Russians comprise some of the most talented, most dominant players in the NHL today. In the past decade alone, they have won Vezina Trophies, “Rocket” Richards, Hart Memorials, Art Ross Trophies, and Conn Smythes, and of course, the Stanley Cup. If Russia has not put forth the largest amount of superstars in the current NHL, then they have certainly contributed the most dynamic.
At least one Russian has had his name inscribed upon Lord Stanley’s Cup in each NHL season since 2015-16. For the decade of the 2010s, the only instances where a Russian-born player was not on a Cup-winning team were the 2010-11 Boston Bruins, and the 2012-13 and 2014-15 Chicago Blackhawks. Otherwise, a Russian has been a factor in bringing home a championship to their city’s faithful.
THW took a close look at our friends born (in most instances) behind the “Iron Curtain”. We have determined who the Top-10 Russians are in the NHL today, and have explained why. See if your favorite Russian made our list.
10. Sergei Bobrovsky
Added to this list for the first time, Sergei Bobrovsky has been in the NHL since 2010-11 when he made his debut with the Philadelphia Flyers after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He spent two seasons in the City of Brotherly Love before he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2012. It was there that he emerged as an All-Star and Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltender. Over his seven seasons in Columbus, he posted a 213-130-27 record along with a 2.41 goals-against average (GAA), .921 save percentage (SV%) and 33 shutouts. His best season came in 2016-17 when he posted a 2.06 GAA, .931 SV% and seven shutouts. Of course, with those stats, he won his second Vezina Trophy after taking home the award in his first season with the Blue Jackets.
Bobrovsky left the Blue Jackets after the 2018-19 season and signed a lucrative seven-year contract with the Florida Panthers worth $10 million average annual value (AAV). He hasn’t really lived up to that contract during the regular season so far, but looked every bit the $10 million goaltender in the 2023 Playoffs when he led the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final. He is having a pretty good season right now with a 2.29 GAA, .918 SV% and four shutouts while backstopping the Panthers to the top of the NHL. Overall, he has had a pretty remarkable career for being an undrafted goaltender. Looking back now, it’s surprising he wasn’t drafted considering his size, athleticism and ability to make big-time saves. He’s not the same Vezina Trophy goaltender he was back in Columbus, but he’s still a top-tier starter in the NHL and deserves to be mentioned on this list.
9. Ilya Sorokin
Finally making this list is 2023 Vezina Trophy runner-up Ilya Sorokin. The New York Islanders starting netminder has emerged as a star in the NHL and is probably one of the best the league has to offer right now. Selected 78th overall in 2014, he debuted in 2020-21 and quickly established himself as a threat to the starter’s crease. He played his first full season in 2021-22 and started 52 games finishing with a 2.40 goals-against average (GAA) and a .925 save percentage (SV%) along with seven shutouts.
Sorokin then followed that up with a Vezina Trophy-like performance in 2022-23 starting 62 games and finishing with a 2.34 GAA, .924 SV%, and six shutouts. He carried the Islanders on his back to the playoffs and was a second-team All-Star and even garnered Hart Trophy votes. He has everything you want in an elite goaltender – size, athleticism and supreme positioning. I think it’s safe to say the crease is secure for the foreseeable future as general manager Lou Lamoriello just re-signed him to a long-term contract that will keep him in Islanders colors until 2031-32.
8) Evgeni Malkin
In some ways, Evgeni Malkin does not get the credit that he deserves. Some debaters would place him at number-one on our list and are probably irritated that we did not. While we did not put Malkin at the top, he indeed came close, even if he is past his prime.
When it comes to sheer strength, there is no Russian player in the NHL that is more powerful. We would be hard-pressed to find a player of any nationality who outdoes him. At 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, Malkin is the perfect blend of size and skill.
Malkin has surpassed 100 points in a season three times and led the league in scoring in 2008-09 and 2011-12. He has three Stanley Cup rings, a Hart Memorial Trophy, a Calder Trophy, a Conn Smythe, and a Ted Lindsay in addition to his two Art Ross wins.
