Nail Yakupov

This name uses Eastern Slavic naming customs; the patronymic is Railovich and the family name is Yakupov.
Nail Yakupov
Born (1993-10-06) 6 October 1993
Nizhnekamsk, Russia
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 St. Louis Blues
Edmonton Oilers
National team  Russia
NHL Draft 1st overall, 2012
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2012–present

Nail Railovich Yakupov (Russian: Наиль Раилович Якупов, Tatar: Cyrillic Наил Раил улы Якупов, Latin Nail Rail ulı Yakupov; born 6 October 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Yakupov grew up within the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk junior program and moved to North America in 2010 to further his career. He joined the Sarnia Sting, a major junior team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he played for two years before being selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Yakupov played for the Russian national junior team, winning medals in all three tournaments he participated in.

Playing career

Junior

Yakupov was selected second overall by the Sarnia Sting in the 2010 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft.[1] Prior to this, he played in the Russian Minor Hockey League (MHL) for his hometown team, Reaktor Nizhnekamsk,[2] but thought that trying to join the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) would be a quicker path to his dream to play in the National Hockey League (NHL).[1]

Yakupov scored his first OHL goal against the Windsor Spitfires on 24 September 2010.[3] After winning OHL Rookie of the Month for the month of October, Yakupov participated in the 11 November game of the Subway Super Series for Team Russia,[4] at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario; Russia lost the game 4–0.[5]

On 3 February 2011, Yakupov was named the 'Kal Tire OHL Rookie of the Month' for January, which he had previously won in October 2010.[6] He later won the title for the month of February as well.[7] At the end of the season, Yakupov was named winner of the Emms Family Award as OHL Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Sting player to receive the honour.[8] He was also named to the first All-Rookie team for the season.[8] On 28 May, he was also awarded the title for CHL Rookie of the Year, as the top rookie in the Canadian junior circuit.[9]

On 28 February 2011, at 3:07 in the first period of a game against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Yakupov scored his 43rd goal of the 2010–11 OHL season, giving him the new goal-scoring record for a rookie for the Sarnia Sting.[10][11] On 19 March 2011, in Sarnia's last game of the 2010–11 season, he scored an assist on the first goal as well as the third goal for Sarnia to obtain his 100th point of the season; he also scored another assist with 80 seconds left in the game to finish the season with 101 points.[12]

Early in the 2011–12 season, Yakupov took the scoring lead with 25 points in 10 games. A 12-point week landed him CHL Player of the Week honours for the first time on 18 October 2011.[13]

Professional

During the 2012 NHL Entry Draft on 23 June 2012, Yakupov was picked first overall by the Edmonton Oilers. On 23 July, the Oilers signed Yakupov to a three-year entry level

As a result of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, the Oilers had assigned Yakupov to Sarnia for the 2012–13 season.[14] Reports indicated, however, that Yakupov would instead return to Russia and play for HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).[15] Yakupov had played for the organisation previously as a member of its junior teams.[16] His first game with the team was on 22 September against Traktor Chelyabinsk.[17] After two games with Neftekhimik, Yakupov was suspended temporarily by the KHL, as the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) declared that he was not eligible to play in the league.[18] According to IIHF rules, players moving between teams in different countries need to have a transfer card signed by the outgoing national ice hockey federation and the incoming federation. Hockey Canada, the governing body of ice hockey in Canada, had not signed Yakupov's card, making him ineligible to play in Russia.[19] That required him to return to Canada and play with Sarnia for the remainder of the season. The reason they stated was that Yakupov had signed an entry-level contract with the Oilers, and according to an NHL–CHL agreement, players who sign such contracts have to either play in the NHL or for their CHL teams. Due to the NHL lockout, Yakupov could not play in the NHL and was therefore required to play in Sarnia.[20] Within a few days, however, Hockey Canada decided that Yakupov was free to return to Russia, and signed his card; they "determined that Yakupov had no independent legal advice when, at the age of 17 years, he signed his contract with Sarnia."[19]

The lockout ended in January 2013 and Yakupov returned to North America to play for the Oilers. A fan of Pavel Bure growing up, Yakupov wanted to have the number 10 on his jersey, the same one Bure wore for most of his career. However, since Shawn Horcoff wore that number at the time, Yakupov instead chose to use 64, as the two digits added up to 10.[21] Yakupov played his first NHL game in the first Oilers game on 20 January 2013, against the Vancouver Canucks. He scored his first goal during the next game, the Oilers' home opener, against Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks on 22 January.[22]

On 27 April 2013, Yakupov recorded his first career hat trick in a 7–2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, with all three goals coming in the third period. Yakupov finished his rookie season leading all rookies in goals with 17, and tied with Jonathan Huberdeau for points with 31.[23] Yakupov also scored 11 goals in the month of April, second only to fellow countryman Alexander Ovechkin.

On 7 October 2016, Yakupov's tenure with the Oilers ended in the lead up to the 2016–17 season, as he was traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for prospect Zach Pochiro and a conditional third-round pick in 2017 that could become a second round pick in the 2018 draft if Yakupov scores 15 or more goals this season for St. Louis.[24]

International play

Medal record
ice hockey
Representing  Russia
World Junior Championships
2013 Russia
2012 Canada
World Junior A Challenge
2009 Summerside
World Junior U18 Championships
2011 Germany

Yakupov was part of Team Russia in the 2011 World Junior U18 championship. He scored a hat trick in the bronze-medal game, including an empty-net goal with four seconds left, helping defeat Team Canada (with Sting teammate Brett Ritchie) 6–4.[25]

Yakupov was part of the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, joining Russia. His team defeated Canada in the semi-finals, but lost 1–0 to Sweden in the gold medal game, acquiring a silver medal.

