Ruslan Faritovich Zainullin (russian: Руслан Фаритович Зайнуллин; born 14 February 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 ...

center currently playing for Kuban Krasnodar of the Russian second tier

Higher Hockey League The Supreme Hockey League (SHL) (russian: Высшая хоккейная лига (ВХЛ), links=no, ''Vysshaya hokkeinaya liga (VHL)''), also known as the Major Hockey League or Higher Hockey League (HHL), is a professional ice hockey league ...

(VHL). 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 ...

rights belong to the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey te ...

Playing career

Zainullin was drafted 34th 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 th ...

in the

2000 NHL Entry Draft The 2000 NHL Entry Draft was the 38th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24 and 25, 2000 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, following the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft on June 23 for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. This ...

after playing his first professional season in the

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 ...

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 ...

. Despite being drafted in the NHL, Zainullin has never played in the league, opting to remain in Russia. Playing with HC MVD in 2007–08, he recorded his most prolific season with 23 points in 50 games.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Transactions

* 5 March 2001 - Traded to

Phoenix 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 ...

by Tampa Bay with Mike Johnson,

Paul Mara Paul Richard Mara (born September 7, 1979) is an American former professional ice hockey defender, and current head coach of the Boston Pride in the PHF (formerly NWHL). He was selected 7th overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1997 NHL E ...

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 ( ...

' 2nd-round choice (previously acquired, Phoenix selected Matthew Spiller) in

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 M ...

for

Nikolai Khabibulin Nikolai Alexandrovich Khabibulin (; rus, Николай Александрович Хабибулин, p=xəbʲɪˈbulʲɪn, born January 13, 1973) is a Russian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Known by the nickname "The Bulin Wall", h ...

and Stan Neckar. * 19 March 2002 - Rights traded to

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 ...

by Phoenix with

Kirill Safronov Kirill Alekseevich Safronov (russian: Кирилл Алексеевич Сафронов; born 26 February 1981) is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenceman. Playing career Safronov was selected in the first round, 19th overall, by ...

and Phoenix's 4th-round choice (Patrick Dwyer) in

2002 NHL Entry Draft __NOTOC__ The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was the 40th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 22 and 23, 2002 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Two hundred and ninety-one players were drafted in total: 35 from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL); ...

for

Darcy Hordichuk Darcy Hordichuk (born August 10, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. He has previously played for the Vancouver Canucks, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers. Pla ...

and Atlanta's 4th ( Lance Monych) and 5th ( John Zeiler) round choices in 2002 NHL Entry Draft. *15 November 2002 - Traded to

by Atlanta for

Marc Savard Marc Savard (born July 17, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre and current head coach of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers (who o ...

External links

* 1982 births Living people Ak Bars Kazan players HC CSKA Moscow players HC Dynamo Moscow players HC MVD players HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk players HC Spartak Moscow players Tatar people of Russia Tatar sportspeople Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod players Russian ice hockey right wingers Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks {{Russia-icehockey-winger-stub