In his first 18 NHL seasons – all spent with the Pittsburgh Penguins – Malkin scored 489 goals, 788 assists, and 1,277 points in only 1,123 games. A Hockey Hall of Fame career for sure, he has enough gas left in the tank to hit the 500-goal mark before all is said and done. After battling injuries for a few seasons, he returned to his dominant self in 2022-23 recording 27 goals and 83 points – his highest totals since 2019-20 when he put up 74. Most importantly, he played in all 82 games. He is off to a quick start this season with six points in three games so far.
7) Andrei Svechnikov
Drafted as the second selection in the 2018 NHL Draft, Andrei Svechnikov has quickly become one of the star players for a young Carolina Hurricanes squad. In his rookie 2018-19 season, he was one of just four “Jerks” to reach at least 20 goals on the season. Factoring in his 17 assists, Svechnikov finished sixth on the team in scoring. Such a solid first-year performance would see him finish sixth in voting for the Calder Trophy.
Come playoff time, Svechnikov became the first NHL player born in the 2000s to score a playoff goal. At just 19 years and 16 days old, he became the ninth-youngest player in NHL history to score two goals in a playoff game. Svechnikov also became the fourth teenager in NHL history to score two goals in his playoff debut, when he beat Braden Holtby twice in the ‘Canes 4-2 loss to the Capitals.
Across 68 games in his sophomore 2019-20 season, Svechnikov established new career highs in goals (24), assists (37), and points (61). Having signed a three-year, entry-level contract on July 1, 2018, Carolina has found a bonafide star player who already seems destined to become the face of the franchise. He finally hit the 30-goal plateau in 2021-22 and it probably won’t be the last time he reaches that summit as he’s only 23 years old.
6) Igor Shesterkin
Joining Andrei Vasilevskiy on the list of superstar Russian goaltenders is none other than New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin. Surprisingly selected all the way down at 118th overall in 2014, he has quickly risen up the ranks to become one of – if not the best – goaltender in the NHL right now. While Vasilevskiy arguably still holds that mantle with his two Stanley Cups and multiple seasons of consistent performances, the 26-year-old Moskva native is making up ground fast.
Taking over from the franchise icon that is “The King” Henrik Lundqvist, Shesterkin is well on his way to filling his massive pads. With a career save percentage (SV%) of .921, he has been nearly unbeatable so far in his NHL career. Winning his first Vezina Trophy by a landslide in 2021-22 with Hall-of-Fame statistics of a 2.07 goals-against average (GAA), .935 SV% and six shutouts, he is going to be one of the NHL’s elite goaltenders for probably the next five years or so.
5) Kirill Kaprizov
It took until he was 23 years old, but Kirill Kaprizov is finally in the NHL and has quickly become one of the most exciting Russians in the game today. The minute he stepped foot onto the ice for the Minnesota Wild on Jan. 14, 2021, you knew he was going to be something special. Finishing his first NHL game with a goal and two assists and 21:52 of ice time, he announced to Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Nikita Kucherov that they should make room on the bus for a new Russian superstar.
By the end of the 2020-21 season, Kaprizov had 27 goals and 51 points in 55 games and was more than deserving of the Calder Trophy he walked away with. The Wild rewarded that performance with a massive five-year contract worth $9 million in average annual value (AAV) that will potentially keep him in the Twin Cities through the 2025-26 season. It turned out that was just the beginning for the newest member of the Russian superstar club as he hit new heights during the 2021-22 season with a franchise-record 47 goals and 108 points. And he probably would have put up similar numbers if not for an injury in 2022-23, as he finished with 40 goals and 75 points in 67 games. Suffice it to say, there is a new sheriff in town when it comes to elite players from the country of Russia.
4) Artemi Panarin
“The Bread Man” joined the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015-16 after seven Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) seasons. As an NHL rookie, Panarin scored 30 goals and 77 points to win the Calder. Following back-to-back 30-goal seasons in “The Windy City”, he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jun. 23, 2017, along with Tyler Motte and a 2017 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for Brandon Saad, Anton Forsberg and a 2018 fifth-round selection.
Panarin’s penchant for scoring continued in Ohio. While his goal totals dropped slightly to 27 and 28 in 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively, he surpassed his own career highs in points with 82 and 87.
