Vitalii Abramov Explained

Birth Date:8 May 1998
Birth Place:Chelyabinsk, Russia
Height Ft:5
Height In:9
Weight Lb:171
Position:Right Wing
Shoots:Left
League:KHL
Team:CSKA Moscow
Former Teams:Ottawa Senators
Jukurit
Traktor Chelyabinsk
Draft:65th overall
Draft Year:2016
Draft Team:Columbus Blue Jackets
Career Start:2017

Vitalii Igorevich Abramov (Russian: Виталий Игоревич Абрамов; born May 8, 1998) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward. He is a member of HC CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Abramov has played five games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators. Abramov was selected 65th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft and later traded to Ottawa.

Playing career

In his rookie season with the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), the 2015–16 season, Abramov recorded 93 points in 63 games. He was awarded the RDS Cup as QMJHL Rookie of the Year and the Michel Bergeron Trophy as Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the All-Rookie Team.[1] Leading up to the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Abramov was ranked 29th overall for North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[2] He was eventually drafted 65th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

On December 24, 2016, Abramov was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets.[3] After recording 104 points in 66 games, Abramov was awarded the Jean Béliveau Trophy as the top regular season scorer of the 2016–17 season. He was also awarded the Michel Brière Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player (MVP) of the QMJHL and named to the First All-Star Team.[4] On April 7, 2017, Abramov began his professional career when he was assigned to the Blue Jackets American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Cleveland Monsters.[1]

The following season, Abramov returned to the Olympiques in the QMJHL. On November 17, Abramov was traded to the Victoriaville Tigres along with a 2018 sixth-round QMJHL draft pick in exchange for four future draft picks.[5] He still found success with his new team and was named to the Second All-Star Team after recording 78 points in 40 games.[6]

Abramov attended the Blue Jackets 2018–19 training camp but failed to make their final roster and was assigned to the AHL to join the Cleveland Monsters.[7] Abramov posted 12 goals and 22 points in 52 games with the Monsters before he was traded by the Blue Jackets, along with Jonathan Davidsson and two conditional first-round picks to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Matt Duchene and Julius Bergman on February 22, 2019. He scored his first NHL goal on October 10, 2019, against the St. Louis Blues.[8]

As an impending restricted free agent from the Senators, Abramov opted to pause his North American career by agreeing to a two-year contract with the Russian club, Traktor Chelyabinsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), on 26 May 2021.[9] In the 2021–22 season, Abramov made 41 appearances with his hometown club, Traktor, posting 8 goals and 17 points through the mid-point of the campaign. On 27 December 2021, Abramov was traded by Chelyabinsk to CSKA Moscow in exchange for Artyom Blazhiyevsky.[10]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Team League GP GPG A Pts PIM
2014–15Belye MedvediMHL208614820004
2015–16Gatineau OlympiquesQMJHL63385593361076138
2016–17Gatineau OlympiquesQMJHL66465810476716712
2016–17Cleveland MonstersAHL41342
2017–18Gatineau OlympiquesQMJHL1612142621
2017–18Victoriaville TigresQMJHL403345784613971621
2018–19Cleveland MonstersAHL5212102228
2018–19Belleville SenatorsAHL18 4378
2018–19Ottawa SenatorsNHL10000
2019–20Belleville SenatorsAHL51 18234130
2019–20Ottawa SenatorsNHL21012
2020–21JukuritLiiga85272
2020–21Belleville SenatorsAHL23 7121910
2020–21Ottawa SenatorsNHL20000
2021–22Traktor ChelyabinskKHL41891726
2021–22CSKA MoscowKHL40002225496
2022–23CSKA MoscowKHL521151620264156
2023–24CSKA MoscowKHL591319322251012
NHL totals51012
KHL totals15632336570531051514

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2014RussiaU1763692
2018RussiaWJC5th51014
Junior totals1146106

Awards and honours

AwardYear
QMJHL
CHL Top Prospects Game2016
All-Rookie Team2016
Michel Bergeron Trophy2016
Rookie of the Year2016
First All-Star Team2017
Jean Béliveau Trophy2017
Michel Brière Memorial Trophy2017[11]
Second All-Star Team2018
KHL
Gagarin Cup (CSKA Moscow)2022, 2023[12] [13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jackets assign Vitaly Abramov to Cleveland Monsters . NHL.com . December 18, 2018 . April 7, 2017.
  2. Web site: 2016 NHL Central Scouting Rankings - NA Skaters/Goaltenders . TSN.ca . December 18, 2018 . April 12, 2016.
  3. Web site: Blue Jackets sign Vitalii Abramov to entry-level deal . . 2016-12-24 . 2016-12-24.
  4. Web site: The Golden Puck Awards: an unforgettable evening! . theqmjhl.ca . December 18, 2018 . April 5, 2017.
  5. Web site: Abramov chez les Tigres . tigresvictoriaville.com . December 18, 2018 . fr . November 17, 2017.
  6. Web site: The 2018 Golden Puck Awards: a night to remember! . theqmjhl.ca . December 18, 2018 . April 5, 2018.
  7. Web site: Blue Jackets Assign 19 Players to Monsters . clevelandmonsters.com . December 18, 2018 . September 24, 2018.
  8. Web site: Ottawa Senators continue rebuild in trade with Columbus Blue Jackets . . February 22, 2019 . February 22, 2019.
  9. Web site: Vitaly Abramov returns to Traktor . . 26 May 2021 . 26 May 2021 . Russian.
  10. Web site: CSKA trades Blazhiyevsky for Abramov . . Russian . 27 December 2021 . 27 December 2021.
  11. Web site: Blue Jackets prospect Vitalii Abramov wins Michel Briere trophy as MVP of QMJHL . 1stohiobattery.com . 2017-04-21 . 2017-04-21.
  12. Web site: CSKA wins Gagarin Cup . . 30 April 2022 . 30 April 2022 .
  13. Web site: CSKA wins back-to-back Gagarin Cups . . 29 April 2023 . 29 April 2023.