Alexander Nikishin
| Alexander Nikishin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
2 October 2001 Oryol, Russia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Carolina Hurricanes Spartak Moscow SKA Saint Petersburg | ||
| National team | Russia | ||
| NHL draft |
69th overall, 2020 Carolina Hurricanes | ||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||
Alexander Alexandrovich Nikishin (Russian: Александр Александрович Никишин; (born October 2nd, 2001) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
KHL
Nikishin made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut for Spartak Moscow during the 2019–20 season. He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the 2020 NHL entry draft with the 69th overall pick.[1][2] Nikishin was expected to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes after his contract expires with SKA Saint Petersburg in the spring of 2025.[3]
Following three seasons in the KHL with Spartak Moscow, Nikishin was traded to SKA Saint Petersburg in exchange for five contracted players and the rights to four further players and an additional 50 million rubles on 31 July 2022.[4] With SKA Saint Petersburg, Nikishin's production improved, and he recorded 55 points in 65 games during the 2022–23 season.
Nikishkin was named team captain for the 2023–24 season, and led his team in scoring with 56 points in 67 games, though his season ended with a 4–1 series loss to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in round 2 of the 2024 Gagarin Cup playoffs.
His production was slightly lower in the 2024–25 season, resulting in 46 points in 61 games, good enough for second in team scoring, behind only Ivan Demidov.
NHL
Following SKA Saint Petersburg's first round loss to Dynamo Moscow in the 2025 Gagarin Cup playoffs,[5] Nikishin had his KHL contract terminated on 11 April 2025.[6] The same day, he agreed to a two year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and joined the team for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.[7][8]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Representing ROC | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| 2022 Beijing | ||
On 23 January 2022, Nikishin was named to the roster of the Russian Olympic Committee athletes for the 2022 Winter Olympics.[9]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | CSKA Moscow | RUS U17 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | MHC Krylya Sovetov | MHL | 62 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2019–20 | MHK Spartak | MHL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Khimik Voskresensk | VHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 20 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | MHK Spartak | MHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Khimik Voskresensk | VHL | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 46 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Khimik Voskresensk | VHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 65 | 11 | 44 | 55 | 50 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | ||
| 2023–24 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 67 | 17 | 39 | 56 | 39 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2024–25 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 61 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2024–25 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| KHL totals | 288 | 54 | 123 | 177 | 166 | 35 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 23 | ||||
| NHL totals | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | ROC | OG | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| Senior totals | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||||
References
- ^ "Alexander Nikishin". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
- ^ "2020 NHL Draft: Complete results, list of picks for Rounds 1-7". NBC. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "Hurricanes GM Confirms Top Prospect Expected To Sign This Spring". The Hockey News. 3 January 2025. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ "Александр Никишин – в СКА!" (in Russian). SKA Saint Petersburg. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Gusev reaches landmark, Dynamo reaches round two". en.khl.ru. Retrieved 12 April 2025.
- ^ SKA Saint Petersburg [@hcSKA_News] (11 April 2025). "Good luck, captain! 👏 SKA Hockey Club and Alexander Nikishin have mutually terminated his contract, with the defenseman joining the Carolina Hurricane" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 April 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ "Hurricanes Agree To Terms With Nikishin". NHL.com. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ "SKA Saint Petersburg confirms Alexander Nikishin set to join Carolina Hurricanes". TSN. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
- ^ "ROC targets repeat gold". International Ice Hockey Federation. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database