Panarin moved to the “Big Apple” beginning with the 2019-20 season by signing a ginormous seven-year, $81.5 million contract with the Rangers. In his first season as a “Blueshirt”, Panarin led his club in scoring with a whopping 32 goals, 63 assists and 95 points in only 69 games – a full 20 points more than the next-highest teammate. Since then, he has proceeded to put up 103 goals and 330 points in 260 games, including a career-high 22 goals and 96 points in 2021-22 and another 29 goals and 92 points in 2022-23. With 746 points through 652 NHL games, he seems to be the most likely next Russian to eventually hit the magic 1,000-point plateau.
3) Andrei Vasilevskiy
Andrei Vasilevskiy made his NHL debut during the 2014-15 season. He was part of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in six games to the Blackhawks. He ended up acquiring the starting netminder duties for the team in 2016-17, and he has held those reins ever since.
Vasilevskiy won the 2018-19 Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s Best Goaltender. He lost only 10 games in regulation during that season, while earning a whopping 39 victories. Factoring in his six shutouts, no goaltender in the league gave a finer performance as he backstopped the Bolts to a Presidents’ Trophy-winning record by going 62-16-3-1.
What is rather shocking is that Vasilevskiy only finished third in voting for the Vezina in 2017-18, despite winning an NHL leading (tied with Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck) – and current career-high – 44 games. With him signing an eight-year contract extension on Jul. 29, 2019, Lightning fans gained assurance that they would have an elite goaltender for years to come.
It did not take long for Vasilevskiy to capitalize a short time later. He won an incredible 18 games in the 2019-20 postseason amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and secured the first Stanley Cup ring of his NHL career. This came after he led the league in regular-season wins with 35 in just 52 games. Then, the following season, he backstopped the Lightning to yet another Stanley Cup, making him the first goaltender to win back-to-back Cups since Marc-Andre Fleury did it with the Penguins in 2016 and 2017. With two Cups now attached to his name combined with his stellar performances, he is automatically making a push toward the Hall of Fame.
2) Alex Ovechkin
Whenever Alex Ovechkin decides to retire, he could very well be considered the greatest goal scorer in hockey history when he does. By the time he was 33 years old, he had scored 658 goals. He has since eclipsed the 800-goal mark. If there could ever be a player capable of reaching Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 for tops overall, it would be Ovechkin.
Related: 7 Cool Things About Alexander Ovechkin
Much of that stems from the consistency in which “the Great Eight” has scored prolifically. He has never scored fewer than 24 goals in a season. Nine times Ovechkin has reached 50 goals or higher. His career-best came in his third season (2007-08) when he scored 65 goals in 82 games.
Ovechkin owns a Stanley Cup, a Conn Smythe, eight Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies, the Calder Trophy, three Hart Memorials, one Art Ross, and three Lester B. Pearson/Ted Lindsay Awards.
Many are hoping that he plays long enough to break Gretzky’s record. His ability to generate goals shows no signs of diminishing, so I definitely wouldn’t put it past him.
1) Nikita Kucherov
Though his 2020-21 season was wiped out because of hip surgery, there is still no better Russian in the NHL today than the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov. For six straight seasons, his point totals have increased for the Lightning, as he reached the 100-point plateau both in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
With the exception of his rookie 2014-15 campaign, he has yet to score less than 25 goals in a season. Upon scoring 128 points (41G, 87A) during 2018-19, Kucherov earned the Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award. Those same 128 points surpassed Alexander Mogilny for most points in the NHL by a Russian-born player. Additionally, Kucherov’s 87 assists tied Jaromir Jagr for the most assists in a single NHL season by a winger. He also has three 100-plus point seasons after his 30 goals and 113 points in 2022-23.
While the Lightning have an entire cast of marquee players, Kucherov is the one individual who is the biggest difference-maker for their hockey club. As the Bolts hoisted back-to-back Cups in 2019-20 and 2020-21, he led the league in playoff points with 34 (7-27-34) in 25 games and 32 (8-24-32) in 23 games respectively. And to make things even more amazing, he almost led his team to a third-straight Stanley Cup after 27 points in 23 games in 2021-22. Unfortunately, they were bested by the Colorado Avalanche.
Before his career comes to a close, it is likely that Kucherov will write his name on a few more pages of the record books.
