Quick Facts
ScorpioBiography
Nikita Igorovich Zaitsev (Russian: Никита Игоревич Зайцев; born 29 October 1991) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL.
Playing career
He was a first round selection in the 2009 KHL Junior Draft, chosen 4th overall, and made his KHL debut with HC Sibir Novosibirsk a few months later. After four years with the Sibir organization, Zaitsev joined his hometown CSKA Moscow. It was here where he began to attract international attention. He was twice a KHL All-Star (2015, 2016) and named once to the KHL First All-Star team (2014–15). In the summer of 2015, the Toronto Maple Leafs began to garner much publicized interest in the young blueliner. Zaitsev had even toured the city and arena, while also meeting with team staff, coming away "very impressed." Despite this, Zaitsev returned to Russia to honour the final year of his contract with Moscow. During the subsequent season's playoffs, he led all defenceman in scoring with 13 points (tied with Sami Lepistö and Chris Lee, while helping the top seeded CSKA to the Gagarin Cup finals, where the team lost in the deciding Game 7 to Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
On 2 May 2016, he signed a one-year entry level deal with the Maple Leafs. He made his preseason debut with the club on 2 October, picking up a goal in a 3–2 win over the rival Montreal Canadiens. On 12 October 2016, Zaitsev made his official NHL debut in a 5–4 loss to the Ottawa Senators in the season opener. Zaitsev scored his first NHL goal on 17 December 2016, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | MHC Krylya Sovetov | RUS 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | HC Sibir | KHL | 40 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | HC Sibir | KHL | 39 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Sibir | KHL | 53 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Sibir | KHL | 49 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 41 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2013–14 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 33 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27 | ||
| 2014–15 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 57 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 31 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 46 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 10 | ||
| KHL totals | 317 | 32 | 63 | 95 | 156 | 51 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 49 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Russia | WJC18 | 02 ! | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 | |
| 2010 | Russia | WJC | 6th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2011 | Russia | WJC | 01 ! | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | Russia | WC | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Russia | WC | 03 ! | 10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | ||||
| Senior totals | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award or Honour | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| KHL | ||
| 2x KHL All-Star | 2015, 2016 | |
| KHL First All Star Team | 2015 | |
| Most playoff points by a defenceman (13) | 2016 | |
| IIHF World Championships | ||
| IIHF World Championship All-Star Team | 2016 | |