Personal life

Nail Yakupov is an ethnic Volga Tatar[26] and a Muslim.[27][28] He is the first Tatar ever to be selected first overall at the NHL Entry Draft.[29] With his draft selection, Yakupov surpassed Nazem Kadri as being the highest drafted Muslim player in NHL history. His father, Rail, worked with the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hockey team as a coach and executive. Yakupov first skated when he was four-years-old, but was more interested in soccer and the English Premier League club Chelsea than hockey.[30]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 Reaktor Nizhnekamsk MHL 14 4 2 6 26 — — — — —
2010–11 Sarnia Sting OHL 65 49 52 101 71 — — — — —
2011–12 Sarnia Sting OHL 42 31 38 69 30 4 2 3 5 4
2012–13 Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk KHL 22 10 8 18 33 — — — — —
2012–13 Edmonton Oilers NHL 48 17 14 31 24 — — — — —
2013–14 Edmonton Oilers NHL 63 11 13 24 36 — — — — —
2014–15 Edmonton Oilers NHL 81 14 19 33 18 — — — — —
2015–16 Edmonton Oilers NHL 60 8 15 23 24 — — — — —
NHL totals 252 50 61 111 102 42354
KHL totals 22 10 8 18 33 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2011 Russia U18 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 7 6 7 13 6
2012 Russia WJC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 7 0 9 9 6
2013 Russia WJC 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 7 3 5 8 0
Junior totals 21 9 21 30 12

Awards

Junior

Award Date
OHL Rookie of the Month 4 November 2010
3 February 2011
4 March 2011[7]
OHL First All-Rookie Team 7 April 2011[8]
OHL Rookie of the Year 7 April 2011[8]
BMO Rookie of the Year (CHL) 28 May 2011[9]
CHL Player of the Week 18 October 2011[13]
OHL Player of the Month October 2011
NHL Rookie of the Month April 2013

References

  1. 1 2 "Sarnia Sting's dynamic Russian prospects turning heads in the OHL". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  2. ↑ "Reaktor Nizhnekamsk 2009-10 Stats and Fights". DropYourGloves.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2011.
  3. ↑ "Nail Yakupov 1st career OHL goal vs Windsor 2010 09 24". NHL Draft Video. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  4. ↑ "Team Russia Roster, 2010 Subway Super Series". Canadian Hockey League. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  5. ↑ "Game 3 Highlights Video, 2010 Subway Super Series". Canadian Hockey League. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "OHL Top Performers of the Month for January". Ontario Hockey League. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  7. 1 2 "OHL Top Performers of the Month for February". Ontario Hockey League. Archived from the original on 9 May 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "OHL Top Performers of the Month for January". Ontario Hockey League. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011.
  9. 1 2 "Sarnia Sting's Nail Yakupov Named BMO Rookie of the Year". MarketWire. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "Game Summary". Ontario Hockey League. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  11. ↑ "Yakupov sets record in loss". The Observer. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  12. ↑ David Borody. "Sting close out season with a win". Sarnia Sting Website. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Sting's Nail Yakupov Named CHL Player of the Week". Sarnia Sting Website. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
  14. ↑ "Nugent-Hopkins sent to AHL, Yakupov to juniors". NHL.com. 15 September 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  15. ↑ "Yakupov Faces Uncertain Lockout Future". RIA Novosti. 16 September 2012. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  16. ↑ RIA Novosti (18 September 2012). "Yakupov's Lockout Fate 'to be Decided Wednesday'". Ria Novosti. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  17. ↑ "Rampant Radulov Earns Win for CSKA". RIA Novosti. 22 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "Oiler Yakupov Hit With KHL Ban". Ria Novosti. 26 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  19. 1 2 "Hockey Canada clears Nail Yakupov to resume KHL career". Canadian Press. CBC. 29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  20. ↑ "Oilers' Nail Yakupov may have to return to OHL". Canadian Press. CBC. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2012.
  21. ↑ "Nail Yakupov decides on No. 64 for Oilers jersey since 10 is already taken". National Post. 10 January 2013. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  22. ↑ "Nail Yakupov scores first NHL goal". NHL.com. 23 January 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  23. ↑ "Oilers end season by routing Canucks". NHL.com. 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  24. ↑ "Oilers deal Yakupov to Blues for pick, prospect". The Sports Network. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  25. ↑ "Russia beats Canada 6-4 to win bronze at world U18 hockey tournament". CityNews Toronto. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  26. ↑ "Russian wunderkind Yakupov picked first at NHL draft". RT. 23 June 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012.
  27. ↑ "Draft 2012: Nail Yakupov". 17 June 2012. Archived from the original on 29 April 2014.
  28. ↑ Andrey Osadchenko (12 June 2012). "Nail Yakupov on being a Muslim, Don Cherry, the draft combine and playing in Canada". OilersNation. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 24 June 2012.
  29. ↑ Mirtle, James (1 June 2012). "Yakupov tries to prove he's not a stereotypical Russian prospect". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  30. ↑ Domrachyov, Vladislav (3 January 2013). "Dreaming of Edmonton". IIHF.com. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Matthew Puempel		 Winner of the CHL Rookie of the Year Award
2010–11 		Succeeded by
Mikhail Grigorenko
Preceded by
Matthew Puempel		 Winner of the Emms Family Award
2010–11 		Succeeded by
Aaron Ekblad
Preceded by
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins		 NHL first overall draft pick
2012 		Succeeded by
Nathan MacKinnon
Preceded by
Oscar Klefbom		 Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick
2012 		Succeeded by
Darnell Nurse
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