Vladimir Tarasenko facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vladimir Tarasenko
Tarasenko with the St. Louis Blues in October 2017
Born	(1991-12-13) 13 December 1991 (age 33) Yaroslavl, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Detroit Red Wings Sibir Novosibirsk SKA Saint Petersburg St. Louis Blues New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Florida Panthers
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	16th overall, 2010 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	2010–present

Vladimir Tarasenko (Russian: Влади́мир Андре́евич Тарасе́нко; born December 13, 1991) is a professional ice hockey player from Russia. He plays as a right winger for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Before joining the NHL, Vladimir played for the Sibir Novosibirsk team in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He started playing for their main team in the 2008–09 season. After three seasons with Sibir, he moved to SKA Saint Petersburg in 2012. The St. Louis Blues picked Tarasenko 16th overall in the 2010 NHL entry draft. He joined the Blues for the 2012–13 season.

Tarasenko played for the St. Louis Blues for parts of 11 seasons. He became one of their top scorers and played in three NHL All-Star Games. He helped the team win their first ever Stanley Cup in 2019. Later, he was traded to the New York Rangers in 2023. He then played for the Ottawa Senators before joining the Florida Panthers. With the Panthers, Tarasenko won his second Stanley Cup in 2024.

Hockey Journey

Starting in Russia

Vladimir Tarasenko began his professional career with Sibir Novosibirsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) during the 2008–09 season. He scored seven goals and ten points in 38 games. He was almost named Rookie of the Year in the KHL's first season. He also played for the Russian junior team at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships. There, he scored eight goals in seven games and helped Russia win a silver medal.

Tarasenko (left foreground) playing for HC Sibir in December 2011.

Tarasenko returned to Sibir for the 2009–10 season. He was one of the youngest players in the KHL. He also played for Russia at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored five points in six games for his team.

Scouts thought Tarasenko was a strong and skilled player. He wanted to play in the NHL, even though his father, who was also his coach, wanted him to stay in Russia. The St. Louis Blues picked him 16th overall in the 2010 NHL draft.

On January 13, 2012, Tarasenko was traded to SKA Saint Petersburg. On June 2, 2012, he announced he would move to North America to play for the St. Louis Blues. However, the 2012–13 NHL lockout happened, which cancelled many NHL games. So, Tarasenko went back to SKA for the start of the 2012–13 season. He said he wanted to play with Ilya Kovalchuk, who also joined the team because of the lockout.

Time with the St. Louis Blues

When the NHL lockout ended, Tarasenko started the shorter 2012–13 season with the Blues. He scored his first two NHL goals on his first two shots in his very first game on January 19, 2013. This was against the Detroit Red Wings. On February 4, Tarasenko was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January. He finished his first NHL season with eight goals and 11 assists in 38 games.

Tarasenko practicing with the St. Louis Blues in January 2013.

In March 2014, Tarasenko had surgery on a hand injury. He was expected to miss the rest of the season. But he recovered quickly and returned for the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored four goals in the series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

On October 28, 2014, Tarasenko scored his first NHL hat-trick against the Dallas Stars. He was later named the NHL's First Star of the Week. He finished the 2014–15 season leading the Blues in goals (37) and points (73). He was also one of the top scorers in the entire league. On April 18, 2015, Tarasenko scored his first playoff hat-trick against the Minnesota Wild. He scored six goals in that playoff series. On July 7, 2015, he signed a big eight-year contract with St. Louis.

Tarasenko is famous for his very accurate and special wrist shot. This shot makes him one of the most dangerous goal scorers in the NHL. From 2014–15 to 2018–19, he was one of only two players to score at least 30 goals in five straight seasons. The other player was Alexander Ovechkin.

Tarasenko won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. This was the first Stanley Cup win in the team's 52-year history! During the 2019 playoffs, Tarasenko scored 11 goals. This was the second-highest for the Blues and third-highest overall in the playoffs. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, he became the first Blues player to score a goal on a penalty shot in the playoffs.

Tarasenko at the St. Louis Blues' championship parade after winning the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals.

In October 2019, Tarasenko had to leave a game due to a shoulder injury. He needed surgery and was out for several months. He had three shoulder surgeries in less than three years because of ongoing issues.

In July 2021, it was reported that Tarasenko wanted to be traded from St. Louis. He was not happy with how his shoulder surgeries were handled. Even though there were some disagreements, a trade didn't happen. Tarasenko stayed with St. Louis for the 2021–22 season. He had his best year ever, scoring 34 goals and setting new career highs with 48 assists and 82 points. He helped the Blues reach the second round of the 2022 NHL playoffs. He scored nine points and six goals in 12 playoff games, including his second playoff hat trick. He also scored his 40th career playoff goal, becoming only the second player in Blues history to do so, after Brett Hull.

Moving to New York

Tarasenko and fellow player Niko Mikkola were traded to the New York Rangers on February 9, 2023. In his first game with the Rangers, he scored his first goal with his new team very quickly, in just 2 minutes and 49 seconds. This was one of the fastest debut goals in Rangers history! He scored eight goals and 21 points in 31 games with the Rangers. He also added three goals and four points in seven playoff games.

Time with the Ottawa Senators

Tarasenko (right) with Aleksander Barkov during a game in March 2024. Tarasenko won his second Stanley Cup title later that season.

On July 27, 2023, Tarasenko signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators. He joined the Senators hoping to help them reach the playoffs. He scored his first goal for Ottawa on October 15, 2023. On December 5, Tarasenko scored two goals and had an assist against his former team, the New York Rangers. On January 12, 2024, Tarasenko reached his 600th career point. However, the Senators were not in a playoff spot as the trade deadline approached. Tarasenko had a "no-movement clause" in his contract, meaning he had to agree to any trade. The team's new general manager asked him to waive it so he could be traded.

Winning with the Florida Panthers

On March 6, 2024, the Senators traded Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers. He made his Panthers debut on March 7. He scored his first two goals as a Panther on March 9. He finished the 2023–24 season with six goals and eight assists in 19 regular season games. He also had five goals and four assists in 24 playoff games. On June 24, Tarasenko won his second Stanley Cup! The Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.

Joining the Detroit Red Wings

After the season, Tarasenko became a free agent. On July 3, 2024, he signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings.

Playing for Russia

Tarasenko with the Russian men's national ice hockey team in April 2011
Medal record
Representing  Russia
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Silver	2015 Czech Republic
World Junior Championships
Gold	2011 United States
IIHF World U18 Championship
Silver	2009 United States

Vladimir Tarasenko has played for the Russian junior team three times. He won a silver medal at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships. He also captained Russia to a gold medal at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

As an adult, Tarasenko has played for the Russian national team. He played in the 2011 IIHF World Championship. He was also part of the Russian team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He won a silver medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship. He also played in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2021 IIHF World Championship.

About His Life

Vladimir's father, Andrei, was also a hockey player. He was a top scorer in the Russian league and played in the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Vladimir Tarasenko married his wife on July 1, 2015. They have two sons together. His wife also has a son from a previous marriage.

Tarasenko was featured on the cover of the video game NHL 17 by EA Sports.

Career Stats

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008	Russia	IH18			4	3	2	5	0
2009	Russia	U18			8	8	7	15	6
2010	Russia	WJC	6th		6	4	1	5	2
2011	Russia	WJC			7	4	7	11	0
2011	Russia	WC	4th		6	1	0	1	0
2014	Russia	OG	5th		5	0	1	1	0
2015	Russia	WC			9	4	3	7	2
2016	Russia	WCH	4th		4	2	0	2	0
2021	ROC	WC	5th		3	0	2	2	2
Junior totals					24	19	17	36	8
Senior totals					27	7	6	13	4

Awards and Honors