| Alexander Nikulin | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 25, 1985 Perm, Soviet Union |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight | 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb) |
| Position | Center |
| Shoots | Left |
| KHL team Former teams |
HC CSKA Moscow Ottawa Senators Phoenix Coyotes |
| National team | Russia |
| NHL Draft | 122nd overall, 2004 Ottawa Senators |
| Playing career | 2004–present |
Alexander Sergeevich Nikulin (born August 25, 1985), is a Russian professional ice hockey player. Nikulin currently plays for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
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Alexander turned professional with HC CSKA Moscow of the Russian Super League in 2004. After playing three seasons with CSKA, Alexander signed with the Ottawa Senators who had drafted him 122nd overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. Nikulin played his first NHL game for the Ottawa Senators on November 22, 2007 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
In the 2008–09 season Nikulin was assigned to the Binghamton Senators of the AHL. Disappointed with his slow progress to the NHL with the Senators, Nikulin demanded a trade or voiced the possibility of returning to Russia.[1] On November 3, 2008, Nikulin was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for Drew Fata.[2] Nikulin was then assigned to affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, where he spent the majority of the season, only playing in a single game with the Coyotes.
On May 24, 2009, failing an adaption to the North American style, Nikulin signed with former team CSKA Moscow of the KHL for the 2009-10 season.[3]
Nikulin maintains a blog of his transition to North America, that has been become popular due to its candour.[4]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | HC CSKA Moscow | RSL | 16 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | HC CSKA Moscow | RSL | 51 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | HC CSKA Moscow | RSL | 33 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 71 | 14 | 36 | 50 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 64 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| RSL totals | 100 | 18 | 25 | 43 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Place | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Russia | WJC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |