Oleg Dmitrievich Saprykin (Russian: Олег Дмитриевич Сапрыкин; born February 12, 1981) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player. Saprykin played with HC Dynamo Moscow, SKA Saint Petersburg, HC Sochi and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. He played in the 2009 KHL All-Star Game, held in Red Square and was a member of Ufa's Gagarin Cup championship team in 2011. Saprykin also played parts of seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a first round selection, 11th overall, of the Calgary Flames and also played for the Phoenix Coyotes and Ottawa Senators. Internationally, Saprykin has played with the Russian National Team on two occasions and was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 2009 World Championship.

Oleg Saprykin
Saprykin with CSKA Moscow in 2013
Born (1981-02-12) February 12, 1981 (age 43)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, URS
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Calgary Flames
Phoenix Coyotes
Ottawa Senators
HC Dynamo Moscow
SKA Saint Petersburg
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
CSKA Moscow
HC Sochi
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
National team  Russia
NHL draft 11th overall, 1999
Calgary Flames
Playing career 2000–2016

Playing career

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As a youth, Saprykin played in the 1995 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a combined team from Yaroslavl and Kharkiv.[1]

A native of Moscow, Saprykin broke into the Russian Super League in 1997 as a 16-year-old with HC CSKA Moscow. He recorded two assists in 20 Russian League games.[2] Hoping to attract the attention of National Hockey League (NHL) scouts, Saprykin left Russia to play junior hockey in North America.[3] He joined the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the 1998–99 season.[4] Saprykin finished 10th in league scoring with 93 points and was named to the WHL's second All-Star Team.[5]

National Hockey League

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The Calgary Flames selected Saprykin with their first round selection, 11th overall, at the 1999 NHL Entry Draft.[6] He earned a spot on the Flames to start the 1999–2000 season and made his NHL debut and scored his first point (an assist) on October 2, 1999, against the San Jose Sharks.[3] It was his lone point in four games before the Flames reassigned him back to Seattle.[5] Saprykin appeared in only 48 games with the Thunderbirds but scored 66 points.[2] He was named to the second All-Star Team for the second season in a row.[4]

Saprykin spent the 2000–01 season with the Flames. He scored his first NHL goal on October 24, 2000, against goaltender Sean Burke of the Phoenix Coyotes.[5] He finished the year with nine goals and 23 points in 59 games.[7] The Flames assigned Saprykin to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Saint John Flames for the majority of the 2001–02 season; He played only three games in Calgary but had 24 points in 52 AHL games.[4] He was again assigned to Saint John to begin the 2002–03 season but put his career in jeopardy by failing to report to the team.[3] The Flames suspended Saprykin, but he rejoined his team four days later, and by the start of December had been recalled to Calgary.[8] He finished the season with 21 points in 21 games with Saint John, and 23 points in 52 games in Calgary.[7] Saprykin then made his debut with the Russian National Team; He scored one goal and three assists in seven games for the seventh place Russians at the 2003 World Championship.[9]

Saprykin spent the entire 2003–04 season in Calgary and recorded 29 points in 69 games.[7] He then played with the team in the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the Flames, who had missed the post-season the previous seven seasons, went on a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals.[10] Saprykin recorded six points in 26 games during the run;[7] of his three goals, none was larger than his overtime winning goal in game five of the final, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Standing in front of the net, Saprykin collected the puck on a rebound following a Jarome Iginla shot and scored to bring the Flames within one win of capturing the Stanley Cup.[11] The Flames were unable to win the title, as they lost both the sixth and deciding seventh games of the series.[12]

On August 26, 2004, the Flames traded Saprykin, along with Denis Gauthier to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Daymond Langkow.[13] It would be a full year before he joined his new team as the entire 2004–05 NHL season was wiped out by a labour dispute. Saprykin spent the season with CSKA Moscow.[8] Returning to the NHL in 2005–06, Saprykin recorded 25 points in 67 games for the Coyotes. He then had his best NHL season in 2006–07 as he scored 34 points in 59 games with Phoenix.[7] Late in the campaign, on February 27, 2007, the Coyotes traded him, along with a seventh round draft pick to the Ottawa Senators for a second round selection in 2008.[4] In acquiring Saprykin, the Senators praised his work ethic and hoped he would add energy to the team's lineup.[6] He played 12 regular season games with Ottawa and 15 in the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and recorded a goal and an assist in each.[7] The Senators reached the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals, but lost the series in five games to the Anaheim Ducks.[14]

Kontinental Hockey League

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Saprykin left the NHL following the season. He opted to return to Russia and signed a contract with CSKA Moscow for the 2007–08 season where he recorded professional career highs of 29 goals and 49 points.[4] In his second year with CSKA, Saprykin was named a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) All-Star and scored two goals in the contest held outdoors in Moscow's Red Square.[15]

Saprykin returned to the national team and scored four goals and three assists in nine games at the 2009 World Championship.[9] He scored a goal in the gold medal game, a 2–1 victory over Canada, as the Russians won the world title.[16] In the KHL, Saprykin passed through several clubs. He played with Dynamo Moscow and SKA Saint Petersburg in 2009–10 then spent three seasons with Salavat Yulaev Ufa.[4] In Saprykin's first season with Ufa, 2010–11, the team won the Gagarin Cup as KHL champions after defeating Atlant Mytishi four games to one in the final.[17] Saprykin again returned to CSKA Moscow in 2013–14 by signing a one-year contract with the club.[18] Saprykin left CSKA Moscow after the season to sign with HC Sochi which is set to start playing in the 2014–15 season. He was named the first captain for Sochi.

