Andrei Kostitsyn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Andrei Kostitsyn |
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Kostitsyn with the Montreal Canadiens in 2009
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| Born | 3 February 1985 Novopolotsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| team Former teams |
Free agent Polimir Novopolotsk Yunost Minsk Khimik-ShVSM Vitebsk CSKA Moscow Hamilton Bulldogs Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators Traktor Chelyabinsk HC Sochi Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod Kunlun Red Star HC Dinamo Minsk Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk HC Dynamo Pardubice |
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| National team |  Belarus |
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| NHL Draft | 10th overall, 2003 Montreal Canadiens |
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| Playing career | 2003–2022 | ||
Andrei Olegovich Kostitsyn (Belarusian: Андрэй Алегавiч Касціцын; Russian: Андрей Олегович Костицын; born 3 February 1985) is a former Belarusian professional ice hockey forward.
Fans and media often called him "AK-46." This nickname was a clever play on his initials (AK) and his jersey number (46). It also reminded people of the famous Soviet AK-47 rifle. Andrei played alongside his younger brother, Sergei, on two different NHL teams: the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators.
Contents
Playing Career
Starting in Europe
Andrei Kostitsyn began his hockey journey in the 2000–01 season. He played for Polimir Novopolotsk in Belarus for two years. In 2002, he moved to Russia and joined CSKA Moscow. He also continued to play in the Belarusian league with Yunost Minsk.
After his first season with CSKA, Andrei was chosen by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was the tenth player picked overall. Scouts had high hopes for him because he played very well at the 2003 World U-18 Championships. Some people thought he might be picked even earlier. However, concerns about his back health might have caused some teams to pass on him.
Time with the Montreal Canadiens
In 2004, the Canadiens invited Andrei to their training camp. He signed a three-year contract with the team. He was then sent to play for their minor league team, the Hamilton Bulldogs, in the American Hockey League (AHL). He scored his first goal for the Bulldogs in his very first game on October 15, 2004. He finished that season with 23 points in 66 games.
Andrei was called up to the Canadiens during the 2005–06 season. He played his first National Hockey League (NHL) game on December 1, 2005. Later that month, on December 13, he scored his first NHL goal against Curtis Joseph of the Phoenix Coyotes.
The 2007–08 season was a big one for Kostitsyn. He played on one of the Canadiens' best lines with Alexei Kovalev and Tomáš Plekanec. He scored 53 points in 78 games. His younger brother, Sergei, also joined the team from Hamilton that season. In the playoffs, both Andrei and Sergei scored in their first NHL playoff game. They each finished with eight points in 12 playoff games. However, the Canadiens lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. On July 1, 2008, Andrei signed a new three-year contract with the Canadiens.
Early in the 2008–09 season, Andrei got a concussion after being checked into the boards. He missed two games but soon returned. In December 2008, he missed two more games due to a minor leg injury. When he came back, he scored his first career NHL hat-trick on December 27, helping his team win 3–2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Moving to the Nashville Predators
On February 27, 2012, Andrei Kostitsyn was traded to the Nashville Predators. The Canadiens received two draft picks in return.
During the 2012 playoffs, Andrei and his Predators teammate Alexander Radulov faced a team suspension. They had not followed team rules the night before a big playoff game. The team's general manager, David Poile, said their actions were "unacceptable" and "selfish behavior." Because of this, both players were suspended for Game 3 of their playoff series.
Return to Russia
After the 2012 off-season, the Predators decided not to bring Andrei back. However, they did re-sign his brother, Sergei. On September 14, 2012, Andrei returned to Russia. He signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
In the 2014–15 season, his third with Traktor, Kostitsyn was traded. He joined a new team called HC Sochi on October 29, 2014.
Andrei continued his career in the KHL. On June 1, 2017, he signed a one-year deal with the Chinese team, Kunlun Red Star.
After playing two more seasons in his home country of Belarus with Dinamo Minsk, Andrei signed another one-year KHL deal. On May 6, 2020, he joined the Russian team, HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.
International Play
Andrei Kostitsyn played for Belarus many times. He represented his country at both the under-18 and under-20 levels. He first played internationally at the 2000 IIHF World U18 Championships when he was just fifteen years old.
He also played in five different World Junior Championships. In 2001, he led the second-tier tournament with 14 points, helping Belarus win the Division I championship. In 2004, he again helped Belarus return to the top division by scoring 10 points in five games.
In 2004, Kostitsyn also made his debut for the senior national team at age 19. He scored six points in five games. He continued to play in many World Championships for Belarus.
On December 23, 2009, Andrei was chosen to represent Belarus in the 2010 Olympics. His younger brother Sergei, Mikhail Grabovski, and Ruslan Salei were the only other NHL players selected for the team.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2000–01 | Polimir Novopolotsk | BXL | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Polimir Novopolotsk | EEHL | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Yunost Minsk | BXL | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Khimik–ShVSM Vitebsk | BXL | 17 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 42 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Polimir Novopolotsk | BXL | 15 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2001–02 | Polimir Novopolotsk | EEHL | 29 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Yunost Minsk | BXL | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Yunost Minsk | BXL | 4 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Khimik Voskresensk | RUS.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | CSKA Moscow | RSL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | CSKA–2 Moscow | RUS.3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | CSKA Moscow | RSL | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Yunost Minsk | BXL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 16 | ||
| 2003–04 | Yunost Minsk | EEHL B | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 66 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 64 | 18 | 29 | 47 | 76 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 22 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Hamilton Bulldogs | AHL | 50 | 21 | 31 | 52 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 78 | 26 | 27 | 53 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 74 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 50 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 59 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 32 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 12 | ||
| 2010–11 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 81 | 20 | 25 | 45 | 36 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2011–12 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 53 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 19 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | 44 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 82 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2013–14 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | 54 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | HC Sochi | KHL | 37 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 39 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | KHL | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | HC Sochi | KHL | 45 | 20 | 19 | 39 | 49 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | HC Sochi | KHL | 51 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 49 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Kunlun Red Star | KHL | 22 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 50 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 60 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | KHL | 24 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HC Dynamo Pardubice | Czech | 12 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 398 | 103 | 119 | 222 | 181 | 49 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 24 | ||||
| KHL totals | 409 | 111 | 136 | 247 | 386 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 10 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Belarus | WJC18 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2001 | Belarus | WJC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Belarus | WJC18 D1 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 8 | |
| 2002 | Belarus | WJC | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2002 | Belarus | WJC18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 18 | |
| 2003 | Belarus | WJC | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2003 | Belarus | WJC18 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 28 | |
| 2003 | Belarus | WC | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Belarus | WJC D1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 12 | |
| 2004 | Belarus | WC D1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2005 | Belarus | WJC | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2005 | Belarus | WC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2006 | Belarus | WC | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2008 | Belarus | WC | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | |
| 2011 | Belarus | WC | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Belarus | WC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27 | |
| 2014 | Belarus | WC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2015 | Belarus | WC | 7 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 16 | |
| 2016 | Belarus | WC | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2016 | Belarus | OGQ | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2017 | Belarus | WC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 53 | 31 | 29 | 60 | 78 | |||
| Senior totals | 60 | 13 | 25 | 38 | 89 | |||
See Also
- Sergei Kostitsyn
