Anton Volchenkov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Anton Volchenkov |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Volchenkov with the New Jersey Devils in October 2013
|
|||
| Born | 25 February 1982 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| team Former teams |
Free agent CSKA Moscow Krylya Sovetov Moscow Ottawa Senators New Jersey Devils Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod Nashville Predators Admiral Vladivostok |
||
| National team |  Russia |
||
| NHL Draft | 21st overall, 2000 Ottawa Senators |
||
| Playing career | 1999–2020 | ||
Anton Alexeyevich Volchenkov (born February 25, 1982) is a professional ice hockey defenceman from Russia. He is known for his tough, defensive style of play and for being one of the best shot blockers in the game. Volchenkov played for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL), including the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils.
Contents
Hockey Journey
Anton Volchenkov started his hockey journey in his hometown of Moscow. He joined the famous CSKA hockey school when he was only six years old. For a short time, his family moved to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he continued to play hockey before returning to Moscow.
Entering the NHL
In the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, the Ottawa Senators chose Volchenkov as their first-round pick. This was a huge step in his career. He moved to North America and started playing for the Senators in the 2002–03 season.
Volchenkov quickly became known for his fearless playing style. He wasn't afraid to get in front of the puck to block shots or make big hits on other players. This made him one of the toughest players in the league.
A Top Defensive Player
A fun fact about Volchenkov is that he used to be a goaltender when he was very young. His coach later told him to switch to playing defence. This early experience as a goalie might be why he became so good at blocking shots.
In the 2006–07 season, he led the entire NHL in blocked shots by a wide margin. He was often ranked as one of the best defensive defencemen in the league.
That same season, Volchenkov and his defensive partner, Chris Phillips, helped the Ottawa Senators reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Although they lost to the Anaheim Ducks, it was a major achievement for the team. Volchenkov once again led all players in blocked shots during the playoffs.
After signing a new three-year contract in 2007, he continued to be a key player for Ottawa. He was known for his powerful hits and his willingness to sacrifice his body to help his team.
Later Career
On July 1, 2010, Volchenkov signed a big six-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. He played with the Devils for four seasons, bringing his tough defensive skills to his new team.
After his time with the Devils, he played for the Nashville Predators for one season. He later returned to Russia to play in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for teams like Admiral Vladivostok and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod before ending his professional career in 2020.
International Competitions
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Russia |
||
| Ice hockey | ||
| IIHF World U18 Championships | ||
| Gold | 2001 Finland | |
| IIHF World Championship | ||
| Gold | 2009 Switzerland | |
Volchenkov has proudly represented his home country of Russia in many international tournaments.
As a young player, he was the captain of the Russian junior team that won the 2002 World Junior Championship. He even scored the winning goal against Canada in the final game.
He also played for the senior Russian national team in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics. In 2009, he helped Russia win a gold medal at the IIHF World Championship.
Personal Life
Volchenkov's father, Alexei, was also a professional hockey player. He played defence for the famous Red Army team in the 1970s.
Anton has three children: a son named Anton Jr., and twins, a boy named Milan and a girl named Milena.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1999–2000 | CSKA Moscow | RUS.2 | 31 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–2000 | CSKA–2 Moscow | RUS.3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Krylia Sovetov Moscow | RUS.2 | 34 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 56 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2001–02 | Krylia Sovetov Moscow | RSL | 47 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 48 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | ||
| 2001–02 | Krylia Sovetov–2 Moscow | RUS.3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 57 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 40 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2003–04 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 19 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Binghamton Senators | AHL | 69 | 10 | 35 | 45 | 62 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 75 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 53 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 78 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 67 | 20 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 24 | ||
| 2007–08 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 67 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 55 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 68 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 64 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 57 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 72 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 34 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 2012–13 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | KHL | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 37 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 56 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 46 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Admiral Vladivostok | KHL | 42 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | Admiral Vladivostok | KHL | 28 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | KHL | 31 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | KHL | 37 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 696 | 19 | 114 | 133 | 438 | 86 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 60 | ||||
| KHL totals | 149 | 3 | 15 | 18 | 105 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Russia | WJC18 |  |
6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2001 | Russia | WJC | 7th | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Russia | WJC |  |
7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Russia | WC | |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Russia | WCH | QF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | Russia | OG | 4th | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Russia | WC | |
1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Russia | OG | 6th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 | ||||
| Senior totals | 23 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
