Nikita Kucherov - young hope of the Russian hockey

Nowadays, in the most prestigious international hockey league, the National Hockey League, speaks several dozen Russian athletes. One of the youngest players - Nikita Kucherov, already the 5th year in favor of the ocean, of which the last 4 seasons at the club, "Tampa Bay". Russians regularly shows excellent results, so called for the national team, one of the main hopes of which he considered so far.

At the start of a career

Nikita Kucherov was born June 17, 1993 in Maikop and childhood began to study in school sports. The main base in the development of hockey as a player was the Moscow Sports School "Polar Bears", where he studied Russian before the year 2009. At age 16, the talented striker has invited the youth club "Red Army", with whom he began his professional career Kucherov. As part of the capital's team young striker spent two fantastic seasons, both times gaining more than 50 productive points, so the ending of the 2010/11 championship Kucherova caused finish the season in the "CSKA" in the CHL.

"Army" Start

But to maintain its level of Nikita among the Russian elite to fully failed, making only two assists in 8 meetings. Returning to the "Red Army", hockey player again showed excellent performance, the second half of the season was in the "CSKA". The coaching staff, "army" saw talent player, but there was a part of a large number of experienced craftsmen, Nikita Kucherov on the ice went out often enough, which affected his performance. As a result, typing in a season only 5 points in 18 games, the Russians decided to search for a new club.

Moving overseas

Like most players, striker dreamed of speech in the most popular league - NHL. Nikita Kucherov, terminating the contract with the "CSKA", first appeared in Canada, where he performed for the hockey club "Quebec" of the same province, from which, after playing only 6 meetings was sent to another Canadian team - "Rouyn-Noranda Huskies." Its composition Russians played the rest of the season with 53 points in 27 games, and the beginning of the next championship held at the "Syracuse Crunch", jutting out into the American Hockey League - the last stage on the way to the NHL. For the first 17 games as a part of the New York team Kucherov was marked 24 points in November 2013. I got the long-awaited challenge to the basis of the "Tampa Bay".

The game of "Tampa Bay"

The American Club Nikita Kucherov quickly fit into the team, will continue to develop as a professional. The first part of Russians in the NHL season was quite modest: in 54 meetings within the framework of the regular championship and playoff games the striker scored 19 points, helping the team to take second place in the Eastern Conference championship. However, the player and his high potential zeal forced coaches to continue to trust the hockey player, for which he was soon fully thanked mentors.

In the next championship responsibilities of key players, "Tampa" took over, Nikita Kucherov. Hockey player, taking part in almost all the games, often became important points earner for the club. In 82 meetings, he scored 29 goals and made 36 assists in the championship, in which the "lightning" again took silver. Also became one of the engines of the team to the playoffs, where with 22 points in 26 Russian games helped "Tampa" to overcome in the final play-off in New York, "Rangers" in semimatchevuyu confrontation and hard fight for the Stanley Cup, where hard fight "lightning" lost the title of "Chicago." Aimed at improving their success, the next championship, "Tampa Bay" has retained most of its leaders, including Russian, and once again proved Nikita Kucherov on ice its highest level. After earning 66 points over 77 games, the forward has contributed a third vice-championship of the club in the regular season, and 19 points in the playoffs was the co-author of the second place, "Tampa" in the playoffs of the Stanley Cup, in which the decisive battle "lightning" lost " Pittsburgh "with a score of 3: 4. In the current season Kucherov continues to delight fans of his performance and at the end of the match 41 has in its piggy bank 42 points.

National successes

The talent of the young striker was marked and the coaching staff of the national team, where Nikita Kucherov regularly invoked, since the junior level. In 2011, as part of the Russian juniors won the bronze medal of the World Cup, scored a record 21 points in 7 meetings, for which he was recognized as the best striker of the championship.

The following year, a player has participated in the youth national team, once again their successes stoked hit teams on the podium - in the struggle for the victory of Russians gave Sweden to over-half - 0: 1. The following year, the Swedes again proved a stumbling block for the team Nikita Kucherov, but this time the meeting took place teams in the semifinals, where the Swedish team perebrosali Russians in shootouts. But in the fight for the bronze medal the Russian team was able to beat Canada in over-half, again did not go unrewarded. In subsequent years, the player seriously considered for invitation to the main national team, but Kucherova debut only in 2016, when the World Cup striker played in 4 games, scored 3 points, but was satisfied with a 4th place, losing in the semi-final Canada - 3: 5.