Nikita Sergeyevich Alexeev, sometimes transliterated as Alexeyev, (russian: Никита Алексеев, born December 27, 1981) 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 h ...

forward who last played in 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 ...

with

Severstal Cherepovets Hockey Club Severstal is a professional ice hockey team based in Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League. History Founded in 1956, the club was originally known as Stroitel ...

. He formerly 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) with 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 ...

and 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 Division i ...

. He was a first round pick, 8th overall 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. T ...

for the Lightning.

Playing career

Alexeev came to North America in 1998 to play for the

Erie Otters The Erie Otters are a Major junior ice hockey team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Midwest division of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), one of only three American teams in the circuit. The team name refers to the North Am ...

of the

Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League (OHL; french: Ligue de hockey de l'Ontario (LHO)) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 16–19. There are exceptions for overa ...

(OHL). He was drafted by the

8th overall in the

. He made his NHL debut in the 2001-02 season, and split the next two seasons between the Lightning and AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. Early in the 2003–04 season, Alexeev suffered a major shoulder injury which caused him to miss the rest of the season as the Lightning went on to claim their first Stanley Cup. Alexeev played a season in Russia before in the 2006–07 season, he returned to NHL and was a regular in the Lightning lineup. However, after 63 games, he was traded to the

at the trade deadline. The Blackhawks chose not to offer Alexeev a contract in 2007, making him a free agent. Alexeev unable to live up to his draft status, ended his NHL tenure and returned to sign 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 ...

of the

(KHL). Alexeev won 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 ...

as champion of the KHL twice with Ak Bars, and scored the cup winning goal in 2010.

Career statistics

Awards and honours

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexeev, Nikita 1981 births Living people Ak Bars Kazan players Avangard Omsk players Chicago Blackhawks players Erie Otters players Hershey Bears players National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from Murmansk Russian ice hockey left wingers Severstal Cherepovets players Springfield Falcons players Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks Tampa Bay Lightning players Sportspeople from Murmansk Oblast