Vasily Alexandrovich Podkolzin (alternately spelled Vasili Podkolzin, Russian: Василий Александрович Подколзин; born 24 June 2001) is a Russian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected tenth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and made his NHL debut with them in 2021. Before joining Vancouver Podkolzin played for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. Internationally Podkolzin has played for the Russian national junior team at several tournaments.
| Vasily Podkolzin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_(2).jpg) Podkolzin with the Vancouver Canucks in 2021 | |||
| Born |
24 June 2001 Moscow, Russia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Edmonton Oilers SKA Saint Petersburg Vancouver Canucks | ||
| NHL draft |
10th overall, 2019 Vancouver Canucks | ||
| Playing career | 2018–present | ||
Playing career
editPodkolzin played for the Belye Medvedi club until he was 12 years old when he moved to Vityaz Podolsk. The move was done both because Belye Medvedi has no professional affiliate, and their leadership had changed.[1] He spent four years with Vityaz at their school, but was not given a chance to play for their club in the Junior Hockey League (MHL), the top junior league in Russia, so in 2018 he decided to transfer to powerhouse SKA Saint Petersburg.[1]
On 12 November 2018, Podkolzin made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut with SKA Saint Petersburg, becoming the first player born in the 21st century to play in the KHL.[2] He split the 2018–19 season between three teams and leagues: three games with SKA; fourteen with SKA-Neva of the Supreme Hockey League (VHL), the minor league for the KHL; and twelve games with SKA-1946 of the MHL.[3]
Rated by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the second-best international (playing outside of North America) skater, Podkolzin was a highly regarded prospect going into the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.[4] He was selected tenth overall by the Vancouver Canucks.[3] As he still had a contract with SKA for two more seasons, Podkolzin remained in Russia before moving to the NHL.[5]
On 30 May 2021, Podkolzin was signed by the Vancouver Canucks to a three-year, entry-level contract.[6] He scored his first NHL goal against the Philadelphia Flyers' Carter Hart on 15 October in his second NHL game.
During the 2023–24 season, while beginning the year playing with AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, Podkolzin was taken off ice on a stretcher during a game against the Colorado Eagles, due to a collision with Keaton Middleton.[7] Podkolzin made 44 appearances with Abbotsford, registering 28 points, he was recalled to Vancouver on multiple occasions registering 2 assists through 19 games.
As a pending restricted free agent, Podkolzin was re-signed by the Canucks to a two-year, $2 million contract on 19 April 2024.[8] Before commencing his contract with the Canucks, Podkolzin was traded by Vancouver to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft on 18 August 2024.[9]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
Representing  Russia
| ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2020 Czech Republic | |
 |
2019 Canada | |
In 2018, Podkolzin captained Russia in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he won a bronze medal. In the bronze medal game against the United States, Podkolzin scored a hat trick in a 5–4 victory.[10] He led the tournament in scoring with 8 goals, 3 assists and 11 total points in 5 games.[5]
Podkolzin next played internationally at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver, Canada. He recorded 3 assists in 7 games, helping Russia win bronze.[11] He also played at the 2019 Under-18 World Championships, scoring four points in seven games.[5] Podkolzin then played in the 2020 World Junior Championships in Ostrava. He scored five points in seven games, registering a goal and 4 assists. Russia fell in the final to Canada, leaving with a silver medal. In 2021, he was named captain of Team Russia, where he led the team to a 4th place finish. He scored four points in seven games with two goals and two assists.
Personal life
editPodkolzin was born in Moscow and grew up in the Maryino District of the city. He has one younger brother, Mikhail (born 2011), who also plays hockey. Podkolzin's father, Alexander, is an entrepreneur, while his mother teaches piano.[1] He first skated at the age of four and began to play hockey shortly after that. His grandfather played for Khimik Voskresensk, and his father plays in an amateur league. When he was eight, Podkolzin joined the Belye Medvedi (White Bears) club.[2] The Belye Medvedi facilities were on the opposite side of the city from the Podkolzin home (north-west and south-east, respectively); it took over an hour via metro and bus for Podkolzin to reach the rink.[1] When he moved to Saint Petersburg, Podkolzin stayed in an apartment with a teammate, Ivan Manin.[12]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2018–19 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | SKA-Neva | VHL | 14 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | SKA-1946 | MHL | 12 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 30 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | SKA-Neva | VHL | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | SKA-1946 | MHL | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 35 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | SKA-Neva | VHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 79 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 39 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 28 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Abbotsford Canucks | AHL | 44 | 15 | 13 | 28 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2023–24 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| KHL totals | 68 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 137 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Russia | U17 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 | |
| 2018 | Russia | U18 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Russia | HG18 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 8 | |
| 2019 | Russia | WJC | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2020 | Russia | WJC | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | |
| 2021 | Russia | WJC | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 35 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 38 | |||
Awards and honors
edit| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| International | ||
| World Junior A Challenge – All-Star Team | 2018 | [13] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Belousov, Yevgeni; Klimovitski, Pavel (17 August 2018). "История нового русского суперталанта. Он не захотел ехать в Канаду и перешел в СКА" [The history of the new Russian super talent. He did not want to go to Canada and moved to SKA]. Sport-express.ru. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ a b Seren Rosso, Alessandro (20 June 2019). "Vasily Podkozlin: A Star in the Making". KHL.ru. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ a b Biech, Ryan (21 June 2019). "Deep Dive: Vasily Podkolzin". NHL.com. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Morreale, Mike G. (15 April 2019). "Kakko No. 1 in Central Scouting final ranking of International skaters". NHL.com. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ a b c Kimelman, Adam (14 June 2019). "Podkolzin preaches patience for NHL arrival ahead of 2019 Draft". NHL.com. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "Canucks sign Vasily Podkolzin". Vancouver Canucks. 30 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ Raptis, Mike. "Canucks: Vasily Podkolzin stretchered off ice in scary incident at Abbotsford Centre". The Province. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
- ^ "Canucks agree to terms with Vasily Podkolzin". Vancouver Canucks. 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "Oilers acquire Podkolzin from Canucks". Edmonton Oilers. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Kuzma, Ben (22 June 2019). "Canucks had options, but were always sold on Russian Vasili Podkolzin". The Province. Vancouver. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ Aykroyd, Lucas (6 January 2019). "Russia tops Swiss for Bronze". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ Yeronko, Igor (21 September 2018). ""Говорят, Америка, Канада – это круто. Но сейчас я не хочу туда ехать". Интервью нового русского суперталанта" ["They say America, Canada is great. But now I don't want to go there." Interview of the new Russian super talent]. Sport-express.ru. Retrieved 28 June 2019.
- ^ "U.S Blanks Russia, Wins WJAC Gold Again". hockeycanada.ca. Hockey Canada. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database