Nikita Kucherov | |||
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Maykop, Russia | 17 June 1993||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
Position | Right wing | ||
Shoots | Left | ||
NHL team Former teams |
Tampa Bay Lightning CSKA Moscow | ||
National team | Russia | ||
NHL draft |
58th overall, 2011 Tampa Bay Lightning | ||
Playing career | 2011–present |
Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (Russian: Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best players in the world, Kucherov won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer, and the Ted Lindsay Award as the best player voted by fellow NHL players, for the 2018–19 season.[1]
Kucherov won the Stanley Cup twice with the Lightning, in 2020 and 2021, leading the playoffs in scoring both times. Kucherov holds the record for most points by a Russian-born player in a single season (144), as well as Lightning franchise playoff records for most points, most goals, and most assists. Due to his extensive accomplishments, Kucherov is widely considered one of the best players in the NHL