Yevgeni Kuznetsov

History

2006-07: Yevgeni Kuznetsov scored 52 goals with 34 assists and had 62 PIM in 36 games for Traktor Chelyabinsk U-16.

2007-08: Kuznetsov made his men's league debut playing in two games with Traktor Chelyabinsk's second team (in the Russian First Division (third league)) with no points or PIM. Kuznetsov missed much of the regular season but had 1 goal with 2 assists and was +5 with 6 PIM in six playoff games for Traktor's U-17 team.

2008-09: Kuznetsov split the season between Traktor's second men's and U-18 teams. In 22 games in Russia's First Division (third league), he scored five goals with 11 assists. Kuznetsov dominated at the U-18 level, scoring 28 goals with 26 assists in 23 games. In five games for Team Russia at the World U-17 Challenge, he scored 6 goals with 4 assists. Kuznetsov played for Russia at the U-18 World Junior Championships and scored 6 goals with 7 assists and was +7 with 10 PIM in seven games as Russia reached the gold medal game. Russia fell to tournament host USA, 5-0, in the final. Kuznetsov scored 2 goals with 2 assists and was +2 with 10 PIM in four games at the Ivan Hlinka U-18 tournament for Russia.

2009-10: Kuznetsov played for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL as a 17-year-old. In limited ice time, he scored 2 goals with 7 assists and was -6 with 10 PIM. Kuznetsov was loaned to Belye Medvedi and played nine games in the Russian High League (second division). He scored 4 goals with 12 assists and was +12 with 8 PIM for Medvedi. Kuznetsov played for Russia at both the U-20 and U-18 WJC tournaments. In six games with the U-20 team in Saskatchewan, he scored 2 goals and was +1 with 10 PIM as Russia finished sixth. At the WJC U-18 tournament, Kuznetsov was the captain for Team Russia and scored 5 goals with 7 assists and was +8 with 6 PIM in seven games. He was named to the WJC All-Star Team. Russia lost to Finland, 5-1, in the bronze medal game and finished fourth. Kuznetsov signed a two-year contract extension with Traktor Chelyabinsk in May.

2010-11: Kuznetsov was the leading scorer for Traktor Chelyabinsk in Russia's KHL as an 18-year-old and tied for the points lead for gold medal-winning Russia at the 2011 U20 World Junior Championship. Kuznetsov scored 17 goals with 15 assists and was +7 with 30 PMs as Traktor finished fifth in the Kharlamov Division. In four playoff games he had 1 assist and was +1. Kuznetsov had three assists in Russia's five-goal, third period outburst in the gold medal game against Canada and finished the junior tournament +7 with 4 goals and 7 assists; sharing the team lead in points with Vladimir Tarasenko (STL).

2011-12: Kuznetsov was again the leading scorer for Traktor Chelyabinsk in Russia's KHL while leading the Russian U20 team in scoring at the World Junior Championship for the second straight year. He scored 19 goals with 22 assists and was plus-five with 30 penalty minutes in 49 games for Traktor. Chelyabinsk reached the Eastern Conference finals after finishing first in the Kharlamov Division. Kuznetsov scored 7 goals with 2 assists and was plus-three with 10 penalty minutes in 12 playoff games. Playing for Russia at the WJC he scored 6 goals with 7 assists and was plus-six with 4 penalty minutes. Russia lost to Sweden in the gold medal game. Kuznetsov signed a two-year contract extension with Traktor in May, 2012.

Talent Analysis

Kuznetsov displays a mixture of strength and skill along with the exuberance of other young Russian players such as Evgeny Malkin. His game is still in its early stages of development, and he has the expected shortcomings when it comes to defending consistently and tactical play. What sets him apart from other players his age is his flawless skating, stick handling and passing and pass receiving skills along with a fearless desire - particularly along the boards - to control the puck and create scoring opportunities.