Nikita Soshnikov

Nikita Dmitriyevich Soshnikov (Никита Дмитриевич Сошников; born on October 14, 1993 in Nizhny Tagil) is a Russian professional ice hockey left/right winger with the CSKA Moskva of the KHL.

Early career
After playing youth hockey with Sputnik Nizhny Tagil, Soshnikov was chosen in the sixth round, 123rd overall of the 2010 KHL Draft by Atlant Moscow Oblast. In 2010 - 2013, Soshnikov played with the Mytishchinskie Atlanty (later Atlanty Mytishchi) of the MHL. In the 2012-13 season, he became the MHL Forward of the Month in December 2012 and also played at the 2013 MHL All-Star Game.

Soshnikov made his KHL debut playing with Atlant Mytishchi during the 2013–14 KHL season. Soshnikov played two seasons with Atlant, scoring two goals and five points in 33 games in his rookie campaign. In this season, he also played 4 games with the Buran Voronezh of the VHL and 10 regular season games and 2 play-off games with the Atlanty Mytishchi of the MHL. In the 2014-15 season, Soshnikov scored 32 points in 57 games with the Atlant Mytishchi of the KHL.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Upon completion of his second season in the KHL, on March 20, 2015, Soshnikov decided to move to North America to play in the NHL, signing as an undrafted free agent to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Soshnikov made his NHL debut on February 29, 2016 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored his first NHL goal on March 2, 2016 against Philipp Grubauer of the Washington Capitals. All in all, in his first North American season, he played 11 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and 52 regular season games and 11 play-off games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

In the 2016-17 season, Soshnikov played 56 games with the Maple Leafs and 6 games with the Marlies.

Soshnikov started the 2017–18 season with the Toronto Marlies; however, there was a clause in Soshnikov's contract that stipulated he must be called up to the Leafs by November 14, 2017, or else he would be allowed to head to the KHL. He was called up just before the clause kicked in. In addition to this, he is now no longer waiver-exempt, meaning he would have to clear through waivers if he were to be sent back down to the AHL. However, a logjam of players meant Soshnikov saw limited action. On February 1, 2018, Soshnikov was assigned to the Marlies for a conditioning stint. On February 12, 2018, it was announced that Soshnikov would be recalled from the Marlies, but would remain on the injured reserve. In this season, he played 3 games with the Maple Leafs and 19 games with the Marlies.

St. Louis Blues
Still passed on the depth chart, rumors began to circulate throughout February that Soshnikov was likely to be traded. On February 15, 2018, it was announced that Soshnikov had been traded to the St. Louis Blues for a fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Soshnikov finished the season with the St. Louis Blues of the NHL with 12 games played.

He continued there in the 2018-19 season, but he played only 5 games with the Blues and 11 games with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL.

Return to Russia
As an impending restricted free agent from the Blues and unable to cement a role within the NHL team following an injury plagued 2018–19 season, Soshnikov opted to return to Russia to hone his game in the KHL. On June 3, 2019, his rights were traded from the SKA St. Petersburg to the Salavat Yulaev Ufa in exchange for the rights to Vladimir Tkachev. He immediately agreed to a two-year contract with the club. In the 2019-20 season, Soshnikov was selected to be the KHL Forward of the Week on November 25, 2019 and he also played at the 2020 KHL All-Star Game.

Soshnikov also began the 2020-21 season with the Salavat Yulaev Ufa, but after 21 games played he moved to the CSKA Moskva of the KHL. He is signed there until the end of the 2021-22 season.

International career
Soshnikov played with the Russian National Team at the 2018 World Championship.