Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov (russian: Серге́й Ви́кторович Самсо́нов, ''Sergej Viktorovič Samsonov''; born October 27, 1978) is a Russian former 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 who is now a scout for the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conferenc ...

Playing career

As a youth, Samsonov played in the 1992

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival ...

with a team from

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. Samsonov was drafted 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 ...

eighth overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Boston drafted Joe Thornton first overall in the same draft. In his rookie year, Samsonov won the

Calder Memorial Trophy The Calder Memorial Trophy is an annual award given "to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition in the National Hockey League (NHL)." It is named after Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL. Serving as ...

as the league's best rookie after scoring 22 goals and a total of 47 points. In the 2000–01 season, he played in his only NHL All-Star Game in Denver. Before playing in the NHL, Samsonov represented

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

in 1996 and 1997 at the

World Junior Hockey Championships 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 ...

. He led the 1997 Russian team to a bronze medal and was named the tournament's most outstanding forward after scoring six goals in six games. He later played for Russia in 2002 at the Winter Olympics in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, earning a bronze medal. In his early career, Samsonov was a highly touted prospect as the next future star of international hockey as he wowed fans and scouts alike with his shifty turns and scoring prowess. Samsonov scored 110 goals in 50 games with the Red Army junior team in 1994–95. That was prior to moving up to the Elite team later that season. He had 23 goals, 19 assists for a total of 42 points with 26 PIM in 64 career games with the Red Army elite team. In 1996–97, he played for the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League, and won the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year. He also won the league championship, the Turner Cup, with the Vipers. Samsonov is the only player in history to ever win the rookie of the year award for the IHL and the NHL in back-to-back seasons. Samsonov scored his first NHL goal on October 25, 1997. It occurred in Boston's 5-4 loss to the Florida Panthers. On March 9, 2006, Samsonov was traded from Boston to the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

for Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny, and a second-round pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft ( Milan Lucic). He was part of the Oilers team that made it to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. On July 12, 2006, Samsonov signed with the Montreal Canadiens for a two-year contract worth $7.05 million. Through a lackluster season, the Canadiens placed Samsonov on waivers in February 2007, and traded him to the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Divisio ...

for Jassen Cullimore and Tony Salmelainen in June 2007. On January 3, 2008, the Blackhawks assigned Samsonov to the

Rockford IceHogs The Rockford IceHogs are a professional ice hockey team based in Rockford, Illinois. They are members of the American Hockey League (AHL), having begun play in the League starting in the 2007–08 season. The team plays their home games at the ...

of the

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 developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the lea ...

(AHL) after he cleared waivers. On January 8, 2008, the

claimed Samsonov off re-entry waivers. He recorded his first point as a Hurricane on January 12, 2008, against the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (N ...

and scored his first goal three days later in a three-point game against 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 ...

. On April 16, 2008, the Hurricanes announced that they had reached an agreement with Samsonov for a three-year contract worth $7.6 million. The deal paid Samsonov $2.3 million in 2008–09, $2.5 million in 2009–10 and $2.8 million in 2010–11. At the 2011 trade deadline, Samsonov was traded to the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home g ...

, where he played 20 games. In 2014 Samsonov became a scout for the Carolina Hurricanes and in 2017 they hired him to train their forwards.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Samsonov, Sergei 1978 births Living people Boston Bruins draft picks Boston Bruins players Calder Trophy winners Carolina Hurricanes coaches Carolina Hurricanes players Carolina Hurricanes scouts Chicago Blackhawks players Detroit Vipers players Edmonton Oilers players Florida Panthers players HC CSKA Moscow players HC Dynamo Moscow players Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2002 Winter Olympics Montreal Canadiens players National Hockey League All-Stars National Hockey League first-round draft picks Olympic bronze medalists for Russia Olympic ice hockey players of Russia Olympic medalists in ice hockey Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Russian ice hockey left wingers Ice hockey people from Moscow