Ilya Kovalchuk

Ilya Kovalchuk Valeryevich (Russian Илья Валерьевич Ковальчук; born April 15, 1983 in Kaliningrad, Russian SFSR ) is a Russian ice hockey player who is under contract with SKA St. Petersburg in the Continental Hockey League since July 2013.

• 3.1 International

Career

The career of Kovalchuk began in Russia at HK Spartak Moscow before he was selected by the Atlanta Thrashers as the first overall NHL Entry Draft 2001. He was the first Russian who was selected in the first place.

Even as a 18 -year-old rookie he made in the first NHL season with his spectacular goals quickly headlines. Kovalchuk finished second behind his teammate Dany Heatley, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy in the vote for best rookie. A very good season he completed in 2003/ 04 when he scored 87 points and 41 goals and Jarome Iginla and along with Rick Nash as top scorer in the regular season, the NHL was excellent.

During the 2004/05 season Kovalchuk played due to the NHL lockout during the Russian club Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian Superleague, where he stood with many other NHL stars like Dany Heatley, but also with Nikolai Chabibulin, Alexei Kovalev and Vincent Lecavalier.

At the beginning of the 2005/06 season Kovalchuk played in Russia at the Moscow suburb Club Mytischtschi Chimik until he reached an agreement with Atlanta on a new contract. On 8 October 2005, he signed a five-year contract, with whom he earned 32 million U.S. dollars, or nearly 6.5 million U.S. dollars a year. Although he lacked at the beginning in a few games, Kovalchuk surpassed the 41 goals from 2004 and this time was 52 times successfully. To get him as the first " Thrasher" at all at least 50 goals in a season. However, he had to Jonathan Cheechoo of the San Jose Sharks, who scored four goals more and thus came up with 56 goals, left the Maurice " Rocket" Richard Trophy.

In the season 2006/ 07 the shooting with the right striker reached 76 points and led his team for the first time in the playoffs. In the first round, the Thrashers were subject against the New York Rangers. Kovalchuk each contributed a goal and an assist in four games.

At the Olympic Winter Games 2006 in Turin Kovalchuk scored on 19 February 2006 at the 9:2 against Latvia four goals in a game, but he returned without a medal back to Atlanta.

At the Ice Hockey World Championships 2008 in Canada Kovalchuk scored after previously disappointing World Cup, the two game-winning goals ( 4:4 and 5:4 ) in the finals for the Russian national team against Canada. Thus he became the first -time world champion, collecting eight scorer points ( two goals and six assists ). At the next World Cup, he defended his team the title, again, the Canadians were beaten in the final. Kovalchuk won with 14 points scorer, including five goals.

Ilya Kovalchuk wears the number 17 in recognition of his idol Valeri Kharlamov, a former Soviet superstar from the 1970s. In the national team of Russia Kovalchuk wears but the 71 because the number Charlamows by the Russian Federation has been banned forever.

January 12, 2009 Kovalchuk was appointed captain of the Atlanta Thrashers after he had held the office of assistant captain in previous two seasons.

Over the 2009/10 season the Thrashers negotiated extensively with Kovalchuk to a contract extension and finally offered him a twelve- year contract for 101 million dollars or a contract over seven years, with an annual income of ten million U.S. dollars. But Kovalchuk rejected the offers, so he was transferred on February 4, 2010 on the New Jersey Devils, as it the Thrashers along with Anssi Salmela against Johnny Oduya, Nicklas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier and a draft pick for the first round of the NHL Entry Draft 2010 bartered. In addition, the teams exchanged also their electoral rights in the second round of the same draft. In the New Jersey Devils, he signed a 17 -year contract, which was not subsequently approved by the NHL because the contract was intended to circumvent the salary cap by the content decreases steadily strongly from the seventh year of the term, and thus the average salary of the contract decreases. Since the salary cap is calculated using the average salary of a player, Kovalchuk would have the salary cap loaded with 6 million dollars, although he would have earned in the first years of 11 million dollars.

On August 9, the contract was void. Kovalchuk thus once again became an unrestricted free agent. A new, temporary 15-year contract worth about $ 100 million was declared on September 4, admissible and Kovalchuk returned to the Devils. It was agreed that the Russian will earn nine million U.S. dollars per year in the first ten -year term of his contract, this amount is reduced every year for the last five years of his contract at two million dollars.

Between September 2012 and January 2013 he played due to the lockout in the NHL with the SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League. When KHL All-Star Game in 2013, he served as captain on the selection of the Western Conference.

On July 11, 2013 Kovalchuk announced his retirement from the NHL. Four days later, he signed a four year contract with SKA St. Petersburg.

Awards and achievements

• 2001 NHL Rookie of the Month in December (together with Dany Heatley )
• 2002 NHL Rookie of the Month January
• 2002 NHL Young Stars Game
• 2002 NHL Young Stars Game MVP
• 2002 NHL All- Rookie Team
• 2003 NHL Offensive Player of the Month October
• 2004 NHL All-Star Game
• 2004 Maurice Rocket ' Richard Trophy (shared with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash )

• 2004 NHL Second All-Star Team
• 2004 Kharlamov Trofi
• 2007 NHL Player of the Month for November
• 2008 NHL All-Star Game
• 2009 NHL All-Star Game
• 2009 NHL Player of the Month February
• 2012 NHL First All -Star Team
• 2013 KHL All-Star Game

Internationally

• 2000 Silver medal at the U18 World Youth Championship
• 2001 Gold medal at the U18 World Youth Championship
• 2001 top scorer of the U18 World Youth Championship
• 2001 Best scorer of the U18 World Youth Championship
• 2001 Best striker in the Under-18 World Youth Championship
• 2001 All- Star team the U18 World Youth Championship
• 2002 bronze medal at the Winter Olympics
• 2005 bronze medal at the World Championships
• 2007 bronze medal at the World Championships

• 2008 Gold medal at the World Championships
• 2009 Gold medal at the World Championships
• 2009 Most Valuable Player of the World Cup
• 2009 Best striker in the World Cup
• 2009 All- Star Team of the World Cup
• 2010 Silver medal at the World Championships
• 2010 top scorer of the World Cup
• 2010 Top assist provider of the World Cup
• 2013 Best scorer of the World Cup

Career Stats

Internationally

Represented Russia at:

• U18 Junior World Championship 2000
• U18 Junior World Championship 2001
• U20 Junior World Championship 2001
• 2002 Winter Olympics
• 2003 World Cup
• World Cup 2004
• World Cup of Hockey 2004
• World Championship 2005

• 2006 Winter Olympics
• World Cup 2007
• World Cup 2008
• World Cup 2009
• 2010 Winter Olympics
• World Cup 2010
• World Cup 2011
• World Cup 2013

( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )