Andrei Kostitsyn

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Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) AK-46
Height
Weight
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
205 lb (93 kg/14 st 9 lb)
NHL Team Montreal Canadiens
Nationality Flag of Belarus Belarus
Born February 3, 1985 (1985-02-03) (age 23),
Navapolatsk, SU
NHL Draft 10th overall, 2003
Montreal Canadiens
Pro career 2003present

Andrei Kostitsyn (Belarusian: Андрэй Касьціцын, Andrej Kascicyn) (born February 3, 1985 in Novopolotsk, USSR, now Belarus) is a Belarusian ice hockey forward, currently playing for the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens.

He is also an active member of the Belarusian national men's ice hockey team.

He was drafted 10th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. His younger brother Sergei Kostitsyn was also drafted by the Montreal Canadiens, in the seventh round (200th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. The two brothers currently play together for the Canadiens.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Amateur years

Andrei spent his early career playing for Polimir Novopolotsk hockey school in Belarus.

[edit] Professional career

In the summer of 2002 he signed with CSKA Moscow and moved to Russia. He spent the beginning of the season alternating between CSKA and CSKA 2.[1]

He has represented Belarus on several occasions. He first played for the under-18 team in 2000 being shut down with a Belarussian team having a tough time in the top division. The next year, at fifteen years old, he recorded a tournament leading 14 points in five games helping Belarus to win division-I. That same year he first played with Belarus' under-20 team in the top division tournament recording no point. In 2002, while still in the top division, he scored 3 of his team's 11 goals as Belarus held on its place in the top division for the next year. Then in 2003, Kostitsyn recorded 2 goals an assist but saw his team getting relegated to division-I for 2004. He played for his country's under-20 team for a fourth and final time in 2004 in the division-I tournament notching 5 goals and 4 assists in 5 games.[2]

Andrei was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (10th overall) of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was expected to be picked as high as 5th overall, but an epileptic condition (that has since been kept in check by medication) may have prevented him from being drafted higher.[3]

In the summer of 2004 he was invited to the Montreal Canadiens' training camp, where he signed a three year deal with the club.[4]

Andrei joined the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL for the 2004–2005 season and scored his first goal in his first game, on October 15, 2004.

He played his first NHL game on December 1, 2005. His first career NHL goal came on December 13, in a game versus the Phoenix Coyotes, against Curtis Joseph.

Kostitsyn had a breakout season in 2007–2008, playing on Montreal's most productive line alongside Alex Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec. He amassed 53 points in 78 games, including several highlight-reel goals.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] Regular season and playoffs

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 Polimir Novopolotsk Belarus 1 2 1 3 2 -- -- -- -- --
2000–01 Polimir Novopolitsk EEHL 5 1 0 1 0 -- -- -- -- --
2000–01 Yunost Minsk Belarus 3 1 4 5 8 -- -- -- -- --
2000–01 HC Vitebsk Belarus 17 17 6 23 42 -- -- -- -- --
2001–02 Polimir Novopolotsk Belarus 17 9 6 15 28 -- -- -- -- --
2001–02 Polimir Novopolotsk EEHL 29 9 8 17 16 -- -- -- -- --
2001–02 Yunost Minsk Belarus 6 2 0 2 8 -- -- -- -- --
2002–03 CSKA Moscow RSL 6 0 0 0 2 -- -- -- -- --
2002–03 Khimik Moscow Oblast RSL-2 2 1 1 2 0 -- -- -- -- --
2002–03 Yunost Minsk Belarus 4 6 4 10 43 -- -- -- -- --
2002–03 CSKA Moscow 2 RSL-3 3 2 2 4 25 -- -- -- -- --
2003–04 CSKA Moscow RSL 12 0 1 1 2 -- -- -- -- --
2004–05 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 66 12 11 23 24 3 0 0 0 0
2005–06 Montreal Canadiens NHL 12 2 1 3 2 -- -- -- -- --
2005–06 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 64 18 29 47 76 -- -- -- -- --
2006–07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 22 1 10 11 6 -- -- -- -- --
2006–07 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 50 21 31 52 50 -- -- -- -- --
2007–08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 26 27 53 29 12 5 3 8 2
NHL Totals 112 29 38 67 37 12 5 3 8 2

[edit] International


Year Team Event   GP G A P PIM
2000 Belarus WJC-U18 6 0 0 0 4
2001 Belarus WJC 6 0 0 0 2
2002 Belarus WJC-U18 8 7 3 10 18
2002 Belarus WJC 6 3 0 3 0
2003 Belarus WJC-U18 6 6 9 15 28
2003 Belarus WJC 6 2 1 3 0
2003 Belarus WC 2 1 0 1 2
2005 Belarus WJC 5 1 4 5 6
2005 Belarus WC 6 0 0 0 4
2006 Belarus WC 6 1 4 5 6
Junior Int'l Totals 43 19 17 36 58
Senior Int'l Totals 14 2 4 6 12

[edit] External links