Mikhail Grigorenko
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Mikhail Olegovich Grigorenko (; born 16 May 1994,
Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...
,
Khabarovsk Krai Khabarovsk Krai (, ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (a krai) of Russia. It is located in the Russian Far East and is administratively part of the Far Eastern Federal District. The administrative centre of the krai is the types of ...
,
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
) is a
Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...
professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...
for
SKA Saint Petersburg Hockey Club SKA (), often referred to as SKA Saint Petersburg and literally as the Sports Club of the Army, is a professional ice hockey club based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is a member of the Bobrov Division in the Kontinental Hockey Le ...
of the
Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...
(KHL). Born and raised in Russia, Grigorenko moved to North America in 2011 and joined the
Quebec Remparts The Quebec Remparts () are a Canadian junior ice hockey based in Quebec City, Quebec. The team plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and is named after the Ramparts of Quebec City (). There have been two franchises name ...
of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...
(QMJHL). After one season in Quebec, he was selected in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
.
HC CSKA Moscow HC CSKA Moscow (, ''Central Sports Club of the Army, Moscow'') is a professional ice hockey club based in Moscow, Russia. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). It is referred to in the West as "Central R ...
also selected Grigorenko in the first round, eighth overall, of the 2011 KHL Junior Draft. He has previously played in the NHL with the Sabres and the
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...
.


Playing career


Junior

Grigorenko first played competitive junior hockey in his native Russia with Krasnaya Armiya in the MHL, the junior team to
CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...
. In the 2010–11 season, as a 16-year-old, Grigorenko impressively showed an early offensive touch, contributing 17 goals and 35 points in 43 games. In June 2011, Grigorenko was selected second overall in the CHL Import Draft by the
Quebec Remparts The Quebec Remparts () are a Canadian junior ice hockey based in Quebec City, Quebec. The team plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and is named after the Ramparts of Quebec City (). There have been two franchises name ...
of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...
(QMJHL).
Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame () is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) records, memorabilia and National Hockey Le ...
r
Patrick Roy Patrick Jacques Roy (; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach, executive and former player who is the head coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Roy previously served as head coach for ...
, the owner, general manager and head coach of the Remparts, liked Grigorenko so much he traded up in the Import Draft to select him. Grigorenko played 59 games with the Remparts during the 2011–12 season, his first in North America, and scored 40 goals and 45 assists for 85 points. He led all rookie players in the QMJHL in goals and points and was second for assists to capture the
Michel Bergeron Trophy The Michel Bergeron Trophy is awarded annually to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey l ...
. He also finished fifth overall in goals scored and was tied for eighth overall for points while playing the fewest games of any player who was in the top ten in points. Earning selection to the All-Rookie and First All-Star Teams on 20 March 2012, Grigorenko was also nominated and chosen as the top professional prospect to play in the QMJHL during 2011–12 with the
Mike Bossy Trophy The Michael Bossy Trophy ('' French:Trophée Michael Bossy'') is awarded annually to the player in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) judged to be the best professional prospect. The award is named after former New York Islanders fo ...
. As a top-rated forward prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Grigorenko was selected in the first round, 12th overall, by the
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...
. On 18 July 2012, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Sabres. With the
2012–13 NHL lockout 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to ...
delaying the beginning of the NHL season, Grigorenko was reassigned to start the season back with the Remparts, where he played 32 games and recorded 50 points during the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
before the lockout ending in January. At the time, he was leading the Remparts and was fifth in the QMJHL with 29 goals, and his 50 points were second on the team.


Professional


Buffalo Sabres

When the lockout ended in January, Grigorenko was invited to the Sabres' training camp, where he made the roster for the start of the
season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
. After playing five games with the Sabres, the team opted to keep Grigorenko for the remainder of the season rather than send him back to the Remparts; had they done so, the season would not have counted as one year expired on his entry-level contract. On 29 January, Grigorenko scored his first career NHL goal, against
James Reimer James Reimer (; born March 15, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Reimer has also played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, San Jose Sharks, ...
of 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. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...
, becoming the fifth-youngest Sabre to score in franchise history. After 22 games with the Sabres, where he recorded one goal and four assists, Grigorenko was reassigned to the Remparts on 15 March 2013. Grigorenko went on to lead the Remparts in playoff scoring with 14 points in 11 games before being recalled by the Sabres on 16 April. Grigorenko began the 2013–14 season with the Sabres. However, with the Sabres cleaning out the front office and coaching staff, and with an imperative to rely less on the youth from new head coach
Ted Nolan Theodore John Nolan (born April 7, 1958) is an Indigenous Canadian former professional ice hockey player and coach. He played as a left winger in the National Hockey League (NHL) and served as the head coach for the Buffalo Sabres and the Latvi ...
, he was returned to junior after sporadically appearing in just 18 games on 11 January 2014. He reported to the Remparts several days later after initially refusing to do so. In his final junior season with the Remparts, Grigorenko dominated in his 23 appearances, collecting 15 goals and 39 points in the regular season. With an early post-season exit, Grigorenko was then assigned to Buffalo's
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Rochester, New York. They are the American Hockey League affiliate of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home g ...
, to play out the remainder of the year. In his first full professional year, Grigorenko split the 2014–15 season between the Sabres and Rochester. Beginning the year with the Sabres, Grigorenko would be shuffled between the NHL and AHL on five separate occasions. In 43 games with the Americans, Grigorenko continued to show his offensive promise in posting 14 goals and 36 points. He returned to complete the season with the Sabres, scoring 6 points in 25 games.


Colorado Avalanche

On 26 June 2015, at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, as an impending restricted free agent, Grigorenko was traded by the Sabres in a package that included
Nikita Zadorov Nikita Sergeyevich Zadorov (; born 16 April 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, 16th overall, in the ...
, J. T. Compher and the 31st pick in the draft to the
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...
in exchange for
Ryan O'Reilly Ryan O'Reilly (born February 7, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and Captain (ice hockey)#Alternate captains, alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has prev ...
and Jamie McGinn. Grigorenko then signed to an initial one-year, one-way contract with the Avalanche on 17 July. Grigorenko's arrival in Colorado marked a reunion with former junior coach and then head coach of the Avalanche, Patrick Roy. He made the Avalanche roster after his first training camp, opening the 2015–16 season. After being a healthy scratch for three games, Grigorenko made his Avalanche debut centering the fourth line, collecting an assist on a
Jack Skille Jack Skille (born May 19, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), right winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanch ...
goal in a 3–0 victory over the
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Confere ...
on 16 October 2015. He continued with fourth-line duties until injury gave him an opportunity in a top-six scoring role. Grigorenko responded by recording his first goal for the Avalanche in a three-point night against the
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...
on 14 November 2017. He compiled seven points in six contests on an East Coast road trip before he was returned to the fourth line. Grigorenko later secured a role on a scoring line through the midpoint of the year to play his first full season in the NHL, recording a career-high six goals and 27 points in 74 games. In the off-season, as a restricted free agent, Grigorenko originally filed for arbitration. However, ahead of his scheduled meeting, he agreed to a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Avalanche on 21 July 2016. With the surprise departure of head coach Patrick Roy, Grigorenko initially impressed incoming head coach
Jared Bednar Jared Garry Bednar (born February 28, 1972) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously coached the Lake Erie Monsters of the Am ...
, leading the Avalanche in pre-season scoring. However, in the 2016–17 season, he was unable to maintain his offensive production as a consistent scoring threat. While lacking the physicality for a lower-depth role, Grigorenko (mainly playing on the wing) collected ten goals for 23 points in 75 games for the cellar-dwelling Avalanche. On 26 June 2017, Grigorenko was not tendered a qualifying contract by the Avalanche and became an unrestricted free agent.


CSKA Moscow

As a free agent, Grigorenko garnered NHL interest however opted to return to Russia in agreeing to a three-year contract with his original junior club and a KHL powerhouse, CSKA Moscow of the
Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...
(KHL), on 3 July 2017. In the second year of his contract with CSKA in the 2018–19 season, Grigorenko improved upon his previous seasons' totals, in leading the club in scoring with 17 goals and 35 assists for 52 points in 55 regular season games. In the playoffs, Grigorenko continued to lead CSKA's offense, helping return the club to the Gagarin Cup finals, selected as the finals best forward in helping CSKA claim their first Championship in the KHL by scoring 6 points in the four-game series sweep against
Avangard Omsk Hockey Club Avangard (, Vanguard), also known as Avangard Omsk, is a professional ice hockey club based in Omsk, Russia. It is a member of the Chernyshev Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Franchise history Early years of Omsk hock ...
. He scored in three games and recorded the first-ever Gagarin Cup finals hat-trick (in the first game of the series, including the game-winning goal).


Columbus Blue Jackets

On 20 April 2020, Grigorenko planned a return to the NHL, signing a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern C ...
. However, the NHL rejected the contract, stating that it must be refiled on the first day of free agency for the
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
season. On 13 July 2020, Grigorenko was officially signed by the Blue Jackets. After attending the Blue Jackets training camp, Grigorenko made the opening night roster, making his debut and playing his first NHL game in nearly four years in a 3-1 defeat to the
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (colloquially referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Predators compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Divisio ...
on 14 January 2021. Deployed in scoring line role, Grigorenko struggled to translate his offensive game and was reduced to a healthy scratch mid-way through the season. He later returned to the lineup to finish with four goals and 12 points through 32 regular season games as the Blue Jackets missed the playoffs.


Return to CSKA

Grigorenko opted to return to Russia as an impending free agent, signing a three-year contract with his former club, CSKA Moscow of the KHL, on 3 July 2021. During his second tenure with CSKA, Grigorenko helped the club return to the top of the KHL, leading the club offensively and claiming the Gagarin Cup in each of his first two seasons in 2021–22 and
2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...
.


SKA Saint Petersburg

Having completed his sixth overall season with CSKA in 2023–24, Grigorenko left the club as a free agent and was signed by rival club SKA Saint Petersburg to a lucrative four-year contract on 24 May 2024.


International play

Grigorenko first represented
Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
as a 15-year-old at the
2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament The 2009 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament was an under-18 ice hockey tournament held in Břeclav, Czech Republic and Piešťany, Slovakia from August 11–15, 2009. The two venues were Alcaplast Arena in Břeclav and Patrícia Ice Arena 37 in Pieš ...
, where Russia finished second. In an extensive international junior career with Russia, Grigorenko helped Russia to collect three successive medals at the World Junior Championships, with a silver medal in Canada in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
followed by two bronze medals in his native Russia in
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
and Sweden in
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
. In his first season of his return to Russia professionally, Grigorenko was selected and played as a member of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team at the
2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...
. He recorded one goal and four points in six games to help claim the gold medal in an overtime victory over
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. On 23 January 2022, Grigorenko was named to the roster to represent
Russian Olympic Committee athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics Russian athletes competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, from 4 to 20 February 2022, under the "Russian Olympic Committee" designation (using the acronym "ROC") due to the consequences of the doping scandal in the country. On 9 ...
.


Personal life

Grigorenko was born in
Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( ) is the largest city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China–Russia border, at the confluence of the Amur and Ussuri Rivers, about north of Vladivostok. As of the 2021 Russian c ...
, located in the
Russian Far East The Russian Far East ( rus, Дальний Восток России, p=ˈdalʲnʲɪj vɐˈstok rɐˈsʲiɪ) is a region in North Asia. It is the easternmost part of Russia and the Asia, Asian continent, and is coextensive with the Far Easte ...
near the border of China. His older brother, Yuri, also played hockey and spent five seasons in the minor leagues of both Russia and Belarus. In 2011, after being selected by the Remparts in the CHL Import Draft, Grigorenko moved to
Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
with his mother and Yuri. While he initially did not understand English, Grigorenko took classes five days a week with a Russian teacher, and by the end of the season he was able to conduct interviews in English without the aid of a translator.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


Awards and honours


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Grigorenko, Mikhail 1994 births Living people Buffalo Sabres draft picks Buffalo Sabres players Colorado Avalanche players Columbus Blue Jackets players HC CSKA Moscow players Ice hockey people from Khabarovsk Ice hockey players at the 2018 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players for Russia Medalists at the 2018 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics NHL first-round draft picks Olympic medalists in ice hockey Olympic gold medalists for Olympic Athletes from Russia 21st-century Russian sportsmen Olympic silver medalists for the Russian Olympic Committee athletes Quebec Remparts players Rochester Americans players Russian ice hockey centres Russian people of Ukrainian descent SKA Saint Petersburg players