Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Former Oilers First Overall Pick Shocks Fans by Launching Singing Career

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 9:45 AM ET

A former first-overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers has shocked hockey fans around the globe, as he has just revealed his incredible singing talent.

Does the sound of 'Nail Yakupov' ring a bell? Hockey fans likely know it, although not for the reasons they'd prefer.

Edmonton's third straight No. 1 overall pick following Taylor Hall (2010) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), Yakupov was the first-overall choice in the 2012 NHL Draft. Unlike his predecessors, however, Yakupov's NHL career never took flight.

Yakupov's career-best numbers never made it out of the low 30s

In four years with the Oilers, the Russian right winger never even hit 35 points, his most productive season contributing only 33 points in 81 contests.

Edmonton traded him to St. Louis in 2016, and following a brief stint in Colorado, he returned to Russia, where he has moved among a number of KHL teams, most recently Omsk Avangard.

Now Yakupov is apparently pursuing a new path: music. A recent social media video shows the former NHLer crooning vocals in a recording studio. The Russian-language song has fans divided; some have no idea what to make of it.

Even though he does sing, it's hard to tell if he's trying for a legitimate music career or merely messing around. This is not the only art venture he's teased. In another photo, Yakupov performs on the stage of what appears to be a film or television production.

Midway through his hockey career, Yakupov is dabbling in the world of entertainment, something that has been tried by other players with varying degrees of success. Whether it amounts to anything serious is to be seen.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: