Post by Bob McKenzie on Jul 8, 2021 16:17:52 GMT -5
SCOUTING REPORT
1 Ilya Kovalchuk (LW) - Russia - Spartak Moscow (Russia)
As a youth, Kovalchuk played in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with Spartak Moscow. He later played for Vysshaya Liga club Spartak Moscow for two seasons before entering the NHL. Drafted by the Thrashers first overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, he became the first Russian to be drafted first overall in the NHL's history. In club-level competition, Kovalchuk wore the number 17 as a tribute to Valeri Kharlamov, a Soviet superstar in the 1970s.
Entering his NHL rookie season in 2001–02, Kovalchuk scored 29 goals and 51 points despite missing 17 games with a season-ending shoulder injury. He finished second in voting to teammate Dany Heatley for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Both were named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. After improving to 38 goals and 67 points in his second season, Kovalchuk scored 41 goals in 2003–04, making him a co-winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy after tying for the NHL lead in goals with Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also added 46 assists for 87 points, tying him with Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche for second in the NHL that season, behind Martin St. Louis. Kovalchuk also participated in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2004.
With the departure of Bobby Holík to the New Jersey Devils in the 2008 off-season, the Thrashers' captaincy remained vacant for the first half of the 2008–09 season. Kovalchuk served as one of five alternate captains to start the season until the alternates collectively requested to general manager Don Waddell and head coach John Anderson for Kovalchuk to take over the captaincy. Soon thereafter, on 11 January 2009, Kovalchuk was named Holík's successor and the sixth team captain in Thrashers' history during the team's Casino Night charity event. The announcement came amidst speculation that the Thrashers were looking to trade Kovalchuk, as his contract was set to expire at the end of the following season. Kovalchuk completed his first season as team captain with 43 goals for his fifth consecutive 40-goal season and 91 points.
In the final year of his contract, Kovalchuk and the Thrashers could not come to an agreement on an extension. Thrashers general manager Don Waddell reportedly offered 12-year, $101 million and seven-year, $70 million contracts, both of which Kovalchuk turned down. A few days after Kovalchuk rejected the second contract offer, Waddell told him that he was going to be traded, rather than risk losing him to unrestricted free agency for nothing in the off-season, despite the fact that the Thrashers were still in the playoff race. On 4 February 2010, Kovalchuk was traded to the New Jersey Devils. Atlanta received defenceman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, junior prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Kovalchuk and defenceman Anssi Salmela; the teams also traded second-round selections in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Kovalchuk left the Thrashers as their all-time leader in several categories, including games played, goals, assists and points. He recorded two assists the following day in his Devils' debut, a 4–3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on 5 February. Kovalchuk eventually ended the season with 41 goals along with 44 assists, for 85 points split between Atlanta and New Jersey. On 10 February 2011, Kovalchuk scored the game-winning goal in a game over the Maple Leafs to give Jacques Lemaire the 600th win of his coaching career.
Kovalchuk became an unrestricted free agent on 1 July 2010. On 19 July, after receiving offers from other teams, Kovalchuk agreed to a 17-year, $102 million deal to remain with the Devils. The length of the deal broke the record for the longest contract in NHL history. However, the contract was blocked by the NHL the next day on the ground it circumvented the NHL salary cap. Arbitrator Richard Bloch heard the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA)'s appeal and ultimately nullified the deal.
Another contract was submitted to the NHL. During the early morning hours of September 4, 2010, the NHL approved the contract along with a new agreement with the NHLPA. The contract was for 15-years and worth $100 million deal.
Consequently, the NHL penalized the Devils for trying to circumvent the NHL salary cap with Kovalchuk's original contract. As a result, the Devils surrendered $3 million, a third-round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and one future first-round draft pick within the next four seasons. The Devils decided to use their first-round draft pick in the 2011 and 2012 NHL Entry Drafts and were to surrender their first-round pick in 2014. However, on 6 March 2014, the NHL announced it would forgive part of the $3 million fine and grant the Devils the 30th pick in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
AWARDS AND RECORDS
Record for most shootout goals in a single-season (11) (2011–12)
Record for most game-deciding shootout goals in a single-season (7) (2011–12)
Atlanta Thrashers franchise single season goal total, 52 (2005–06, 2007–08)
RSL/KHL
KHL All-Star Game – 2013, 2014, 2015
2015 Gagarin Cup winner - SKA Saint Petersburg
2015 Gagarin Cup playoffs MVP (refused to accept and passed it to Evgenii Dadonov)[37]
2017 Gagarin Cup winner - SKA Saint Petersburg
2021 Gagarin Cup winner - Avangard Omsk
NHL
NHL All-Rookie Team – 2002
NHL First All-Star Team – 2012
NHL Second All-Star Team – 2004
2002 NHL YoungStars Game – (MVP)
NHL All-Star Game – 2004, 2008, 2009
2003–04 NHL Season – Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (Most Goals) – (41*) (tied with 2 others)
2003–04 NHL Season – Kharlamov Trophy (Top Russian Player in the NHL)
2011–12 NHL Season – NHL Leader in Shootout Goals (11)
2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Goal Scoring Leader (8) (tied)
2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Prince of Wales Trophy winner with the New Jersey Devils
International
2002 Winter Olympics (Ice Hockey) – Bronze Medal
2018 Winter Olympics (Ice Hockey) - Gold Medal
2018 Winter Olympics (Ice Hockey) - (MVP)
2008 World Championship – Gold Medal
2009 World Championship – Gold Medal
2009 World Championship – MVP[45]
2009 World Championship – Best Forward
2010 World Championship – Leading Scorer (12)
2013 World Championship – Goal Scoring Leader (8) (tied)
PROS:
Dude was talented as fuck.
