. With the Lightning, he recorded his first NHL assist and point in his debut, scored his first two NHL goals in October 2017, and became the youngest Lightning defenceman to record a multi-goal game. He also set a rookie record with five game-winning goals. In the 2018 playoffs, he became the youngest player in Lightning history to score a playoff goal. In August 2020, he recorded three points in a playoff game, joining Eric Brewer and Victor Hedman as the only Lightning defencemen to do so. He signed a three-year, $14.4 million contract in November 2020 and an eight-year, $60 million extension in July 2022. In June 2024, he was traded to the Utah Hockey Club (later renamed Utah Mammoth) for Conor Geekie, J.J. Moser, and draft picks.
Reader's Guide
Mikhail Sergachev's career is defined by his rapid rise from a highly regarded junior defenceman in Russia and the OHL to a key contributor on a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion team. His selection ninth overall in the 2016 draft reflected his status as one of the top defencemen available, and his trade from Montreal to Tampa Bay in 2017 proved pivotal. With the Lightning, he developed into a reliable defenceman who could produce offensively, as shown by his rookie season with five game-winning goals and his playoff performances. His three-point game in the 2020 playoffs placed him among elite Lightning defencemen. The eight-year, $60 million contract extension he signed in 2022, alongside teammates Anthony Cirelli and Erik Černák, signaled the team's long-term commitment to him. His trade to Utah in 2024 marked a new chapter, where he was named alternate captain. Off the ice, his increasing English fluency inspired the speech patterns of a character in a novel series that was later adapted into a television series. His personal life includes a wife, a son, and a backyard chicken coop in Utah, where he brings excess eggs to give to teammates.
Did You Know?
- Sergachev won the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding defenceman in his rookie season.
- He is the youngest player in Tampa Bay Lightning history to record a playoff goal.
- His English fluency inspired the speech patterns of a character in a novel series later adapted into the television series Heated Rivalry.
More in Tampa Bay Lightning Players 1-24
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