Nikita Kucherov
Drafted 58th overall in 2011, a goal on his first NHL shot in 2013: the arrival of the Lightning's franchise scorer.
Nikita Kucherov, born 17 June 1993, is the Russian right winger who arrived at the Tampa Bay Lightning through the 2011 NHL entry draft, where the club selected him 58th overall. He had made his professional debut in the KHL, playing 27 games over the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons, and signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Lightning on 10 September 2012 while playing major junior hockey for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the QMJHL. He made his NHL debut on 25 November 2013 against the New York Rangers and scored on his first shot, on his first shift, against Henrik Lundqvist, becoming the seventh player in Lightning history to score in his NHL debut. He went on to win the Stanley Cup twice with the Lightning, in 2020 and 2021, and the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2019 and 2026.
Quick Facts
- Born
- 17 June 1993
- Birthplace
- Maykop, Russia
- Position
- Right wing
- Shoots
- Left
- League
- NHL
- Team
- Tampa Bay Lightning
- Former teams
- CSKA Moscow
- Draft
- 58th overall
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- He made his playoff debut on 16 April 2014 against Montreal and scored his first playoff goal on Carey Price.
- He holds the record for most points by a Russian-born player in a single season, 144.
- He made his Russian national team debut at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey alongside Lightning teammates Nesterov, Namestnikov and Vasilevskiy.
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