Born	October 27, 1978 (1978-10-27) (age 31), Moscow, RSFSR, USSR
Height Weight	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 188 lb (85 kg; 13 st 6 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team F. teams	Carolina Hurricanes Chicago Blackhawks Montreal Canadiens Edmonton Oilers Boston Bruins
Ntl. team	Russia
NHL Draft	8th overall, 1997 Boston Bruins
Pro career	1995 – present

Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov (Russian: Серге́й Ви́кторович Самсо́нов, Sergej Viktorovič Samsonov; born October 27, 1978) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is a small player by NHL standards at 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) and 194 lb (88 kg), but he is nonetheless effective with excellent stickhandling and skating skills.

[edit] Playing career

Samsonov was drafted by the Boston Bruins eighth overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Boston drafted Joe Thornton first overall in the same draft. In his rookie year, Samsonov won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie after scoring 22 goals and a total of 47 points. In the 2000–01 season, he played in his only NHL All Star Game in Denver.

Before playing in the NHL, Samsonov represented Russia in 1996 and 1997 at the World Junior Hockey Championships. He led the 1997 Russian team to a bronze medal and was named the tournament's most outstanding forward after scoring six goals in six games. He later played for Russia in 2002 at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, earning a bronze medal.

In his early career, Samsonov was a highly-touted prospect cited as the next future star of international hockey as he wowed fans and scouts alike with his shifty turns and scoring prowess. Samsonov scored 110 goals in 50 games with the Red Army junior team in 1994–95. This was prior to moving up to the Elite team later that season. He had 23 goals, 19 assists for a total of 42 points with 26 PIM in 64 career games with the Red Army elite team. In 1996–97, he played for the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League, and won the Garry F. Longman Memorial Trophy as the league's Rookie of the Year. He also won the league championship, the Turner Cup, with the Vipers.

On March 9, 2006, Samsonov was traded from Boston to the Edmonton Oilers for Marty Reasoner, Yan Stastny, and a second round pick in the 2006 NHL entry draft (who would turn out to be Milan Lučić. He was part of the Oiler team that made it to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final.

On July 12, 2006, Samsonov signed with the Montreal Canadiens for a 2-year contract worth $7.05M. Through a lackluster season, the Canadiens placed Samsonov on waivers in February 2007,^[1] and traded him to the Chicago Blackhawks for Jassen Cullimore and Tony Salmelainen in June 2007.

On January 3, 2008, the Blackhawks assigned Samsonov to the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League after he cleared waivers. It was a disappointing move for the former Calder Memorial Trophy Winner, although Samsonov did score in his debut for Rockford against the Chicago Wolves.

On January 8, 2008, the Carolina Hurricanes claimed Samsonov off re-entry waivers. He recorded his first point as a Hurricane on January 12, 2008, against the Colorado Avalanche and scored his first goal three days later in a three-point game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On April 16, 2008, the Hurricanes announced that they had reached an agreement with Samsonov for a 3-year contract worth $7.6 million. The deal will pay Samsonov $2.3 million in 2008-09, $2.5 million in 2009-10 and $2.8 million in 2010-11.^[2]

[edit] Personal

Samsonov and his wife Meghan have two young daughters, Natasha and Anya. They spend their Summers in Michigan, where Samsonov works with a group that is dedicated to helping children with special needs play hockey. His first youth team was in the Red Army program when he was just six years old, and the player he emulated most growing up was Sergei Makarov. The most played artist on his iPod is Linkin Park and his favorite food is sushi. The people who most influenced his career were his parents, particularly his father who “taught me how to play hockey”. He wears number 14 because he was originally assigned 13 with the Bruins and didn’t care for it, so he was assigned the next number up. Sergei’s favorite teams to play against are the Canadian teams because of the atmosphere there.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Sergei Samsonov's NHL player profile
• Sergei Samsonov's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database