CONS:
1 Ilya Kovalchuk (LW) - Russia - Spartak Moscow (Russia)
As a youth, Kovalchuk played in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with Spartak Moscow. He later played for Vysshaya Liga club Spartak Moscow for two seasons before entering the NHL. Drafted by the Thrashers first overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, he became the first Russian to be drafted first overall in the NHL's history. In club-level competition, Kovalchuk wore the number 17 as a tribute to Valeri Kharlamov, a Soviet superstar in the 1970s.
Entering his NHL rookie season in 2001–02, Kovalchuk scored 29 goals and 51 points despite missing 17 games with a season-ending shoulder injury. He finished second in voting to teammate Dany Heatley for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. Both were named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. After improving to 38 goals and 67 points in his second season, Kovalchuk scored 41 goals in 2003–04, making him a co-winner of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy after tying for the NHL lead in goals with Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also added 46 assists for 87 points, tying him with Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche for second in the NHL that season, behind Martin St. Louis. Kovalchuk also participated in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2004.
With the departure of Bobby Holík to the New Jersey Devils in the 2008 off-season, the Thrashers' captaincy remained vacant for the first half of the 2008–09 season. Kovalchuk served as one of five alternate captains to start the season until the alternates collectively requested to general manager Don Waddell and head coach John Anderson for Kovalchuk to take over the captaincy. Soon thereafter, on 11 January 2009, Kovalchuk was named Holík's successor and the sixth team captain in Thrashers' history during the team's Casino Night charity event. The announcement came amidst speculation that the Thrashers were looking to trade Kovalchuk, as his contract was set to expire at the end of the following season. Kovalchuk completed his first season as team captain with 43 goals for his fifth consecutive 40-goal season and 91 points.
In the final year of his contract, Kovalchuk and the Thrashers could not come to an agreement on an extension. Thrashers general manager Don Waddell reportedly offered 12-year, $101 million and seven-year, $70 million contracts, both of which Kovalchuk turned down. A few days after Kovalchuk rejected the second contract offer, Waddell told him that he was going to be traded, rather than risk losing him to unrestricted free agency for nothing in the off-season, despite the fact that the Thrashers were still in the playoff race. On 4 February 2010, Kovalchuk was traded to the New Jersey Devils. Atlanta received defenceman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors, junior prospect Patrice Cormier and a first-round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Kovalchuk and defenceman Anssi Salmela; the teams also traded second-round selections in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Kovalchuk left the Thrashers as their all-time leader in several categories, including games played, goals, assists and points. He recorded two assists the following day in his Devils' debut, a 4–3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on 5 February. Kovalchuk eventually ended the season with 41 goals along with 44 assists, for 85 points split between Atlanta and New Jersey. On 10 February 2011, Kovalchuk scored the game-winning goal in a game over the Maple Leafs to give Jacques Lemaire the 600th win of his coaching career.
Kovalchuk became an unrestricted free agent on 1 July 2010. On 19 July, after receiving offers from other teams, Kovalchuk agreed to a 17-year, $102 million deal to remain with the Devils. The length of the deal broke the record for the longest contract in NHL history. However, the contract was blocked by the NHL the next day on the ground it circumvented the NHL salary cap. Arbitrator Richard Bloch heard the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA)'s appeal and ultimately nullified the deal.
Another contract was submitted to the NHL. During the early morning hours of September 4, 2010, the NHL approved the contract along with a new agreement with the NHLPA. The contract was for 15-years and worth $100 million deal.
Consequently, the NHL penalized the Devils for trying to circumvent the NHL salary cap with Kovalchuk's original contract. As a result, the Devils surrendered $3 million, a third-round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and one future first-round draft pick within the next four seasons. The Devils decided to use their first-round draft pick in the 2011 and 2012 NHL Entry Drafts and were to surrender their first-round pick in 2014. However, on 6 March 2014, the NHL announced it would forgive part of the $3 million fine and grant the Devils the 30th pick in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
AWARDS AND RECORDS
Record for most shootout goals in a single-season (11) (2011–12)
Record for most game-deciding shootout goals in a single-season (7) (2011–12)
Atlanta Thrashers franchise single season goal total, 52 (2005–06, 2007–08)
RSL/KHL
KHL All-Star Game – 2013, 2014, 2015
2015 Gagarin Cup winner - SKA Saint Petersburg
2015 Gagarin Cup playoffs MVP (refused to accept and passed it to Evgenii Dadonov)[37]
2017 Gagarin Cup winner - SKA Saint Petersburg
2021 Gagarin Cup winner - Avangard Omsk
NHL
NHL All-Rookie Team – 2002
NHL First All-Star Team – 2012
NHL Second All-Star Team – 2004
2002 NHL YoungStars Game – (MVP)
NHL All-Star Game – 2004, 2008, 2009
2003–04 NHL Season – Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (Most Goals) – (41*) (tied with 2 others)
2003–04 NHL Season – Kharlamov Trophy (Top Russian Player in the NHL)
2011–12 NHL Season – NHL Leader in Shootout Goals (11)
2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Goal Scoring Leader (8) (tied)
2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Prince of Wales Trophy winner with the New Jersey Devils
International
2002 Winter Olympics (Ice Hockey) – Bronze Medal
2018 Winter Olympics (Ice Hockey) - Gold Medal
2018 Winter Olympics (Ice Hockey) - (MVP)
2008 World Championship – Gold Medal
2009 World Championship – Gold Medal
2009 World Championship – MVP[45]
2009 World Championship – Best Forward
2010 World Championship – Leading Scorer (12)
2013 World Championship – Goal Scoring Leader (8) (tied)
PROS:
Dude was talented as fuck.
CONS:
