Andrei Kuzmenko Explained

Andrei Kuzmenko
Birth Date:4 February 1996
Birth Place:Yakutsk, Russia
Height Ft:5
Height In:11
Weight Lb:203
Position:Winger
Shoots:Right
League:NHL
Team:Calgary Flames
Former Teams:CSKA Moscow
SKA Saint Petersburg
Vancouver Canucks
Ntl Team:RUS
Draft:Undrafted
Career Start:2014

Andrei Alexandrovich Kuzmenko (Russian: Андрей Александрович Кузменко; born February 4, 1996) is a Russian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career

Kuzmenko made his Kontinental Hockey League debut playing with CSKA Moscow during the 2014–15 KHL season.[1] In the 2017–18 season, Kuzmenko broke out as a 21-year-old establishing career bests of 13 goals and 25 points in 45 games with CSKA. In helping the club reach the Gagarin Cup finals, he produced four goals in 15 games.

Approaching the 2018–19 season, Kuzmenko was traded by CSKA to fellow contending club, SKA Saint Petersburg in exchange for Sergey Kalinin on August 8, 2018.[2] In his fourth year with SKA in the 2021–22 season, Kuzmenko increased his offensive output to over a point-per-game leading SKA in scoring with 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points in 45 regular season games. He led the team in the postseason, continuing his scoring pace with 14 points in as many contests before losing in the Conference finals to eventual champions and former club, CSKA Moscow.[3]

As an undrafted free agent and having gained NHL interest, on June 20, 2022, Kuzmenko was signed to a one-year, entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks.[4] [5] He made his NHL debut on October 13, where he scored a goal in the eventual 5–3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.[6] He continued to produce steadily through the early parts of the season; on November 3, he recorded his first career NHL hat-trick in a four-point game, as the Canucks took an 8–5 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. By this time, Kuzmenko had tallied six goals and four assists for 10 points through 11 games.[7] Establishing himself as one of the Canucks top offensive contributors, Kuzmenko as an impending free agent opted to remain with the Canucks in signing a two-year, $11 million contract extension on January 26, 2023.[8]

On January 31, 2024, in the midst of a struggling sophomore season that saw him get healthy scratched multiple times, Kuzmenko, along with multiple draft picks and prospects, was traded to the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward Elias Lindholm.[9]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
2012–13Krasnaya ArmiyaMHL49 5 7 12 8
2013–14Krasnaya ArmiyaMHL36 13 18 31 218 3 3 6 0
2014–15Krasnaya ArmiyaMHL37 20 21 41 2013 4 10 14 0
2014–15CSKA MoscowKHL12 1 2 3 01 0 0 0 0
2015–16CSKA MoscowKHL15 1 2 3 0
2015–16Zvezda ChekhovVHL17 2 4 6 2
2015–16Krasnaya ArmiyaMHL5 1 3 4 07 8 1 9 2
2016–17CSKA MoscowKHL34 6 9 15 61 0 0 0 2
2016–17Zvezda ChekhovVHL23 11 17 28 45 1 3 4 0
2016–17Krasnaya ArmiyaMHL3 3 0 3 013 11 13 24 6
2017–18CSKA MoscowKHL45 13 12 25 1215 4 1 5 6
2017–18Zvezda ChekhovVHL7 5 5 10 2
2018–19SKA Saint PetersburgKHL58 12 19 31 209 0 0 0 4
2019–20SKA Saint PetersburgKHL49 14 19 33 64 3 1 4 0
2020–21SKA Saint PetersburgKHL57 18 19 37 1415 4 2 6 4
2021–22SKA Saint PetersburgKHL45 20 33 53 1016 7 7 14 12
2022–23Vancouver CanucksNHL81 39 35 74 8
2023–24Vancouver CanucksNHL43 8 13 21 6
2023–24Calgary FlamesNHL29 14 11 25 6
KHL totals315 85 115 200 6861 18 11 29 28
NHL totals153 61 59 120 20

International

YearTeamEventResultGP G A Pts PIM
2013RussiaU176 1 0 1 2
2016RussiaWJC7 0 0 0 2
2021ROCWC5th2 1 1 2 0
Junior totals13 1 0 1 4
Senior totals2 1 1 2 0

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Andrei Kuzmenko player profile . . March 4, 2018 . March 4, 2018.
  2. Web site: SKA trades Kalinin to CSKA for Kuzmenko . . August 8, 2018 . August 8, 2018 . Russian.
  3. Web site: Who is Andrei Kuzmenko? Russian star coming over to NHL after signing with Canucks . February 10, 2024 . www.sportingnews.com . June 20, 2022.
  4. Web site: Top KHL forward Andrei Kuzmenko set to sign with Canucks . . June 20, 2022 . June 20, 2022.
  5. Web site: KHL star Kuzmenko to sign with Canucks . . June 20, 2022 . June 20, 2022.
  6. Web site: Canucks' Andrei Kuzmenko: Gets goal in NHL debut . CBS Sports . November 4, 2022 . October 13, 2022.
  7. Web site: Kuzmenko nets first NHL hat trick as Canucks down Ducks . Sportsnet . November 4, 2022 . November 4, 2022.
  8. Web site: Canucks reach two-year, $11 million extension with Kuzmenko . . January 26, 2023 . January 26, 2023.
  9. Web site: Flames Make Deal With Canucks . NHL.com . February 1, 2024 . January 31, 2024.