Nikolay Vladimirovich Kulemin (russian: Николай Владимирович Кулёмин; born 14 July 1986) 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 hock ...
player who is currently playing for
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 ...
of the
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Kulemin 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
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
and
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 ( ...
, the former of which drafted him in the second round, 44th overall, in the
2006 NHL Entry Draft
The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 24, 2006.
The draft order for the first 14 picks was decided during a lottery held on April 20, 2006. The draft was ...
.
Playing career
On 25 May 2007, Kulemin signed a three-year contract with the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
, 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
Michail Jurjevič Hraboŭski ( Belarusian: Міхаіл Юр'евiч Грабоўскі; born 31 January 1984), better known as Mikhail Grabovski (Russian: Михаил Грабовский), is a German-born Belarusian professional ice hockey ...
. Kulemin's first NHL goal occurred in his first NHL game, against the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
, on
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
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. 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
Alexei Ponikarovsky ( ua, Олексій Володимирович Понікаровський; born 9 April 1980) is a Ukrainian-Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto ...
.
In a game against the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
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. Notably, Ponikarovsky, a
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
, helped Kulemin become more comfortable in North America by translating and serving as a mentor on and off the ice.
![Nikolai_Kulemin_2012-03-07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Nikolai_Kulemin_2012-03-07.JPG)
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
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 ...
for the upcoming
2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
should an injury occur during the tournament. On 2 July 2010, Kulemin signed a two-year contract worth $2.35 million per year with the Maple Leafs.
The
2010–11 season was a big leap for Kulemin. Playing on a line with Mikhail Grabovski and
Clarke MacArthur
Clarke MacArthur (born April 6, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. MacArthur played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was orig ...
, 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
Mats Johan Sundin (; born 13 February 1971) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL), retiring in 2009. Originally drafted first overall in 1989, Sundin played ...
,
Phil Kessel
Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Peng ...
,
James van Riemsdyk
James van Riemsdyk ( ; born May 4, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Between 2012 and 2018, he played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Van Riemsdyk w ...
, Mogilny,
Nazem Kadri,
William Nylander,
John Tavares, and
Auston Matthews
Auston Taylour Matthews (born September 17, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born in San Ramon, California, Matthews and his family moved ...
, 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
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 ...
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. During 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 ...
, 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
The 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 30, 2013, following the conclusion of the 2012–13 NHL regular season. The regular season was shortened to 48 games, and the playoffs pushed to a later date, due ...
, Kulemin managed only 1 assist in 7 games as the Leafs were eliminated by the
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
.
In the
2013–14 season, Kulemin was selected to play in the
2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
for Russia, held in
Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
. 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
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 ( ...
. Kulemin joined the Islanders along with his Maple Leafs linemate and friend
Mikhail Grabovski
Michail Jurjevič Hraboŭski ( Belarusian: Міхаіл Юр'евiч Грабоўскі; born 31 January 1984), better known as Mikhail Grabovski (Russian: Михаил Грабовский), is a German-born Belarusian professional ice hockey ...
, 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. This distinction now belongs to
Anthony Beauvillier
Anthony Beauvillier (born June 8, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Growing up in Quebec, Beauvillier played for the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Jun ...
who scored the overtime winner in Game 6 of the
2021 Stanley Cup Semi-Final against
Tampa Bay.
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.
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.
Personal
Kulemin is married to Natasha and they have two children; their son, Aleks, was born on 20 March 2009,
and their daughter was born on 10 February 2012.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Honours and awards
Individual awards
*
Russian Super League
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 ...
MVP: 2007
Team awards
*
Tampere Cup
Tampere Cup is an annual ice hockey tournament held in Tampere, Finland. It is hosted by two local teams, Tappara and Ilves.
The most successful team is one of the hosts, Tappara with four titles. Metallurg Magnitogorsk has won the tournament th ...
: 2006
*
Česká Pojišťovna Cup: 2006
*
Karjala Cup
The Karjala Tournament ( fi, Karjala-turnaus), also known as Karjala Cup, is an annual ice hockey event held in Finland. The name comes from the sponsoring beer brand Karjala.
History
The tournament started in 1992 as the Sauna Cup. In 1995, t ...
: 2006
*
Channel One Cup: 2006
*
Russian Super League
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 ...
championship: 2007
References
External links
*
RussianPropects Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kulemin, Nikolay
1986 births
Living people
Metallurg Magnitogorsk players
New York Islanders players
Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Olympic ice hockey players of Russia
People from Magnitogorsk
Russian ice hockey left wingers
Salavat Yulaev Ufa players
Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Toronto Marlies players
Sportspeople from Chelyabinsk Oblast