Three Art Ross Trophy runner-up finishes — the most prolific Russian scorer of the 2000s decade.
Ilya Kovalchuk was born in Kalinin, Russia in 1983. Atlanta Thrashers selected him first overall in the 2001 NHL Draft. His NHL career produced 417 goals and 380 assists for 797 points. He scored 52 goals for Atlanta in 2007-08 and finished as Art Ross Trophy runner-up three times. He was selected to three All-Star games. He shocked the hockey world in 2013 when he walked away from his 15-year, $100 million New Jersey contract to return to the KHL in Russia — a contract the NHL had famously ruled violated the salary cap's circumvention rules. He won Olympic gold with Russia in 2018. He returned to the NHL briefly with Los Angeles in 2018-19. His NHLcareer was cut short by personal choice rather than injury — a unique circumstance that left the hockey community debating what might have been from one of the most naturally gifted scorers of his generation.
Olympic Gold Medal (Russia 2018)
Career Honours
- Olympic Gold Medal (Russia 2018)
- KHL champion
- Art Ross Trophy runner-up 3x
- All-Star 3x