Kirill Kaprizov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kirill Kaprizov
Kaprizov with the Minnesota Wild in 2023
Born	(1997-04-26) 26 April 1997 (age 28) Novokuznetsk, Russia
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
NHL team Former teams	Minnesota Wild Metallurg Novokuznetsk Salavat Yulaev Ufa CSKA Moscow
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	135th overall, 2015 Minnesota Wild
Playing career	2014–present

Kirill Kaprizov (born April 26, 1997) is a professional ice hockey player from Russia. He plays as a left winger and is an alternate captain for the Minnesota Wild in the National Hockey League (NHL). Before joining the Wild, Kaprizov played in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for teams like Metallurg Novokuznetsk and CSKA Moscow. In 2021, he won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best rookie, becoming the first Wild player to achieve this. Fans often call him "Kirill the Thrill" because of his exciting play.

Growing Up and Starting Hockey

Kirill Kaprizov grew up in a small village about 60 miles (97 km) from Novokuznetsk, Russia. He started playing hockey when he was just four years old. Every day, he traveled between his village and Novokuznetsk for practice. Later, he moved to the city to focus more on his hockey career. As a child, Kaprizov played for the Metallurg Novokuznetsk hockey school. He then moved up to the Kuznetskie Medvedi junior team before starting his professional career with the main Metallurg Novokuznetsk team in 2014.

Playing in the KHL (2014–2020)

Kaprizov playing for Metallurg Novokuznetsk in 2015.

Kaprizov made his debut in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with his hometown team, Metallurg Novokuznetsk, during the 2014–15 season. He was the first player picked in the 2014 KHL Junior Draft. In August 2015, he signed a new three-year contract to stay with Metallurg Novokuznetsk.

In May 2016, Kaprizov was traded to Salavat Yulaev Ufa. He played one season there, scoring 42 points in 49 games. In 2017, he was traded again, this time to CSKA Moscow. With CSKA, he played in the Gagarin Cup finals in 2018 and won the championship in 2019.

During his last season with CSKA in 2019–20, Kaprizov had his best year in the KHL. He scored 33 goals, which was the most in the KHL, and had 29 assists, for a total of 62 points. He also played in 57 games, matching his career high. On October 15, 2019, he scored his 100th career goal, becoming the youngest player in KHL history to do so at 22 years old. The KHL season was later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but CSKA Moscow was still named KHL champions based on their regular season performance. Kaprizov was chosen for the KHL All-Star Game five times, every year from 2016 to 2020.

Joining the Minnesota Wild (2021–Present)

The Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League picked Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL entry draft. He was the 135th player chosen overall. The Wild's scouts found Kaprizov almost by accident. Their flight home from Russia was delayed, which allowed them to watch one of his games. Kaprizov learned about Minnesota from his teammate Ryan Stoa, who was from Minnesota. Stoa also helped him learn English to get ready for his NHL career.

Early NHL Success: Calder Trophy and Records

On July 13, 2020, Kaprizov signed a two-year contract with the Minnesota Wild. He made his NHL debut on January 14, 2021, against the Los Angeles Kings. In that game, he scored three points, including the winning goal in overtime, helping the Wild win 4–3. He was the first player in NHL history to get three points and an overtime goal in his very first game. He was also named the NHL's First Star of the Week.

On March 12, Kaprizov scored his first NHL hat trick (three goals in one game) in a 4–0 win against the Arizona Coyotes. By April 19, he had 37 points, breaking the Wild's record for points by a rookie, which was previously held by Marián Gáborík. Even though the 2020–21 NHL season was shorter because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaprizov set new Wild rookie records with 27 goals and 51 points. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the best rookie, becoming the first Wild player to win this award. He received almost all the first-place votes, showing how impressive his season was.

On September 21, 2021, Kaprizov signed a big five-year, $45 million contract with the Wild. This made him the highest-paid second-year player in NHL history. After a great start to the 2021–22 season, he was chosen for his first NHL All-Star Game. At the All-Star weekend, he took part in the Breakaway Challenge, where he paid tribute to Alexander Ovechkin by wearing his jersey and doing his famous "hot stick" celebration.

On April 2, 2022, Kaprizov broke Marián Gáborík's franchise record for points in a season, reaching 84 points. Later that month, he also broke Gáborík's record for goals in a season, with 43. By the end of the 2021–22 season, Kaprizov had set new Wild franchise records for goals (47), assists (61), and total points (108).

Kaprizov and Vince Dunn during a game in 2023.

Kaprizov started the 2022–23 season strong, scoring 8 goals in the Wild’s first 10 games. In November, he received a penalty for cross-checking a player and was fined $5,000 by the NHL. After scoring 22 goals and 47 points in 37 games, he was named to his second straight All-Star Game. In March 2023, Kaprizov got a lower-body injury that made him miss 13 games. Even with the injury, he still scored 40 goals for the second season in a row, becoming the first Wild player to have multiple 40-goal seasons. In the playoffs against the Dallas Stars, Kaprizov was held to only 1 goal as the Wild lost the series.

In the 2023–24 season, Kaprizov continued to be a key player. After the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, he played on the Wild's top line with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy. On February 19, 2024, Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek both scored hat tricks in the third period, helping the Wild win 10–7 against the Vancouver Canucks. These hat tricks helped set a new team record for most goals in a game and matched the franchise record for points in a game. By the end of the 2023-24 season, Kaprizov had 46 goals and 50 assists for 96 points in 75 games.

For the 2024-25 season, Kaprizov has continued his strong play. As of July 2025, he has played 41 games, scoring 25 goals and 31 assists for 56 points.

Playing for His Country

Kaprizov with the Russian national team at the 2017 Channel One Cup
Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  Olympic Athletes from Russia
Olympic Games
Gold	2018 Pyeongchang
Representing  Russia
World Championships
Bronze	2019 Slovakia
World Junior Championships
Silver	2016 Helsinki
Bronze	2017 Canada

Kaprizov has played for the Russian national team in many big tournaments. These include the IIHF World U18 Championship, IIHF World Junior Championship, senior Ice Hockey World Championships, and the Winter Olympics.

At the 2017 World Junior Championship, Kaprizov was one of the top scorers with nine goals and three assists. Russia won the bronze medal in this tournament.

He was the youngest player on the team that won the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Kaprizov scored the winning goal in overtime of the final game against Germany. This win gave the Russian ice hockey team its first gold medal since 1992. He scored five goals in the Olympics, tying for the most in the tournament. In 2019, he also won a bronze medal at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.

Off the Ice

Kirill Kaprizov is a Russian Orthodox Christian. He is the godfather to his former CSKA Moscow teammate Nikita Nesterov's son, who is also named Kirill.

When he's not playing hockey, Kaprizov enjoys playing video games like Counter-Strike and Dota. When he visits his hometown of Novokuznetsk, he likes to go fishing and play soccer.

Awards and Honors

Kaprizov has won many awards throughout his career:

Minnesota Wild Records

Kaprizov holds several important records for the Minnesota Wild team: