Alexander Nikolayevich Svitov (russian: Александр Николаевич Свитов; born 3 November 1982) is a Russian 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 ...

forward currently an

unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is ...

. He most recently played with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl 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).

Playing career

Svitov was drafted in the first round, third overall, by the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play ...

in the

2001 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2001 NHL Entry Draft was the 39th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 23 and 24, 2001 at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, Florida. As of 2022, the only remaining active players in the NHL from the 2001 draft class are ...

. He made his

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

(NHL) debut with the Lightning in the 2002–03 season, appearing in 63 games and recording eight points. During the 2003–04 season, he was traded to the

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

in exchange for

Darryl Sydor Darryl Marion Sydor (born May 13, 1972) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey defenceman. He won two Stanley Cups during his career: with the Dallas Stars in 1999, and with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004. He also reached the Stanl ...

. During the 2005–06 season, Svitov returned to Russia and played for his hometown, Avangard Omsk, in the

Russian Superleague The Russian Superleague (russian: Чемпионат России Суперлига, ''Russian Championship Superleague''), commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was cons ...

(RSL). In the following 2006–07 season, Svitov returned to the Blue Jackets and played in a career high 76 games, scoring 18 points. On 17 August 2007, Svitov effectively ended his NHL career in signing a three-year contract with

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 ...

, after signing a two-year contract with the Blue Jackets on 2 July. After a three season stint with

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 ...

, Svitov moved to Ak Bars Kazan as a free agent in the 2013–14 season. Svitov Captained Ak Bars in 5 of his 6 seasons with the club, winning 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 ...

in the 2017–18 season. On 15 June 2019, Svitov extended his professional career, agreeing to a one-year contract as a free agent with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.

International play

Svitov is

IIHF World U20 Championship The IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC), or simply the "World Juniors" in ice hockey circles, is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) for national under-20 ice hockey teams from around the world. It is t ...

all-time statistical leader in penalty minutes with 101 minutes in 11 games.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

* 1982 births Living people Ak Bars Kazan players Avangard Omsk players Columbus Blue Jackets players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Lokomotiv Yaroslavl players National Hockey League first-round draft picks Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players of Russia Sportspeople from Omsk Russian ice hockey centres Salavat Yulaev Ufa players Syracuse Crunch players Springfield Falcons players Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Tampa Bay Lightning players {{Russia-icehockey-centre-stub