Nail Yakupov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nail Yakupov
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 on October 6, 1993) is a professional ice hockey player from Russia. He plays as a forward for Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Nail was chosen as the very first player in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers. He also played for the St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Nail grew up playing hockey in Russia with the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk junior team. In 2010, he moved to North America to continue his hockey journey. He was known as the "Yak Attack" because of his great scoring skills. He joined the Sarnia Sting, a major junior team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he played for two years before being drafted into the NHL. Nail also played for the Russian national junior team and won medals in all three tournaments he played in.

Nail Yakupov's Hockey Journey

Playing in Junior Leagues

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 for his hometown team, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk. He believed that joining the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) would help him reach his dream of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) faster.

Nail scored his first OHL goal on September 24, 2010, against the Windsor Spitfires. He was named the OHL Rookie of the Month for October. He also played for Team Russia in the Subway Super Series on November 11, 2010.

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

Nail won the 'Kal Tire OHL Rookie of the Month' award again in January and February 2011. At the end of the season, he won the Emms Family Award as the OHL Rookie of the Year. He was the first player from the Sarnia Sting to receive this honor. He was also chosen for the first All-Rookie team. On May 28, he was named the CHL Rookie of the Year, which means he was the top rookie in all of Canadian junior hockey.

On February 28, 2011, Nail set a new goal-scoring record for a rookie with the Sarnia Sting. He scored his 43rd goal of the 2010–11 OHL season in a game against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In Sarnia's last game of the 2010–11 season, on March 19, 2011, he reached 100 points for the season. He finished that season with 101 points.

At the start of the 2011–12 OHL season, Nail was leading in scoring with 25 points in 10 games. He had a great week with 12 points, earning him the CHL Player of the Week award on October 18, 2011.

Leading up to the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Nail Yakupov was considered the top player available. Many expected him to be chosen first overall.

Playing Professionally

Edmonton Oilers Years

On June 23, 2012, Nail Yakupov was indeed picked first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. A month later, on July 23, the Oilers signed him to a three-year contract.

Because of a lockout in the NHL in 2012, Nail was first sent to play for Sarnia for the 2012–13 OHL season. However, he decided to return to Russia to play for HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He had played for their junior teams before. After a short time, he faced some rules about playing in different countries, but eventually, he was allowed to play in Russia.

When the NHL lockout ended in January 2013, Nail returned to North America to play for the Oilers. He admired hockey legend Pavel Bure and wanted to wear jersey number 10, like Bure. Since another player, Shawn Horcoff, already had number 10, Nail chose number 64, because 6 and 4 add up to 10. Nail played his first NHL game on January 20, 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks. He scored his first NHL goal in the next game, on January 22, against Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.

On April 27, 2013, Nail scored his first career hat trick (three goals in one game) in a 7–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. All three goals came in the third period. He finished his first NHL season leading all rookies in goals with 17. He also tied for points with 31. In April, he scored 11 goals, which was second only to his countryman Alexander Ovechkin.

St. Louis Blues Experience

On October 7, 2016, Nail's time with the Oilers ended. He was traded to the St. Louis Blues before the 2016–17 NHL season. He made his debut with the Blues on October 12, 2016, in a 5–2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. In his next game, he scored his first goal and added an assist for the Blues.

After a good start, Nail's scoring slowed down, and he sometimes did not play in games. He played in a smaller role with the Blues and had limited time on the ice. His season ended early when he had a knee injury on March 31, 2017. He finished the season with 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in 40 games, which were his lowest career totals.

Colorado Avalanche Season

Nail was a free agent after his time with the Blues. Even though teams in the KHL were interested, he wanted to keep playing in the NHL. On July 4, 2017, he signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche.

Returning to the KHL

After his NHL contract, Nail decided to leave the NHL and go back to Russia to improve his game. On July 3, 2018, he signed a two-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg in the KHL. In the 2018-19 KHL season, Nail had a good year, scoring 23 goals and 33 points in 47 regular season games. His scoring was a bit lower in the playoffs.

On June 19, 2019, Nail signed a longer, three-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg. However, in the 2019–20 KHL season, his production dropped, and he had a smaller role. He scored 10 goals and 20 points in 46 games during a season affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

With two years left on his contract, Nail was traded by SKA to HC Vityaz on May 8, 2020. Just over a month later, on June 14, 2020, Vityaz traded him to Amur Khabarovsk.

In the 2020–21 KHL season, Nail was looking for a bigger role with Khabarovsk. He scored 1 goal and 7 points in 15 games before being traded to Avangard Omsk on October 20, 2020. He played well with Avangard, getting 6 goals and 10 points in 22 games before he got sick with COVID-19. He could not return for the rest of the season, but he stayed with the team as they won the Gagarin Cup.

On April 30, 2021, Nail signed a two-year contract extension to stay with Avangard Omsk.

After his contract with Avangard ended, and after a season with injuries in 2022–23 KHL season, Nail left as a free agent. He returned to his first club, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk, signing a one-year contract on July 11, 2023. In the 2023–24 KHL season, injuries continued to affect him, and he played in 31 regular season games, scoring 8 goals and 19 points.

Nail continued his career in the KHL. He left Nizhnemkamsk and signed a one-year contract with the Chinese team, Kunlun Red Star, on August 13, 2024. He was traded back to Avangard Omsk on November 16, 2024, after playing 27 games for Kunlun Red Star.

International Hockey Play

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

Nail Yakupov played for Team Russia in the 2011 World Junior U18 championship. He scored a hat trick in the bronze-medal game, helping his team beat Team Canada 6–4.

Nail was also part of the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships with Russia. His team beat Canada in the semi-finals. However, they lost 1–0 to Sweden in the gold medal game, earning a silver medal.

Nail's Personal Life

Nail Yakupov is from the Volga Tatars ethnic group and is a Muslim. He was the first Tatar and the only Muslim player to be chosen first overall in the NHL Entry Draft. When he was drafted, Nail became the highest-drafted Muslim player in NHL history, passing Nazem Kadri. His father, Rail, worked with the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hockey team as a coach and executive. Nail first started skating when he was four years old. However, he was more interested in soccer and the English Premier League club Chelsea than in hockey at first.

Career Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play

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

Awards and Honours