Nikita Kucherov

Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Juniors
Kucherov originally played professionally in his native Russia, for CSKA Moscow, of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). In the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected 58th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. In an attempt to transition to the North American style, Kucherov played major junior hockey with Rouyn-Noranda Huskies of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Tampa Bay Lightning
During the 2013–14 season, on 25 November 2013, with his first shot, on his first shift, against Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers, Kucherov became the seventh player in Lightning history to score a goal in his NHL debut. On 28 October 2014, he recorded his first career hat trick against Mike Smith of the Arizona Coyotes.

During the 2014–15 NHL season, Kucherov had a breakout season with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kucherov posted 29 goals, 36 assists, and 65 points. Kucherov also tied for the NHL lead in plus-minus with Max Pacioretty at a +38 rating. The +38 rating also set the Lightning single season franchise record for +/- rating. On 20 May 2015, Kucherov joined Martin St. Louis as the only players in Lightning history to record two game winning goals in overtime in a single playoff year, having scored a winner that evening against the New York Rangers; he had scored one in Game 1 of the prior round against the Montreal Canadiens.

On 11 October 2016, the Lightning re-signed Kucherov to a three-year contract worth an average of $4.766 million per season. Last season, Kucherov led the team in points (66) and was second in assists (36) and goals (30). Kucherov also set a career high in goals, points, power-play goals (9) and game-winning goals (4). He also ranked second on the team in shots (209) and power-play goals, while also leading the team with 19 multi-point games. He also skated in 17 Stanley Cup playoff games with the Lightning last season, scoring 11 goals and 19 points to go along with a plus-13 rating. He led the team during the playoffs in goals and points. He also finished second for goals and sixth for points in playoff scoring.

On 10 January 2017, Kucherov was named to the 2017 NHL All-Star game as a member of the Atlantic Division team. On 12 January 2017, Kucherov scored his 85th goal in a Lightning uniform, which moved him past Rob Zamuner (84) for 10th most goals in franchise history. On 21 February 2017, Kucherov recorded his 200th career NHL point. On 27 February 2017, Kucherov recorded his 2nd career hat trick, which was the 10th natural hat trick in Lightning history. It was also the first ever in team history to have all three goals scored via the power play. Kucherov's hat trick propelled him past Ryan Malone (92) for 9th most goals in Lightning history. On 11 March 2017, Kucherov recorded his 99th career goal in a Lightning uniform. This moved him past Chris Gratton (98) for 8th most goals all-time in franchise history. On March 18, 2017, Kucherov recorded his 100th career NHL goal. On March 23, 2017, Kucherov also recorded his second hat trick in less than a month apart from his first in the 2016-2017 season. This also became his third hat trick in his NHL career. On March 27, 2017, Kucherov had two assists which set a Lightning record for points in a single month with 22. On April 7, 2017, Kucherov scored his 40th goal of the season, setting a new career high. With his 40th goal, Kucherov joined Steven Stamkos, Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brian Bradley as the only players in Lightning history with 40-goal seasons. Additionally, Kucherov joined Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Bure, and Alexander Mogilny as the only Russian-born players with a 40-goal season at age 23 or younger.

International play
On 2 March 2016, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation named Kucherov to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Kucherov was joined by Lightning teammates Nikita Nesterov, Vladislav Namestnikov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy. The tournament took place from 17 Sep to 1 October 2016, in Toronto.

On April 9, 2017, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation named Kucherov to its roster for the 2017 World Ice Hockey Championships. Kucherov was joined by teammates Andrei Vasilevskiy and Vladislav Namestnikov. On May 21, 2017, Kucherov helped Russia capture a bronze medal when they defeated Finland in the bronze medal game.