Nikita Scherbak

Nikita Sergeevich Scherbak (Никита Сергеевич Щербак; born December 30, 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played under contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Scherbak was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (26th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Junior
Scherbak began his junior career in 2012 playing with Kapitan Stupino in the Russian Junior Hockey League. Scherbak was drafted by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2nd round of the 2013 CHL Import Draft.

He joined the Blades in 2013 where he led all rookies in goals (28), assists (50), and points (78) during the 2013–14 WHL season. His outstanding play was rewarded when he was invited to play the 2014 CHL Top Prospects Game.

Scherbak was rated as a top prospect who was viewed as a possible first round selection heading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. After his selection on July 22, 2014, he was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens.

On September 22, Scherbak was traded to the Everett Silvertips from the Saskatoon Blades based on league rules which state that no more than two non-North American players may be on the same club's roster at any given time.

Professional
During the 2016–17 season, Scherbak made his NHL debut for Montreal Canadiens on January 7, 2017 against Toronto Maple Leafs and scored on the power play, on his first NHL career shot, to put the Canadiens up 3–2, with just 0.9 seconds left of the first period. Montreal won the game 5–3.

After starting the first 11 games of the 2018–19 season as a healthy scratch, Scherbak was assigned to the Laval Rocket, Montreal's AHL affiliate, for conditioning. He made his season debut on October 31, 2018 in a 2–1 loss against the Belleville Senators. On November 9, 2018, Scherbak scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season in a 5–1 victory over the Cleveland Monsters. He was recalled from the conditioning stint on November 14, 2018, but did not immediately rejoin the Canadiens because of a lower-body injury. On December 1, 2018, Scherbak was placed on NHL waivers by the Canadiens. He was subsequently claimed by the Los Angeles Kings.

On June 25, 2019, having completed his contract with the Kings, Scherbak was not tendered a qualifying offer by the club, releasing him as a free agent. The following day, while opting to return to Russia to continue his career, Scherbak was officially signed to a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. In his first KHL season in 2019–20, Scherbak opened with just 2 goals and 6 points through 16 games before he was released by Avangard Omsk. On November 5, 2019, Scherbak continued in the KHL, joining fellow club Traktor Chelyabinsk for the remainder of the season.