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Akim Aliu
Akim Aliu 120407.png
Aliu with the Calgary Flames in 2012
Born (1989-04-24) April 24, 1989 (age 36)
Okene, Nigeria
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position Right wing/Defence
Shoots Right
team
Former teams
Free agent
Calgary Flames
AIK IF
Amur Khabarovsk
HC '05 Banská Bystrica
Karlskrona HK
HC Litvínov
NHL Draft 56th overall, 2007
Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career 2008–2020
2024–present

Akim Olumide Aliu (born April 24, 1989) is a professional ice hockey player. He was born in Nigeria and grew up in Ukraine and Canada. Akim is currently a free agent, meaning he is not signed with a team right now. The Chicago Blackhawks picked him in the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He played for many teams in different leagues, including the Calgary Flames in the NHL. He played his first NHL game on April 5, 2012.

Early Life and Hockey Start

Akim Aliu was born in Okene, Nigeria. He spent his early childhood in Kyiv, Ukraine. His father, Tai, was from Nigeria and met Akim's mother, Larissa, who is Ukrainian, while studying in Kyiv. Akim has a brother named Edward.

Akim sees himself as Ukrainian Canadian. He says his family follows Ukrainian traditions. He even speaks Ukrainian with them. When Akim was seven, his family moved to Canada. They settled in the Toronto area because they were not comfortable with the political situation after the Soviet Union ended.

When Akim arrived in Canada, he spoke Ukrainian and Russian. He did not know English and had never played hockey. He got his first ice skates at a garage sale. He started playing in a local league in Parkdale. Akim quickly showed a natural talent for hockey. In just a few years, he was chosen in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft by the Windsor Spitfires.

Playing Career Highlights

Junior Hockey Years

Akim's first OHL season was in 2005–06. During practice, he had an incident with another player, Steve Downie. Downie hit him in the face with his stick, knocking out some teeth. Akim returned to the ice and fought Downie. This happened because Akim refused to take part in a team ritual. This event became international news.

Both players were traded from Windsor. The team's coach and general manager were also suspended. The team was fined money. Years later, in 2020, Akim shared more details. He felt that Downie treated him badly because of his different background.

After the incident, Akim was traded to the Sudbury Wolves. He missed two months of play due to league rules. He played 47 games that season, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists. Akim was known as a challenging player to manage. Still, he was ranked as a top prospect for the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

The Chicago Blackhawks picked him 56th overall in the second round. Akim promised to make other teams regret not picking him sooner. He played his best junior season in 2007–08 with the London Knights. He scored 61 points in 60 games. He then played his first professional games with the Rockford IceHogs.

Professional Hockey Journey

Akim signed his first professional contract with the Blackhawks in 2008. He played for the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League (AHL). He also played for the Toledo Walleye in the ECHL. In 2010, his rights were traded to the Atlanta Thrashers. He spent most of the 2010–11 season with the Thrashers' AHL team, the Chicago Wolves.

The Thrashers team moved and became the Winnipeg Jets in 2011. Akim started the 2011–12 season in the ECHL with the Colorado Eagles. He later played in Austria for a short time. Akim then met with the Calgary Flames general manager. He convinced him to give him another chance.

The Flames got Akim on loan for their AHL team, the Abbotsford Heat. He played well in a new role. The Flames then traded for his NHL rights in January 2012. Akim made his NHL debut on April 5, 2012. He got his first point by helping on a goal. He scored his first two NHL goals two days later.

Akim said that his past challenges helped him grow as a player. The Flames signed him again for another year. He played five games with the Flames in the 2012–13 season. He spent most of that year with the Heat. After that, he played for several other teams in the AHL and ECHL. He also played overseas in Russia and Sweden.

In November 2019, Akim shared something important. He said that his former coach, Bill Peters, had used racial comments towards him. This happened when Peters coached the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. Peters resigned from his coaching job a few days later.

In January 2020, Akim returned to professional hockey. He signed a contract with a Czech team, HC Litvínov. On June 8, 2020, Akim helped start the Hockey Diversity Alliance. This group works to fight intolerance and racism in hockey. Akim returned to professional hockey on March 20, 2024. He signed a contract with the San Jose Barracuda, an AHL team. He played three games for them in the 2023–24 season.

Career Statistics

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2004–05 Milton Icehawks OPJHL 2 0 2 2 0
2005–06 Windsor Spitfires OHL 18 3 4 7 25
2005–06 Sudbury Wolves OHL 29 7 6 13 54 6 0 1 1 7
2006–07 Sudbury Wolves OHL 53 20 22 42 104 21 1 5 6 50
2007–08 London Knights OHL 60 28 33 61 133 5 2 1 3 15
2007–08 Rockford IceHogs AHL 2 0 0 0 2
2008–09 London Knights OHL 16 8 10 18 30
2008–09 Sudbury Wolves OHL 29 10 16 26 61 6 2 1 3 14
2008–09 Rockford IceHogs AHL 5 2 0 2 14 1 1 0 1 0
2009–10 Rockford IceHogs AHL 48 11 6 17 69
2009–10 Toledo Walleye ECHL 13 5 9 14 18 2 1 1 2 16
2010–11 Chicago Wolves AHL 43 4 5 9 53
2010–11 Gwinnett Gladiators ECHL 16 12 8 20 22
2010–11 Peoria Rivermen AHL 16 5 4 9 20 2 1 0 1 6
2011–12 Colorado Eagles ECHL 10 2 4 6 28
2011–12 Abbotsford Heat AHL 42 10 4 14 59 5 0 1 1 28
2011–12 Calgary Flames NHL 2 2 1 3 12
2012–13 Abbotsford Heat AHL 42 4 7 11 111
2012–13 Calgary Flames NHL 5 0 0 0 14
2013–14 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 14 3 1 4 18
2013–14 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 9 1 0 1 7
2013–14 AIK IF SHL 2 1 0 1 6
2014–15 Rochester Americans AHL 10 3 1 4 51
2014–15 Bakersfield Condors ECHL 15 2 7 9 24
2014–15 Oklahoma City Barons AHL 1 0 0 0 0
2015–16 Amur Khabarovsk KHL 19 2 5 7 52
2016–17 Florida Everblades ECHL 11 5 6 11 28
2016–17 Atlanta Gladiators ECHL 2 0 1 1 33
2016–17 Cleveland Monsters AHL 13 3 2 5 19
2017–18 HC '05 Banská Bystrica Slovak 9 2 4 6 14
2017–18 Karlskrona HK SHL 6 0 0 0 62
2017–18 IK Pantern Allsv 6 0 1 1 16 3 1 1 2 8
2018–19 Orlando Solar Bears ECHL 11 4 5 9 10
2019–20 HC Litvínov ELH 6 1 2 3 0
2023–24 San Jose Barracuda AHL 3 0 0 0 2
NHL totals 7 2 1 3 26

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