Evgeny Kuznetsov: A Summary of the Life of a 2011 World Junior Champion
By Fatima Younis
Sports Writer
Evgeny Kuznetsov warms up before 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships goal-medal game, where Russia clinched gold, and he scored a goal.
On May 19, 1992, in Chelyabinsk, Russia, Evgeny Kuznetsov was born. Nobody knew he would grow up to play professional hockey and win a gold medal with Team Russia in the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships when he was only eighteen years old, playing with NHL stars Vladimir Tarasenko and Nail Yakupov.
Kuznetsov began playing organized hockey when he was only six years old, and at age twelve was featured in the 2005 movie "Hockey," which featured children from around the world who play hockey. His mother told the interviewer through a translator, "according to statistics, Zhenya [a Russian nickname for the name Evgeny] has 35 goals this season. The rest of the team combined has fifteen." Kuznetsov began his professional career in the 2009-10 season, playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL. Scoring only eight points in 35 games due to inconsistent coaching, Kuznetsov still had the honor of being named the best European player by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and was selected 26th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Kuznetsov was one of twenty lucky Russian juniors selected to the national team in the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships, held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and although the Russians were not able to win any medals, Kuznetsov was named Russia's best player in the preliminary round.
Continuing to play for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the 2010-11 season, Kuznetsov posted the second-most points in the entire KHL (surpassed only by Tarasenko), and captained his team to the conference playoff finals.
Team Russia selected Kuznetsov to play for them again in the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships, and he opted to play for his national team instead of remaining in the KHL (which did not stop play for the championship). His choice paid off, as Russia won the gold medal, and Kuznetsov became a World Junior Champion at age eighteen (while every other player on the Russian team was nineteen), and was named one of the best three players in the tournament. He also finished that tournament tied for first in the most goals scored (alongside teammate Vladimir Tarasenko).
Evgeny Kuznetsov accepts an award at the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships.
Kuznetsov went on to play a solid three season with Traktor Chelyabinsk, being selected for the KHL All-Star Team all three times and winning a Continental Cup (the KHL equivalent of a Stanley Cup) with his team in 2013. He signed an entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on March 8, 2014, and made his NHL debut on March 10, registering an assist. He scored his first goal shorthanded against the Los Angeles Kings, scoring on a quick rebound from teammate Alex Ovechkin's shot. Kuznetsov has had four goals and eleven assists this season, ranking highly among his teammates, and continues to improve his playing and record sensational goals and assists.
"I love hockey; I have fire in my heart and ice in my veins." - Vsevolod Bobrov
Citations:
"Evgeny Kuznetsov." NHL.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. <http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8475744&view=bio>
Oland, Ian. "Video: A 12-Year-Old Evgeny Kuznetsov Featured in the 2005 Documentary “Hockey Nomad Goes To Russia”." Russian Machine Never Breaks. N.p., 19 July 2011. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. <http://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2011/07/19/video-evgeny-kuznetsov-hockey-nomad-goes-to-russia/>