Dmitri Kulikov (ice hockey)

For the Estonian football player, see Dmitri Kulikov.

Dmitri Kulikov
Born	October 29, 1990 (1990-10-29) (age 21) Lipetsk, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team	Florida Panthers
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	14th overall, 2009 Florida Panthers
Playing career	2009–present

Dmitri Vladimirovich Kulikov (born October 29, 1990) is an Russian ice hockey defenceman, currently playing for the Florida Panthers.

Playing career

Kulikov began his career in his homeland Russia with Lokomotiv-2 Yaroslavl in the Pervaya Liga and left his club in November 2008 to sign for the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.^[1] In his lone season with Drummondville, Kulikov led all Quebec League blueliners with 62 points in 57 games, and took home a slew of postseason hardware, including the Emile Bouchard Trophy as the QMJHL Defenceman of the Year; the Raymond Lagacé Trophy as the Defensive Rookie of the Year; and the Mike Bossy Trophy as the league's best pro prospect.

After his rookie year with the Voltigeurs, he was drafted by the Florida Panthers 14th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and was signed by the Panthers on September 29, 2009.^[2]

Despite his age, Kulikov managed to play in 68 games with the Florida Panthers, showing high levels of skill and confidence. Kulikov owns tremendous offensive insticts and boasts plenty of projection in his frame and all-around upside. Dale Tallon, the current Florida Panthers General Manager has expressed that they have very high expectations on the young defenceman. He is considered to be the first step in the rebuilding process of this NHL franchise, and was recently joined by prospects Jacob Markström and Erik Gudbranson.^[3]

International career

Kulikov represented his homeland in two U-18 World Cups: 2007 in Finland and 2008 in Russia. He was then a member of Team Russia at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.^[4]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008–09	Drummondville Voltigeurs	QMJHL		57	12	50	62	46		19	2	17	19	16
2009–10	Florida Panthers	NHL		68	3	13	16	32		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Florida Panthers	NHL		72	6	20	26	45		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				140	9	33	42	77		—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Place		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2007	Russia	WJC18	1 !		7	0	4	4	6
2008	Russia	WJC18	2 !		6	0	2	2	6
2009	Russia	WJC	3 !		7	0	4	4	4
Junior int'l totals					20	0	10	10	16
2010	Russia	WC	2 !		9	0	2	2	8
2011	Russia	WC	4th		9	2	1	3	4
Senior int'l totals					18	2	3	5	12

References

1. ^ "Prospect Dmitry Kulikov Player Profile". Hockey's Future. 2009-10-12. http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/dmitri_kulikov. Retrieved 2009-10-12. 
2. ^ "Cats sign Kulikov". Florida Panthers. 2009-09-29. http://panthers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=500251. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 
3. ^ "Dmitri Kulikov profile". The Hockey News. 2010-10-02. http://forecaster.thehockeynews.com/hockeynews/hockey/player.cgi?7144. Retrieved 2010-10-02. 
4. ^ "Russian Hockey NHL Prospects - Dmitry Kulikov Florida Panthers". Russianprospects.com. 2010-10-02. http://www.russianprospects.com/public/profile.php?player_id=635. Retrieved 2010-10-02. 

External links

• Dmitri Kulikov's career stats at Eliteprospects.com
• Dmitri Kulikov's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Dmitri Kulikov – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Dmitri Kulikov's NHL player profile

Preceded by Keaton Ellerby

Florida Panthers first round draft pick 2009

Succeeded by Erik Gudbranson

Persondata
Name	Kulikov, Dmitri
Alternative names
Short description	Russian ice hockey player
Date of birth	October 29, 1990
Place of birth	Lipetsk, Soviet Union
Date of death
Place of death