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	Minnesota Wild Sibir Novosibirsk SKA Saint Petersburg St. Louis Blues New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Florida Panthers Detroit Red Wings
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	16th overall, 2010 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	2010–present

Vladimir Tarasenko (born December 13, 1991) is a professional ice hockey player from Russia. He plays as a right winger for the Minnesota Wild 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 2008. After three seasons with Sibir, he was traded 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.

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

Playing Career

Playing in Russia

Vladimir Tarasenko started 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. He played in the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships. There, he scored eight goals in seven games. Russia won a silver medal, and he was named a tournament all-star.

Tarasenko (left foreground) with HC Sibir, December 2011

Tarasenko returned to Sibir for the 2009–10 season. He was one of the youngest players in the league. He played for Russia again at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored five points in six games. Scouts thought Tarasenko was a strong and fast player. He wanted to play in the NHL. The St. Louis Blues drafted 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. He wanted to play for the St. Louis Blues in the NHL. However, the 2012–13 NHL lockout happened. This cancelled a big part of the NHL season. So, Tarasenko went back to SKA to start the 2012–13 season. He said he wanted to play with Ilya Kovalchuk, who also joined SKA during the lockout.

Time with the St. Louis Blues (2012–2023)

When the NHL lockout ended, Tarasenko joined the Blues for the shortened 2012–13 season. He scored his first two NHL goals in his very first game. This happened on January 19, 2013, against the Detroit Red Wings. On February 4, Tarasenko was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January. He had scored five goals and four assists (nine points). He finished his first NHL season with eight goals and 11 assists in 38 games.

Tarasenko during team practice with the St. Louis Blues, January 2013

On March 19, 2014, Tarasenko had surgery on his hand. He got the injury during a game against the Nashville Predators. He was expected to miss the rest of the season. But he recovered quickly. He returned to play in 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. This was against the Dallas Stars. He was later named the NHL's First Star of the Week. He had scored five goals and one assist that week. He finished the regular season as the Blues' top scorer. He had 37 goals and 73 points. On April 18, 2015, Tarasenko scored his first Stanley Cup playoff hat-trick. This was against the Minnesota Wild. He scored six goals and one assist in that series. On July 7, 2015, Tarasenko signed a big eight-year contract with the Blues. It was worth $60 million.

Tarasenko is famous for his very accurate and special wrist shot. This 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.

Vladimir won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019. This was the first Stanley Cup win in the Blues' 52-year history. During the 2019 playoffs, Tarasenko scored 11 goals. This was the second-highest for the Blues. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, he scored a goal on a penalty shot. He was the first Blues player to do this in the playoffs.

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

On October 24, 2019, Tarasenko had to leave a game against the Los Angeles Kings. He got tangled up with a Kings player. Four days later, it was announced he needed shoulder surgery. He would be out for at least five months. This was his second of three shoulder surgeries in less than three years.

On July 7, 2021, it was reported that Tarasenko wanted to be traded. He was not happy with how the club handled his shoulder surgeries. He was left unprotected in the 2021 NHL expansion draft, but no team picked him.

Even with some problems between Tarasenko and the Blues, they couldn't find a trade. So, he stayed with St. Louis for the 2021–22 season. Tarasenko had his best year yet. He scored 34 goals and set 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. This included his second playoff hat trick. He also scored his 40th career playoff goal. Only Brett Hull had done that for the Blues before him.

New York Rangers (2023)

Tarasenko was traded to the New York Rangers on February 9, 2023. He was traded along with another player, Niko Mikkola. In his first game with the Rangers, he scored his first goal very quickly. It was the fourth fastest goal in a Rangers debut ever. He scored eight goals and 21 points in 31 games with the Rangers. He also scored three goals and four points in seven playoff games.

Ottawa Senators (2023–2024)

Tarasenko (right) with Aleksander Barkov during a game in March 2024. Tarasenko would go on to win his second career Stanley Cup title later that season.

After leaving the Rangers, Tarasenko signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators on July 27, 2023. He joined the Senators hoping to help them reach the playoffs. He played his first game for Ottawa on October 11, 2023. On October 15, he scored his first goal as a Senator. On December 5, Tarasenko scored two goals and had an assist against his old team, the New York Rangers. On January 12, 2024, Tarasenko reached 600 career points. He scored a goal against the Buffalo Sabres. However, the Senators were not in a playoff spot. Tarasenko had a special clause in his contract. He had to agree to be traded.

Florida Panthers (2024)

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 Final.

Detroit Red Wings (2024–2025)

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

Minnesota Wild (2025–present)

After one season in Detroit, Tarasenko was traded to the Minnesota Wild on June 30, 2025.

International Play

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

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. At the adult level, Tarasenko has played for Russia at several World Championships. He won a silver medal at the 2015 IIHF World Championship. He was also part of the Russian team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Personal Life

Vladimir's father, Andrei, was also a hockey player. He was a top scorer in the Russian league. He also 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 Statistics

Regular Season and Playoffs

International Play Statistics

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