Ilya Vladimirovich Nikulin (russian: Илья Владимирович Никулин; born 12 March 1982) is a Russian former professional
ice hockey defenceman. He played for
HC Dynamo Moscow and
Ak Bars Kazan in the
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Nikulin was drafted by 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 ...
in the second round, 31st 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. This ...
.
Playing career
Later that year, Nikulin began his professional career in the
Russian Superleague (RSL) 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 ...
. He played with Dynamo for five seasons. In 2005, he joined Ak Bars Kazan. His five-year contract with Kazan included allowing him to leave for the NHL. However, after negotiations in 2008 and 2009, Nikulin did not sign a contract with the Thrashers.
On 15 July 2020, Nikulin officially announced his retirement from professional hockey, ending a 19-year career.
International play
Nikulin has played for
Team Russia. He competed at the
1999 under-18 Championship, earned a silver medal at the
2000 World Junior Championship, a bronze at the
2007 World Championship, a silver at the
2010 World Championship and a gold at the
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
and
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
IIHF World Championships. He was selected to the
2010 Russian Olympic team.
Personal
Nikulin is good friends with
Alexander Ovechkin, with whom he played four seasons with during his tenure with Dynamo Moscow. He is also the godfather of Nikulin's son.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikulin, Ilya
1982 births
Living people
Ak Bars Kazan players
Atlanta Thrashers draft picks
HC Dynamo Moscow players
Ice hockey players at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Olympic ice hockey players for Russia
Russian ice hockey defencemen
Ice hockey people from Moscow