Klim Sergeyevich Kostin (russian: Клим Сергеевич Костин; born 5 May 1999) is a Russian professional
ice hockey winger who currently plays for the
Edmonton Oilers of the
National Hockey League (NHL). Considered a top prospect for the
2017 NHL Entry Draft
The 2017 NHL Entry Draft was the 55th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 23–24, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The first three selections were Nico Hischier going to the New Jersey Devils, Nolan Patrick going to the ...
, Kostin was selected 31st overall by the
St. Louis Blues, and made his NHL debut with them in 2019. Kostin previously played for
Dynamo Moscow
MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...
and
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 ...
of the
KHL. Internationally Kostin has played for the
Russian national junior team at several tournaments.
Playing career
Kostin debuted for
HC MVD in the
Junior Hockey League
Junior Hockey League is a term used to refer to an ice hockey league in which junior hockey teams compete.
List of junior hockey leagues
{{Expand list, date=October 2013
* Alberta Junior Hockey League
* British Columbia Hockey League
* Canadian Ju ...
(MHL) during the 2015–16 season. In 30 games for the team he scored 8 goals and 13 assists.
Kostin was selected first overall in the 2016
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 ...
by the
Kootenay Ice of the
Western Hockey League (WHL), a
major junior league in Canada, but he decided to stay in Russia with
Dynamo Moscow
MGO VFSO "Dynamo" (russian: МГО ВФСО «Динамо»), commonly known as Dynamo Moscow (russian: Динамо Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. Founded by Felix Dzerzhinsky on 18 April 1923, Dynamo Moscow was the first ...
for the 2016–17 season.
He was reluctant to play on a junior team in North America, instead preferring to play for a senior team, either in the NHL or
American Hockey League (AHL), the top minor league affiliate for the NHL.
Kostin only played 18 games in the
2016–17 season, split between Dynamo Moscow and their junior league affiliate
Dynamo Balashikha, scoring one goal before he had to end his season due to shoulder surgery in January.
Despite this, he was ranked the No. 1 European skater by
NHL Central Scouting, stating he has proved in earlier viewings that he has the necessary tools to excel at the next level. He was described as close to a complete package with a good combination of size and mobility. Kostin was also described as a
power forward, one who was both able to score and help others score.
Through playing a limited number of games, Kostin was taken with the last pick in the first round of the
2017 NHL Entry Draft
The 2017 NHL Entry Draft was the 55th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 23–24, 2017, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The first three selections were Nico Hischier going to the New Jersey Devils, Nolan Patrick going to the ...
by the St. Louis Blues. Initially thought to continue developing in Russia, Kostin was made a free agent after Dynamo Moscow were forced to release all of their players through a violation of KHL rules on 4 July 2017. The following day, Kostin agreed to a three-year entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues.
Kostin has said that he would prefer to play in the NHL for the
2017–18 season, though would not oppose going to the
American Hockey League (AHL), the top minor league affiliate for the NHL; however he had no interest in playing in the WHL, or any junior league.
Kostin scored his first career NHL goal with the St. Louis Blues during the season on November 23, 2019, in a 4–2 loss to the
Nashville Predators.
Approaching the season, his sixth year within the Blues organization, Kostin was unable to clinch a role on the opening night roster and was placed on waivers before he was re-assigned to AHL affiliate, the
Springfield Thunderbirds. On 9 October 2022, Kostin was traded by the Blues to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for fellow Russian,
Dmitri Samorukov
Dmitri Samorukov (born 16 June 1999) is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Springfield Thunderbirds in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect to the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Pla ...
. He was immediately re-assigned by the Oilers to continue in the AHL with affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. On November 9th, 2022, Kostin was called up to the Oilers after left winger
Evander Kane was injured.
He scored his first goal with the Oilers in a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on December 1, 2022.
International play
Kostin made his international debut at the
2016 IIHF World U18 Championships
The 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship was the 18th IIHF World U18 Championship. It was played from April 14 to 24, 2016 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, USA.
Venues
Top Division Officials
The IIHF selected 12 referees and 10 linesmen to work the 2 ...
, serving as captain of the
Russian U-18 team. He recorded four assists in five games as the team finished sixth.
Later that year he participated in the
2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
The 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 international ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Bratislava, Slovakia from 8 to 13 August 2016.
Preliminary round
''All times are Central European Summer Time (UTC+0 ...
, an under-18 tournament not sanctioned by the
International Ice Hockey Federation but considered a top tournament for the age group. Again captain of the team, he had four goals and three assists in five games as the team won a bronze medal.
He also played in the
CHL Canada/Russia Series, an annual tournament between CHL All-Star teams and the Russian national junior team, scoring two points in five games.
Personal life
Kostin was born and raised in
Penza. His family owns a butcher shop in the city. At the age of 12 Kostin moved to Moscow, living with his grandmother, in order to further his hockey career, and enrolled in the Dynamo Moscow program.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostin, Klim
1999 births
Living people
Avangard Omsk players
Bakersfield Condors players
Dynamo Balashikha players
HC Dynamo Moscow players
Edmonton Oilers players
Sportspeople from Penza
Russian ice hockey forwards
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
San Antonio Rampage players
Springfield Thunderbirds players
St. Louis Blues draft picks
St. Louis Blues players