Evgeny Kuznetsov

Evgeny Kuznetsov
Position	Centre / Right Wing
Shot	Left
Height Weight	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 176 lb (80 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Washington Capitals Traktor Chelyabinsk
Nationality	Russian
Born	(1992-05-19)May 19, 1992, Chelyabinsk, Russia
NHL Draft	26th overall, 2010 Washington Capitals
Pro Career	2009 – present

Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov (Russian: Евгений Евгеньевич Кузнецов; born May 19, 1992) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has represented Russia in junior and senior level competitions on numerous occasions, winning gold medals at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, as well as at the 2012 IIHF World Championship and 2014 IIHF World Championship.

Playing career

Professional

Kuznetsov made his professional debut in the 2009–10 season with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. That season, he played 35 games, totaling eight points. After his performance for Traktor, he was ranked as the third-best European skater by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, where he was eventually selected in the first round, 26th overall, by the Washington Capitals.

In the 2011-12 season, Kuznetsov was selected to the KHL All-Star Game. During the season, he also won the Continental Cup and bronze medals with his team. It was reported that during the 2013-14 season, Kuznetsov earned $3.8 million to play for Traktor.

On March 8, 2014, Kuznetsov signed an entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals. On March 25, he scored his first career NHL goal, which happened to be a short-handed goal, against the Los Angeles Kings with under a minute left to tie the game; the Capitals, however, eventually lost 5–4 in the shootout.

On April 23, 2015, Kuznetsov scored the first and second Stanley Cup playoff goals of his career against the New York Islanders. In the same game, he also had an assist in an eventual 5–1 Washington win. On April 27, 2015, he scored the game-winning goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals against the Islanders in the same series, advancing the Capitals to a Conference Semi-finals match-up against the 2014-15 Presidents Trophy-winning New York Rangers.

During the 2015-16 season, Kuznetsov set a career high in points with 77 and was named to his first All-Star Game as a replacement for Capitals teammate Alexander Ovechkin, who pulled out due to a lower-body injury.

International play

Kuznetsov played for Team Russia at the 2010 World Junior Championships held in Saskatchewan, Canada. He was selected as the player of the game for Russia after the preliminary round game against Austria.

Kuznetsov again represented Russia in the 2011 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, New York. He was the only 18-year-old on the Russian team; every other player was 19. He finished second in the tournament in scoring, with four goals and seven assists in seven games. He also had three assists in the gold medal game, in which Russia overcame a 3–0 deficit in the third period against Canada to win 5–3. Kuznetsov was named by the tournament coaches as one of the three best players on his team, and was named to the tournament all-star team by the media. He was also named the best player in the match against Norway, in which he recorded one goal and one assist. He finished tied for second in the tournament in scoring, alongside teammate Vladimir Tarasenko, with four goals and seven assists.

Kuznetsov then served as team captain for Russia at the 2012 World Junior Championships, the third year in a row he participated in the tournament. On December 29, 2011, in a game against Latvia, Kuznetsov recorded three goals and six assists for nine points in an emphatic 14–0 win for Russia. This set a record for most points by a Russian player at the World Juniors, as well as the second-highest total in a game in the history of the tournament, one point behind Peter Forsberg of Sweden, who set the record in 1993.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2009–10	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		35	2	7	9	10		4	1	0	1	0
2010-11	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		44	17	15	32	30		—	—	—	—	—
2010-11	Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk	MHL		8	10	5	15	4		5	0	2	2	10
2011-12	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		49	19	21	40	30		12	7	2	9	10
2012-13	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		51	19	25	44	42		25	5	6	11	28
2013-14	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		31	8	13	21	12		—	—	—	—	—
2013-14	Washington Capitals	NHL		17	3	6	9	6		—	—	—	—	—
2014-15	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	11	26	37	24		14	5	2	7	8
2015-16	Washington Capitals	NHL		82	20	57	77	32		12	1	1	2	8
KHL Totals				35	2	7	9	10		4	1	0	1	0

International

Year	Team	Event	Place		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2009	Russia	WJC18	2		7	6	7	13	10
2010	Russia	WJC18	4th		7	5	7	12	6
2010	Russia	WJC	6th		6	2	0	2	10
Junior int'l totals					13	8	7	15	20

External links

• Evgeny Kuznetsov's stats on hockeydb