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Born	September 4, 1979 (1979-09-04) (age 30), Moscow, RSFSR, USSR
Height Weight	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team F. teams	Atlanta Thrashers Buffalo Sabres
Ntl. team	Russia
NHL Draft	69th overall, 1997 Buffalo Sabres
Pro career	1996 – present

Maxim Sergeyevich Afinogenov (Russian: Максим Сергеевич Афиногенов, pronounced [ˈmæksiməˈfinəˈɡɛnɑv];^{[dubious – discuss]} born September 4, 1979 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League. Known for his skating speed,^[1] he was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres 69th overall in 1997 and played nine seasons with the club.

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Buffalo Sabres

Maxim Afinogenov was a forward for HC Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Hockey Super League for four seasons. He was drafted 69th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and played his rookie NHL season in 1999–2000, scoring 34 points in 65 games, while also playing in 15 games with the Sabres' American Hockey League affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Following his third season with the Sabres, a 21-goal, 40-point campaign in 2001–02, Afinogenov re-signed with a 2-year, $2.4 million contract on September 4, 2002.^[1] However, that same day, while playing a pickup game in in Moscow, he took a puck to the head, suffering a concussion.^[1] He was limited to just 35 games in the subsequent season, managing just 11 points. The next season, in 2003–04, he recorded his first career hat trick on December 31, 2003, at the HSBC Arena in a 7–1 win against the Washington Capitals.^[2] He finished the season bouncing back from his previous concussion-riddled season with 17 goals and 31 points.

Afinogenov during a game in 2006.

After spending the 2004–05 season back in Russia with HC Dynamo Moscow due to the NHL lockout, Afinogenov recorded his best season to date when NHL play resumed in 2005–06 with personal bests of 51 assists and 73 points. As the Sabres embarked on a playoff run to the semi-finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, Afinogenov added 8 points in 18 post-season games. He continued his scoring pace the following season in 2006–07 and, despite missing 26 games, scored 61 points and a career-high 23 goals. During the season, Sabres backup goalie Martin Biron was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline in February 2007, making Afinogenov the longest-serving Sabre on the roster. His production tailed off in 2007–08, however, managing just 28 points in the same number of games as the previous season.

[edit] Atlanta Thrashers

Following the 2008–09 season, in which he was sidelined once more with a groin injury,^[3] Afinogenov became an unrestricted free agent and was not re-signed by the Sabres. He left the club as the longest-serving Sabre on the previous season's roster, having played for the club since his rookie campaign in 1999–00. On September 17, 2009, the Atlanta Thrashers invited Afinogenov to their 2009-10 training camp on a tryout.^[3] and on September 29 2009, he signed a one-year contract with the team worth $800,000. He scored his first goal as a Thrasher on October 17, 2009 against the Buffalo Sabres.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] International play

Medal record
Competitor for  Russia
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold	2008	Canada
Winter Olympics
Bronze	2002	Salt Lake City
World Junior Championships
Silver	1998	Helsinki

Played for Russia in:

• 1998 World Junior Championships (silver medal)
• 1999 World Championships
• 2000 World Championships
• 2002 Winter Olympics (bronze medal)
• 2004 World Cup of Hockey
• 2006 Winter Olympics
• 2008 World Championships (gold medal)

[edit] International statistics

Year	Team	Event	Place		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1998	Russia	WJC	2 		7	3	2	5	4
1999	Russia	WJC	1 		7	3	5	8	0
1999	Russia	WC	9th		6	2	1	3	2
2000	Russia	WC	11th		6	1	0	1	4
2002	Russia	Oly	3 		6	2	2	4	4
2002	Russia	WC	2 		9	3	0	3	6
2004	Russia	WC	10th		5	1	1	2	4
2004	Russia	WCH	5th		4	0	1	1	2
2005	Russia	WC	3 		9	3	2	5	6
2006	Russia	Oly	4th		8	1	0	1	10
2008	Russia	WC	01 		8	5	1	6	2
Senior Int'l Totals					61	18	8	26	40

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Maxim Afinogenov's NHL player profile
• Maxim Afinogenov's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Maxim Afinogenov – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net