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Nail Yakupov
Nail Yakupov - Edmonton Oilers.jpg
Yakupov with the Edmonton Oilers in 2015
Born (1993-10-06) 6 October 1993 (age 31)
Nizhnekamsk, Russia
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Left
KHL team
Former teams
Avangard Omsk
Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
Edmonton Oilers
St. Louis Blues
Colorado Avalanche
SKA Saint Petersburg
Amur Khabarovsk
Kunlun Red Star
NHL Draft 1st overall, 2012
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2012–present

Nail Yakupov (born 6 October 1993) is a professional ice hockey player from Russia. He plays as a forward for Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Nail Yakupov was chosen as the very first player in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. This is a big deal in hockey, as it means he was considered the top young player available that year. He also played for the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Yakupov grew up playing hockey in Russia. He later moved to North America to play for the Sarnia Sting, a major junior team. He was known as the "Yak Attack" because of his great scoring skills. He also played for the Russian national junior team and won several medals.

Hockey Journey

Junior Hockey Years

Nail Yakupov was picked second overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft. Before this, he played in Russia. He hoped that joining the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) would help him reach his dream of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) faster.

Yakupov scored his first OHL goal on September 24, 2010. He was named the OHL Rookie of the Month twice. He also played for Team Russia in the Subway Super Series.

Colton Sissons checking Nail Yakupov
Yakupov being checked by Colton Sissons during the CHL Canada/Russia Series

At the end of his first season, Yakupov won the Emms Family Award as the OHL Rookie of the Year. He was the first player from the Sarnia Sting to win this award. He was also named the CHL Rookie of the Year, which means he was the top rookie in all of Canadian junior hockey.

On March 19, 2011, Yakupov reached 100 points in a single season. This was a big achievement for a rookie player. In the next season (2011–12), he started strong, leading the league in scoring early on.

Before the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, many experts believed Yakupov would be chosen first overall.

Professional Hockey Career

Joining the Edmonton Oilers

On June 23, 2012, the Edmonton Oilers picked Nail Yakupov as the first overall player in the NHL Draft. A month later, he signed his first professional contract with the Oilers.

Because of a lockout in the NHL in 2012, Yakupov went back to Russia to play for HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He had played for their junior teams before. After some rules were sorted out, he was allowed to stay and play in Russia during the lockout.

When the NHL lockout ended in January 2013, Yakupov came back to North America to play for the Oilers. He chose to wear jersey number 64 because the digits (6+4) add up to 10. This was a tribute to his favorite player, Pavel Bure, who wore number 10.

Yakupov played his first NHL game on January 20, 2013. He scored his first NHL goal two days later against the San Jose Sharks. On April 27, 2013, he scored his first career hat trick (three goals in one game) against the Vancouver Canucks. He finished his first NHL season as the top rookie in goals, with 17. He also tied for the most points among rookies with 31.

Time with the St. Louis Blues

In October 2016, Yakupov was traded to the St. Louis Blues. He played his first game with the Blues on October 12, 2016. In his second game, he scored his first goal and added an assist for the team.

He started well with the Blues, but his playing time became limited. He often didn't play in games, which is called being a "healthy scratch." His season ended early in March 2017 due to a knee injury that needed surgery. He finished the season with 3 goals and 6 assists in 40 games.

Playing for the Colorado Avalanche

After his contract with the Blues ended, Yakupov wanted to stay in the NHL. On July 4, 2017, he signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. He played 58 games with the Avalanche, scoring 9 goals and 7 assists.

Returning to the KHL

After his time in the NHL, Yakupov decided to go back to Russia to play in the KHL. In July 2018, he signed a two-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg. In his first season back in the KHL (2018–19), he had a good year, scoring 23 goals and 33 points in 47 games.

He signed another contract extension with SKA Saint Petersburg in 2019. However, his production dropped in the next season.

Yakupov was traded several times within the KHL. He played for HC Vityaz and Amur Khabarovsk. In October 2020, he was traded to Avangard Omsk. He played well for Avangard Omsk, scoring 6 goals and 4 assists in 22 games. He later got sick with COVID-19 and couldn't play for the rest of the season. Even though he couldn't play, his team, Avangard Omsk, won the Gagarin Cup, which is the KHL championship.

In April 2021, Yakupov signed a new two-year contract to stay with Avangard Omsk. After his contract ended, he returned to his original club, HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, in July 2023. He later signed with the Chinese-based team, Kunlun Red Star, in August 2024, before being traded back to Avangard Omsk in November 2024.

International Play

Nail Yakupov.png
Medal record
ice hockey
Representing  Russia
World Junior Championships
Bronze 2013 Russia
Silver 2012 Canada
World Junior A Challenge
Bronze 2009 Summerside
World Junior U18 Championships
Bronze 2011 Germany

Yakupov played for Team Russia in the 2011 World Junior U18 Championship. He scored three goals in the bronze-medal game, helping Russia defeat Team Canada 6–4.

He also played in the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. His team beat Canada in the semi-finals but lost to Sweden in the final game, earning a silver medal. In the 2013 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Yakupov helped Russia win a bronze medal.

Personal Life

Nail Yakupov is from the Volga Tatar ethnic group and is a Muslim. He is the first Tatar and the only Muslim player to be chosen first overall in the NHL Entry Draft.

His father, Rail, worked with the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hockey team as a coach and executive. Nail started skating when he was four years old. Interestingly, he was more interested in soccer and the English club Chelsea than in hockey when he was younger.

Career Statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 Reaktor Nizhnekamsk MHL 14 4 2 6 26
2010–11 Sarnia Sting OHL 65 49 52 101 71
2011–12 Sarnia Sting OHL 42 31 38 69 30 4 2 3 5 4
2012–13 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk KHL 22 10 8 18 33
2012–13 Edmonton Oilers NHL 48 17 14 31 30
2013–14 Edmonton Oilers NHL 63 11 13 24 39
2014–15 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 14 19 33 23
2015–16 Edmonton Oilers NHL 60 8 15 23 42
2016–17 St. Louis Blues NHL 40 3 6 9 19
2017–18 Colorado Avalanche NHL 58 9 7 16 37
2018–19 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 47 23 10 33 30 18 4 4 8 12
2019–20 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 46 10 10 20 16
2020–21 Amur Khabarovsk KHL 15 1 5 6 10
2020–21 Avangard Omsk KHL 22 6 4 10 6
2021–22 Avangard Omsk KHL 43 9 17 26 14 10 1 3 4 2
2022–23 Avangard Omsk KHL 16 6 4 10 4 14 1 2 3 8
2023–24 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk KHL 31 8 11 19 18
KHL totals 242 72 70 142 131 42 6 9 15 22
NHL totals 350 62 74 136 190

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2009 Russia IH18 2 4 3 2 5 4
2010 Russia IH18 5th 4 3 2 5 2
2011 Russia U18 3 7 6 7 13 6
2012 Russia WJC 2 7 0 9 9 6
2013 Russia WJC 3 7 3 5 8 0
Junior totals 29 15 25 40 18

Awards and Honours

Award Year
OHL
First All-Rookie Team 2011
Rookie of the Year 2011
CHL Rookie of the Year 2011
CHL Top Draft Prospect Award 2012
Third All-Star Team 2012
KHL
Gagarin Cup champion 2021
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