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Nikolay Kulemin

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Nikolay Kulemin
Kulemin with the New York Islanders in March 2015.
Born (1986-07-14) 14 July 1986 (age 38)
Magnitogorsk, Russian SFSR,
Soviet Union
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
Position Left Wing
Shoots Left
KHL team
Former teams		 Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Metallurg Magnitogorsk
Toronto Maple Leafs
New York Islanders
National team  Russia
NHL draft 44th overall, 2006
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 2003–present

Nikolay Vladimirovich Kulemin (Russian: Николай Владимирович Кулёмин; born 14 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Kulemin previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, the former of which drafted him in the second round, 44th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

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On 25 May 2007, Kulemin signed a three-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs,[1] but stayed in Russia for the 2007–08 season on a "handshake agreement" between the Maple Leafs and Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). During the early stages of the 2008–09 season, his first in the NHL, Kulemin found chemistry on a line with teammates Niklas Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski. Kulemin's first NHL goal occurred in his first NHL game, against the Detroit Red Wings, on goaltender Chris Osgood, in Toronto's 2008–09 season opener on 9 October 2008. The goal ended up as the game winner in a 3–2 Toronto win.[2] Near the end of the season, after the trade of Leafs forward Nik Antropov, Kulemin was used mainly on a line with Grabovski and Alexei Ponikarovsky.[3] In a game against the Montreal Canadiens on 21 March 2009, soon after the line was created, Kulemin posted a career-high three points (one goal and two assists) in a 5–2 Toronto win.[4] Notably, Ponikarovsky, a Ukrainian, helped Kulemin become more comfortable in North America by translating and serving as a mentor on and off the ice.[3]

Kulemin with the Maple Leafs in 2012

Kulemin showed a small offensive improvement in his second season, going from 15 goals and 31 points to 16 goals and 36 points. His 16 goals were tied for fourth on the Maple Leafs by season's end, and his 36 points were fifth. In late January, he was selected as a reserve by Russia for the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics should an injury occur during the tournament.[5] On 2 July 2010, Kulemin signed a two-year contract worth $2.35 million per year with the Maple Leafs.[6]

The 2010–11 season was a big leap for Kulemin. Playing on a line with Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur, Kulemin posted new career highs in goals and points. On 5 April 2011, Kulemin became the first Russian-born Toronto Maple Leaf to score 30 goals in a season since Alexander Mogilny scored 33 in 2002–03. Kulemin, along with Mats Sundin, Phil Kessel, James van Riemsdyk, Mogilny, Nazem Kadri, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Auston Matthews, are the only Leafs to score 30 or more since the 1999–2000 season. He also scored a career-high four points against the Atlanta Thrashers on 7 January 2011.

Despite the prior season's progress, Kulemin dropped to 7 goals over 70 games in 2011–12, with his shooting percentage falling from 17.3% to 6.5%. Despite his setbacks offensively, Kulemin was re-signed by Toronto on 20 July 2012 to another two-year contract, worth $2.8 million per year.[7] During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he returned to the Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where he scored 38 points in 36 games. Upon the lockout ending he returned to Toronto, and scored 7 goals and 23 points in 48 games. In the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, Kulemin managed only 1 assist in 7 games as the Leafs were eliminated by the Boston Bruins.[8]

In the 2013–14 season, Kulemin was selected to play in the 2014 Winter Olympics for Russia, held in Sochi. With the Maple Leafs, Kulemin managed only 9 goals and a career low 11 assists for a mere 20 points. Over 70 games he notched only 81 shots, a far cry from his 173 shots in 2010–11.

On 2 July 2014, as a free agent, Kulemin left the Maple Leafs after six seasons to sign a four-year contract with the New York Islanders.[9] Kulemin joined the Islanders along with his Maple Leafs linemate and friend Mikhail Grabovski, making it known to teams during free agency that they wanted to sign together. He was able to somewhat rekindle his offensive touch, scoring 15 goals and 31 points in his first season with New York. On 25 April 2015, Kulemin scored what was thought to be the final NHL game-winning goal at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2015 playoffs.[10] This distinction now belongs to Anthony Beauvillier who scored the overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Semi-Final against Tampa Bay.[11]

In the 2015–16 season, Kulemin dropped back to only 9 goals and 22 points with the Islanders, managing only 92 shots in 81 games. In the 2016 playoffs, he added 4 points in 11 games.

After concluding his contract with the Islanders, on 4 July 2018, Kulemin left the NHL after ten seasons to return to Metallurg Magnitogorsk, signing a three-year contract.[12]

As a free agent following the conclusion of his contract with Mettlaurg, Kulemin left as a free agent and was signed to a one-year deal to continue in the KHL with Salavat Yulaev Ufa on 27 August 2021.[13]

Personal

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Kulemin is married to Natasha and they have two children; their son, Aleks, was born on 20 March 2009,[14] and their daughter was born on 10 February 2012.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 Metallurg–2 Magnitogorsk RUS.3 43 8 18 26 91 — — — — —
2004–05 Metallurg–2 Magnitogorsk RUS.3 43 9 13 22 44 — — — — —
2005–06 Metallurg Magnitogorsk RSL 31 5 8 13 8 11 2 4 6 6
2005–06 Metallurg–2 Magnitogorsk RUS.3 4 3 1 4 6 — — — — —
2006–07 Metallurg Magnitogorsk RSL 54 27 12 39 42 15 10 1 11 10
2007–08 Metallurg Magnitogorsk RSL 57 21 12 33 63 11 2 2 4 29
2008–09 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 73 15 16 31 18 — — — — —
2008–09 Toronto Marlies AHL 5 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2009–10 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 78 16 20 36 16 — — — — —
2010–11 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 82 30 27 57 26 — — — — —
2011–12 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 7 21 28 6 — — — — —
2012–13 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 36 14 24 38 26 — — — — —
2012–13 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 48 7 16 23 22 7 0 1 1 0
2013–14 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 70 9 11 20 24 — — — — —
2014–15 New York Islanders NHL 82 15 16 31 21 7 1 1 2 2
2015–16 New York Islanders NHL 81 9 13 22 22 11 1 3 4 2
2016–17 New York Islanders NHL 72 12 11 23 18 — — — — —
2017–18 New York Islanders NHL 13 1 2 3 0 — — — — —
2018–19 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 52 16 19 35 16 6 0 0 0 2
2019–20 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 57 12 8 20 18 5 1 0 1 0
2020–21 Metallurg Magnitogorsk KHL 22 6 1 7 6 12 0 1 1 4
2021–22 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 45 14 13 27 12 11 3 0 3 8
2022–23 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 68 13 15 28 24 5 1 0 1 2
2023–24 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 46 13 12 25 10 2 0 0 0 0
RSL totals 142 53 32 85 113 37 14 7 21 45
NHL totals 669 121 153 274 173 25 2 5 7 4
KHL totals 326 88 92 180 112 41 5 1 6 16

International

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Medal record
Representing  Russia
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Russia
Silver medal – second place 2010 Germany
Gold medal – first place 2012 Finland
Gold medal – first place 2014 Belarus
Silver medal – second place 2015 Czech Republic
World Junior Championships
Silver medal – second place 2006 Canada
IIHF World U18 Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Belarus
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2004 Russia WJC18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 6 0 2 2 2
2006 Russia WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 4 4 2 6 25
2006 Russia WC 5th 7 1 3 4 2
2007 Russia WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 9 2 1 3 0
2010 Russia WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 9 3 2 5 25
2011 Russia WC 4th 9 1 0 1 2
2012 Russia WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 1 3 4 0
2014 Russia OG 5th 5 0 0 0 2
2014 Russia WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 3 4 7 2
2015 Russia WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 9 1 7 8 2
2016 Russia WCH 4th 4 0 2 2 0
Junior totals 10 4 4 8 27
Senior totals 72 12 22 34 35

Honours and awards

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Individual awards

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Team awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Maple Leafs agree to entry-level deal with Nik Kulemin". The Sports Network. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 25 May 2007.
  2. ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings – Recap". ESPN. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
  3. ^ a b "Leafs find contributions from Europeans". National Post. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 2 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens – Recap". ESPN. 21 March 2009. Archived from the original on 29 March 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  5. ^ "Kovalev, Frolov, Zubov and Kulemin added to Olympics squad". russianhockeyfans.com. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 24 January 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  6. ^ "Maple Leafs extend Nik Kulemin". The Sports Network. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
  7. ^ "Leafs sign Kulemin to two-year contract extension". Toronto Sun. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  8. ^ "Kulemin season stats". National Hockey League. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  9. ^ "Islanders agree to terms with Kulemin". New York Islanders. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Islanders, Capitals game". lighthousehockey.com. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Anthony Beauvillier's OT goal helps Islanders force Game 7 vs. Lightning". NBC Sports. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  12. ^ "Time to return home" (in Russian). Instagram. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Salavat sign contract with Nikolay Kulemin" (in Russian). Salavat Yulaev Ufa. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  14. ^ "Kulemin first time father". Toronto Sun. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2010.
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