Alexander Nikishin Makes Hurricanes Debut

WASHINGTON DC: After five years and one thousand days later, the wait for many Hurricanes fans has ended. 

On May 15, ahead of Game 5 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals, Carolina rookie defenseman Alexander Nikishin took warmups. Nikishin was drafted in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Hurricanes at sixty-ninth overall. 

Nikishin began the game on his left side with Dmitry Orlov, and approximately halfway through the first period, he played on his offside with Shayne Gostisbehere, where he remained for the rest of the game. He had 4:42 minutes of ice time during the first period, with one shot, one hit, and one turnover. During the second period, Nikishin was involved in a turnover that nearly led to a Matt Roy goal. However, the goal was called off due to Washington’s Connor McMichael being offside at the blue line. He also successfully defended Alexander Ovechkin in a one-on-one puck battle near the period’s end. Furthermore, the second period marked Nikishin’s first NHL penalty for tripping Pierre-Luc Dubois. (The Hurricanes successfully killed said penalty.)

Coach Rod Brind’Amour told reporters postgame, “I don’t know if there’s a tougher spot to throw a kid into, especially with such a language barrier… You can see he’s going to be a good player for us. He’s got a bright future.”

Alexander Nikishin signed a two-year entry-level contract (ELC) with the Hurricanes on April 11.