Nikita Kucherov is a Russian ice hockey right-winger and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League (NHL). His journey to the NHL started when he was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, making his NHL debut in 2013.
His exceptional skills and talent quickly made him an important player on the team. On 28 October 2014, he recorded the first-ever hat trick against the Arizona Coyotes in a 7-3 win for the Lightning. Kucherov was part of the famous Triplets line and helped the team reach the Stanley Cup finals. During the 2018-19 season, Kucherov broke many records and surpassed Alexander Mogilny for most points by a Russian-born player. He finished the season with 128 points.
Kucherov was ranked among the top scorers of the league multiple times and won the Art Ross Trophy in 2019. He was also recognized as the Most Valuable Player of the league and won the Hart Memorial Trophy the same season. The subsequent seasons saw Kucherov make his impact in the playoffs where he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning to Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021.
Is Nikita Kucherov an All-Star?
Nikita Kucherov has been selected to five All-Star games in his career. This includes
NHL All-Star games in 2017, 2018, 2019,2023, and 2024. He was also selected three consecutive times between 2017-19.
On 10 January 2017, he was named to the All-Star Game for the first time as part of the Atlantic Division team. He will be representing team Hughes at the 2024 All-Star game. Interestingly, he was the first overall pick in the NHL All-Star player draft for the 2024 showpiece.
Nikita Kucherov has not just been on the NHL All-Star Game but also on the NHL All-Star First Team and NHL All-Star Second Team multiple times.
How many times was Nikita Kucherov an All-Star?
Nikita Kucherov’s impact extends beyond the NHL regular season and playoffs. He has been named for the NHL All-Star game five times till now in his career, which also includes three consecutive selections (2017-19).
| Year | Team | Appearance |
| 2017 | Tampa Bay Lightning | #1 |
| 2018 | Tampa Bay Lightning | #2 |
| 2019 | Tampa Bay Lightning | #3 |
| 2023 | Tampa Bay Lightning | #4 |
| 2024 | Tampa Bay Lightning | #5 |
FAQs
A. Nikita Kucherov has scored 276 goals as of the 2022-23 season.
A. Nikita Kucherov has recorded a total of five hat tricks in his career (as of February 1, 2024).
A. Nikita Kucherov has been selected to five NHL All-Star Games in his career.
A. Nikita Kucherov was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
A. Nikita Kucherov helped the Tampa Bay Lightning to Stanley Cup victories in 2020 and 2021.
