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, born on February 3, 1985, is a former professional ice hockey forward from Belarus.
People in the media gave him the nickname "AK-46". This nickname combines his initials (AK) with his player number (46). It also sounds like the famous Soviet AK-47 rifle. Andrei played ice hockey with his younger brother, Sergei, on two different teams: the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators.
Contents
Andrei Kostitsyn's Hockey Journey
Early Career in Europe
Andrei Kostitsyn started his hockey career in the 2000–01 season. He played for Polimir Novopolotsk for two years. During this time, he competed in several leagues, including the Eastern European Hockey League (EEHL).
In the summer of 2002, Andrei moved to Russia and signed with CSKA Moscow. He played for CSKA's developmental team, CSKA 2. He also continued to play in the Belarusian league with Yunost Minsk.
After his first season with CSKA, the Montreal Canadiens picked him in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He was the tenth player chosen overall. Many scouts thought he would be picked even earlier because he played very well at the 2003 World U-18 Championships. Some people think teams passed on him because of concerns about his back.
Playing for the Montreal Canadiens
In the summer of 2004, Andrei was invited to the Canadiens' training camp. He signed a three-year contract with the team. He was then sent to play for the Hamilton Bulldogs. This team is the Canadiens' affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
He scored his first goal for Hamilton in his very first game on October 15, 2004. He finished that season with 23 points in 66 games.
During the 2005–06 season, the Canadiens called him up to play in the National Hockey League (NHL). His first NHL game was on December 1, 2005. He played only one shift in that game. Later in December, he was called up again. He scored his first NHL goal on December 13 against Curtis Joseph of the Phoenix Coyotes.
Andrei had a fantastic season in 2007–08. He played on the Canadiens' top scoring line with Alexei Kovalev and Tomáš Plekanec. He earned 53 points in 78 games. His younger brother, Sergei, also joined the team midway through the season.
When the playoffs began, the Canadiens were the top team. Both Andrei and Sergei scored in their first NHL playoff game against the Boston Bruins. They scored less than two minutes apart! They both finished the playoffs with eight points each in 12 games. However, the Canadiens lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. On July 1, 2008, Andrei signed a new three-year contract with the Canadiens.
Early in the 2008–09 season, Andrei got a concussion. This happened when Kurt Sauer of the Phoenix Coyotes checked him into the boards. Andrei lay on the ice for a few minutes before being helped off. He returned to play after missing two games. In December 2008, he missed two more games due to a minor leg injury. After returning, he scored his first NHL hat-trick on December 27. This helped his team win 3–2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Time with the Nashville Predators
On February 27, 2012, Kostitsyn was traded to the Nashville Predators. The Canadiens received two draft picks in exchange for him.
On May 1, 2012, Andrei and his Predators teammate were suspended for one game. This happened because they broke team rules before a big playoff game against the Coyotes. The Predators' general manager, David Poile, said their actions were "unacceptable" and "selfish behavior."
Returning to Russia
After the 2012 off-season, the Predators decided not to sign Andrei again. 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, Sochi, on October 29, 2014.
On June 1, 2017, Kostitsyn continued his career in the KHL. He signed a one-year deal with Kunlun Red Star, a team from China.
After playing two more seasons in his home country of Belarus with Dinamo Minsk, Andrei signed another one-year deal in the KHL on May 6, 2020. This time, he joined the Russian team, HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk.
Playing for His Country: International Games
Andrei Kostitsyn played for Belarus many times. He represented his country at both the under-18 and under-20 levels. His first international game was at the 2000 IIHF World U18 Championships when he was just fifteen years old. Belarus struggled in that tournament.
The next year, Kostitsyn played with Belarus' under-20 team at the 2001 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Later that year, he helped Belarus win the Division I championship at the 2001 IIHF World U18 Championships. He led the tournament with 14 points in five games.
Kostitsyn played in his second under-20 tournament at the 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored three goals, helping Belarus stay in the top division. He also played in the top division at the 2002 IIHF World U18 Championships, scoring 10 points in eight games.
In 2004, Kostitsyn made his debut for the senior national team at the 2004 IIHF World Championship. He was 19 years old and scored six points in five games. He continued to represent Belarus in many World Championships over the years.
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 | |||
