Alexander Olegovich Burmistrov (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Александр Олегович Бурмистров, ; born 21 October 1991) is a

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics * Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentri ...

currently playing for

Metallurg Magnitogorsk Metallurg Magnitogorsk (russian: Металлург Магнитогорск) is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League. They a ...

of the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...

(KHL). He previously played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(NHL) for the

Atlanta Thrashers The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League (NHL) on June 25, 1997, and became the League's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 seaso ...

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

franchise as well as the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

, before leaving the NHL after a short stint with the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference, and play their home games at Rogers Arena. Bruce B ...

. Burmistrov won the

Gagarin Cup The Gagarin Cup (russian: Кубок Гагарина, Kubok Gagarina) is the trophy presented to the winner of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) playoffs, and is named after Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space. The Cup was ...

with

Ak Bars Kazan Hockey Club Ak Bars (russian: Ак Барс, tt-Cyrl, Ак Барс, en, Snow Leopard), also known as Ak Bars Kazan, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Kazan. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey ...

in 2018.

Playing career

Junior

Burmistrov joined the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overag ...

(OHL)'s

Barrie Colts The Barrie Colts are a junior ice hockey team in Ontario Hockey League, based in Barrie, Ontario, Canada. Pre-OHL history There were two previous Barrie Colts teams which played Junior A & B hockey in the Ontario Hockey Association, one from 1 ...

after being selected 12th overall in the 2009

CHL Import Draft The CHL Import Draft is an annual event in which every team in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) may select the rights to eligible import players. An import is classified as a player who does not have residency status in either Canada or the U ...

. He made his debut in North America on 17 September 2009 against the

Owen Sound Attack The Owen Sound Attack are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League based in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Based in Owen Sound since 1989, and operating under the current name since 2000, the Attack play their home games at the J.D. M ...

, recording his first career OHL goal in his debut.

Professional

Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets

Having been drafted into the NHL by the

eighth overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, on 8 October 2010, Burmistrov made his NHL debut with Atlanta in a game against the

Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...

. On 29 October, in a game against the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

, he scored his first career NHL goal. He then engaged in his first career NHL

fight Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

on 11 December against

John Tavares John Tavares (born September 20, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the New York Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft ...

of the

New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...

. During the 2011–12 season, Burmistrov would score 13 goals with 15 assists during for the newly relocated

. At the onset of the

2012–13 NHL lockout The 2012–13 NHL lockout was a labor dispute between the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) that began at 11:59 pm EDT on September 15, 2012. A tentative deal on a new collective barga ...

, Burmistrov was assigned to Winnipeg's

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL) affiliate, the

St. John's IceCaps The St. John's IceCaps were a professional ice hockey team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. They were members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was originally aff ...

, where he would record 2 goals and 9 assists (11 points) in 22 games before being recalled to Winnipeg for the start of the shortened 2012–13 season.

Ak Bars Kazan

At season's end, Burmistrov became a restricted free agent and subsequently signed a two-year contract with

of the

(KHL). He explained in interviews that his departure from the NHL was motivated by dissatisfaction with his role under Jets head coach

Claude Noël Claude Noël (born October 31, 1955) is a Canadian professional scout with the New Jersey Devils, former National Hockey League, NHL player and head coach. Noël has close to 30 years experience coaching with his most recent coaching position be ...

as well as bitterness over being assigned to the AHL rather than being allowed to pursue a more lucrative offer in Russia during the NHL lockout.

Return to Winnipeg

On 1 July 2015, the opening day of the NHL free agency period, Burmistrov signed a two-year contract to return to Winnipeg.

Arizona Coyotes

In a disappointing start to the 2016–17 season in which he scored only 2 points in 23 games with Winnipeg, Burmistrov was placed on waivers on 1 January 2017 and was subsequently claimed by the

. He recorded 5 goals and 14 points in 26 games with the Coyotes.

Vancouver Canucks and NHL retirement

On 1 July 2017, as a free agent, Burmistrov signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the

. He was used in a limited role and received minimal playing time with the Canucks. On 24 December 2017, his agent, Dan Milstein, released a statement on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that stated Burmistrov had "retired from the NHL" and that an announcement on his future was forthcoming. The wording of Milstein's tweet has fueled speculation that Burmistrov would return to the KHL once his retirement paperwork with the NHL was completed.

Return to KHL

Three days after his retirement tweet was sent out, Burmistrov returned to the KHL, signing with former club Ak Bars Kazan. In joining Ak Bars through the push for the playoffs in the 2017–18 season, Burmistrov added depth to the offence, contributing with 6 points in 10 games. He made 17 playoff appearances and scored 3 points to help Ak Bars claim the

. On 6 June 2018, Burmistrov signed a two-year contract extension with Ak Bars. During the 2018–19 season, Burmistrov struggled to gain his offensive touch, registering just 5 points in 27 games for the defending champions before he was traded to

Salavat Yulaev Ufa Hockey Club Salavat Yulaev (russian: Хоккейный клуб «Салават Юлаев», Hokkejnyj klub «Salavat Julajev»; ba, «Салауат Юлаев» хоккей клубы, «Salawat Yulayev» xokkey klubı), commonly referred ...

in exchange for three prospects on 1 December 2018. Burmistrov remained with Salavat through the 2019–20 season, notching 6 goals and 18 points in 58 games in a checking-line role. He added a goal and assist in Salavat's opening round victory over

Avangard Omsk Hockey Club Avangard (russian: ХК Авангард, links=no, Vanguard), also known as Avangard Omsk, is a Russian professional ice hockey team from Omsk. It is a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Eastern Conference of the Kontinental H ...

before the remainder of playoffs were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. As a free agent, Burmistrov returned home to Ak Bars Kazan, agreeing to a one-year contract for his fourth stint with the club on 5 June 2020.

International play

Burmistrov represented

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

at the 2010 World Junior Championships held in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He was named to the Russian senior team for competition at the

2014 IIHF World Championship The 2014 IIHF World Championship was hosted by Belarus in its capital, Minsk, held from 9–25 May 2014. Sixteen national teams were competing in two venues, the Minsk-Arena and Chizhovka-Arena. It was the first time Belarus hosted the tourname ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

*
Alexander Burmistrov
at RussianProspects.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Burmistrov, Alexander 1991 births Living people Ak Bars Kazan players Arizona Coyotes players Atlanta Thrashers draft picks Atlanta Thrashers players Barrie Colts players Metallurg Magnitogorsk players National Hockey League first-round draft picks Russian ice hockey centres St. John's IceCaps players Salavat Yulaev Ufa players Sportspeople from Kazan Vancouver Canucks players Winnipeg Jets players