Nikita Gusev
| Nikita Gusev | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Gusev with Amur Khabarovsk in 2013 | |||
| Born |
8 July 1992 Moscow, Russia | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||
| Weight | 163 lb (74 kg; 11 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| KHL team Former teams |
Dynamo Moscow CSKA Moscow Amur Khabarovsk Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk SKA Saint Petersburg New Jersey Devils Florida Panthers | ||
| National team |
 Russia | ||
| NHL draft |
202nd overall, 2012 Tampa Bay Lightning | ||
| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
Nikita Andreyevich Gusev (Russian: Никита Андреевич Гусев; born 8 July 1992), nicknamed "Goose", is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing under contract for HC Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
He became known as one of the best players in the KHL – winning the KHL's Golden Stick (MVP) award in 2018, and 2024 and finished the 2023–24 Season with 89 points (23 goals, 66 assists). His 89 points is the highest season total in the history of the KHL, beating out Sergei Mozyakin's record of 85 points. Gusev won the KHL's Gagarin Cup championship in 2017 with SKA Saint Petersburg.
Internationally, he has represented Russia on numerous occasions, winning a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Playing career
Professional
SKA Saint Petersburg
On 14 July 2017, Gusev signed a two-year contract extension with Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) powerhouse club SKA Saint Petersburg.[1][2]
In the 2018–19 season, his last season under contract with SKA, Gusev posted a career and league-high 82 points, leading the KHL with 65 assists. He continued his offensive dominance in the post-season, contributing 19 points in 18 games before suffering a conference final defeat for the second consecutive season to CSKA Moscow. Through nine seasons in the KHL, Gusev is 10th all-time with 332 points in 391 games.
New Jersey Devils
On 21 June 2017, with the selection of Jason Garrison by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, the Knights received from the Tampa Bay Lightning the rights to Gusev, along with a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft as compensation for the Golden Knights agreeing to select Garrison.[3]
On 14 April 2019, Gusev signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, instantly joining the club amid their first-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks, remaining on the Golden Knights extended squad without playing for the club.[4]
On 29 July 2019, Gusev as a restricted free agent, was traded by the Golden Knights to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a third-round pick in 2020 and a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He immediately agreed to terms with the Devils on a two-year, $9 million contract with an average annual value of $4,500,000.[5] In the following 2019–20 season, Gusev made an immediate offensive impact with the rebuilding Devils, leading the club with 31 assists and placing second in points with 44 through 66 games before the remainder of the regular season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the Devils missing the postseason, Gusev returned to action in the delayed 2020–21 season and struggled to replicate the previous season's campaign offensively, posting just two goals and five points through 20 games. On 9 April 2021, the Devils placed Gusev on unconditional waivers in order to mutually terminate the remainder of his contract.[6]
Florida Panthers
On 11 April 2021, Gusev signed as a free agent to a one-year, $1 million contract with the Florida Panthers.[7]
Return to SKA
As a free agent over the summer and approaching the 2021–22 season, Gusev opted to continue his career in the NHL, signing a Professional Tryout contract in accepting an invitation to attend the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp on September 18, 2021.[8] Gusev was later released from his tryout on October 5, 2021.[9] with no other NHL teams expressing an interest he opted to return to the KHL, with his former team SKA Saint Petersburg.
Gusev enjoyed two offensively productive seasons with SKA, before opting to leave the club as a free agent at the conclusion of the 2022–23 season on 30 April 2023.[10]
Dynamo Moscow
On 18 July 2023, Gusev as a free agent agreed to terms on a one-year contract with his fifth KHL club, HC Dynamo Moscow, for the 2023–24 season.[11] After a highly productive debut season with Dynamo, Gusev was re-signed to a one-year contract extension on 1 August 2024.[12]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
Representing  Olympic Athletes from Russia
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
2018 Pyeongchang | |
Representing  ROC
| ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
2022 Beijing | |
| Representing Russia
| ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2017 Germany/France | |
|
2019 Slovakia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
|
2012 Canada | |
| World Junior A Challenge | ||
|
2009 Summerside | |
Gusev has played for Russia at the World Junior Championships and World Championships. He was a member of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
On 23 January 2022, Gusev was named to the roster to represent Russian Olympic Committee athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[13]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2007–08 | Belye Medvedi Moskva | MosJHL | 7 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Belye Medvedi Moskva | MosJHL | 24 | 30 | 33 | 63 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Krasnaya Armiya | MHL | 48 | 17 | 40 | 57 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Krasnaya Armiya | MHL | 38 | 22 | 37 | 59 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Krasnaya Armiya | MHL | 34 | 30 | 46 | 76 | 26 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | THK Tver | VHL | 15 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Amur Khabarovsk | KHL | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | HC Yugra | KHL | 44 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | HC Yugra | KHL | 55 | 21 | 16 | 37 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | HC Yugra | KHL | 23 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 33 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 57 | 24 | 47 | 71 | 8 | 18 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 54 | 22 | 40 | 62 | 2 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 62 | 17 | 65 | 82 | 10 | 18 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 66 | 13 | 31 | 44 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 20 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 31 | 10 | 25 | 35 | 4 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 12 | ||
| 2022–23 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 37 | 23 | 26 | 49 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Dynamo Moscow | KHL | 68 | 23 | 66 | 89 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | ||
| KHL totals | 527 | 175 | 330 | 505 | 84 | 105 | 43 | 63 | 106 | 18 | ||||
| NHL totals | 97 | 17 | 37 | 54 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Russia | WJC | 
|
7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2017 | Russia | WC | 
|
10 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | |
| 2018 | OAR | OG | 
|
6 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Russia | WC | 6th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Russia | WC |
|
10 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 0 | |
| 2022 | ROC | OG |
|
6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | ||||
| Senior totals | 36 | 16 | 36 | 52 | 10 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| KHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 | |
| Golden Stick (MVP) | 2018, 2024 | |
| Gagarin Cup champion | 2017 | [14] |
| International | ||
| Olympic Best Forward | 2018 | [15] |
References
- ^ Livingstone, Filp (14 July 2017). "Nikita Gusev re-signs with KHL's SKA St. Petersburg". The Score. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ "Vegas Golden Knights Reserve List". Retrieved 21 June 2018.
- ^ "Defenseman Jason Garrison selected by Vegas Golden Knights". Tampa Bay Lightning. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Vegas Golden Knights sign forward Nikita Gusev to entry-level contract". Vegas Golden Knights. 14 April 2019. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
- ^ "Devils sign, acquire Gusev from Vegas". The Sports Network. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
- ^ "Devils place Gusev on unconditional waivers for contract termination". TheScore. 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "Florida Panthers agree to terms with Nikita Gusev on a one-year contract". Florida Panthers. 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "Maple Leafs take low-risk gamble on Gusev". Sportsnet.ca. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Maple Leafs release Gusev from PTO; assign four players to Marlies". sportsnet.ca. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Nikita Gusev leaves Saint Petersburg" (in Russian). 30 April 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "Nikita Gusev to Dynamo!" (in Russian). HC Dynamo Moscow. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Ak bars strengthened by Barabanov, Gusev returns to Dynamo" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
- ^ "ROC targets repeat gold". International Ice Hockey Federation. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
- ^ "Metallurg Magnitogorsk 3 SKA St. Petersburg 5". Kontinental Hockey League. 16 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Kovalchuk MVP". IIHF.com. 25 February 2018. Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database