Saprykin scored 3 goals in 15 games, before suffering an injury. Upon recovery he was mutually released from his contract with Sochi on November 18, 2014.[19]

On December 24, 2015, signed a contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa till the end of the season.[20]

Personal life

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Saprykin lives in Moscow and maintains a second residence in Phoenix, Arizona.[21] He is a dual citizen; Saprykin earned Canadian citizenship in 2005.[22]

On January 1, 2019, Saprykin was arrested after he attacked a female flight attendant on an Aurora Airlines flight from Sochi to Moscow, forcing the plane to be diverted. Saprykin, who was visibly intoxicated according to witnesses, demanded that the flight attendant top-up his glass of whiskey but was refused. Saprykin reportedly "began to scream and use foul language" and struck the female flight attendant on the head with such force that she was knocked to the floor. The captain diverted the flight to Voronezh, where Saprykin was forcibly removed from the aircraft and detained by airport authorities as the plane continued on its way to Moscow.[23]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1997–98 CSKA Moscow RSL 20 0 2 2 8
1998–99 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 66 47 46 93 107 11 5 11 16 36
1999–2000 Seattle Thunderbirds WHL 48 30 36 66 107 6 3 3 6 37
1999–2000 Calgary Flames NHL 4 0 1 1 2
2000–01 Calgary Flames NHL 59 9 14 23 43
2001–02 Calgary Flames NHL 3 0 0 0 0
2001–02 Saint John Flames AHL 52 5 19 24 53
2002–03 Calgary Flames NHL 52 8 15 23 46
2002–03 Saint John Flames AHL 21 12 9 21 22
2003–04 Calgary Flames NHL 69 12 17 29 41 26 3 3 6 4
2004–05 CSKA Moscow RSL 40 15 8 23 105
2005–06 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 67 11 14 25 50
2006–07 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 59 14 20 34 54
2006–07 Ottawa Senators NHL 12 1 1 2 4 15 1 1 2 4
2007–08 CSKA Moscow RSL 57 29 20 49 119 6 1 1 2 24
2008–09 CSKA Moscow KHL 51 18 23 41 89 8 1 1 2 4
2009–10 Dynamo Moscow KHL 24 5 2 7 26
2009–10 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 23 2 4 6 22 4 0 0 0 2
2010–11 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 44 5 4 9 42 21 3 2 5 14
2011–12 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 50 17 22 39 54 4 1 1 2 0
2012–13 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 32 5 7 12 16 1 0 0 0 0
2013–14 CSKA Moscow KHL 52 10 8 18 42 4 0 0 0 6
2014–15 HC Sochi KHL 15 3 0 3 12
2015–16 Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg KHL 18 5 1 6 12
2015–16 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 15 1 0 1 10 10 1 0 1 35
NHL totals 325 55 82 137 240 41 4 4 8 18
KHL totals 324 70 67 137 325 52 6 4 10 61

International

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Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2003 Russia WC 7th 7 1 3 4 6
2009 Russia WC   9 4 3 7 0
Senior totals 16 5 6 11 6

Awards and honours

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Medal record
Representing   Russia
Men's ice hockey
World Championship
  2009 Switzerland
Award Year
Junior
WHL West Second All-Star Team 1998–99
1999–00
[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-10.
  2. ^ a b "Oleg Saprykin statistics". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  3. ^ a b c Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The ultimate A–Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Toronto: Doubleday Canada. p. 760. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Oleg Saprykin biography". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  5. ^ a b c d Hanlon, Peter; O'Brien, Sean, eds. (2003). 2003–04 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames Hockey Club. pp. 60–61.
  6. ^ a b Yzerman, Chris (2007-02-28). "Senators expect boost from Saprykin". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Oleg Saprykin player card". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  8. ^ a b "Oleg Saprykin player card". The Sports Network. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  9. ^ a b Podnieks, Andrew, ed. (2011). IIHF Guide & Record Book 2012. International Ice Hockey Federation. p. 427. ISBN 978-0-7710-9598-6.
  10. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (2004). The Flames: Celebrating Calgary's Dream Season, 2003–04. Fenn Publishing Company, Ltd. p. vii. ISBN 1-55168-269-9.
  11. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (2004). The Flames: Celebrating Calgary's Dream Season, 2003–04. Fenn Publishing Company, Ltd. pp. 104–105. ISBN 1-55168-269-9.
  12. ^ Podnieks, Andrew (2004). The Flames: Celebrating Calgary's Dream Season, 2003–04. Fenn Publishing Company, Ltd. p. 108. ISBN 1-55168-269-9.
  13. ^ "Coyotes sign Nedved, trade Langkow". Associated Press. 2004-08-27. Archived from the original on 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  14. ^ "Ducks destroy Senators to win Stanley Cup". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2007-06-06. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  15. ^ Gutterman, Steve (2009-01-10). "Foreigners edge Russians in KHL All-Star game". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  16. ^ "Russia shuts down Canada to win hockey gold". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2009-05-10. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  17. ^ "Second Russian title for Vyacheslav Bykov's team". States News Service. 2011-04-17. Archived from the original on 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  18. ^ "CSKA GM Sergei Fedorov Signs Brother Fedor". R-Sport. 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  19. ^ "Changes in composition of team" (in Russian). HC Sochi. 2014-11-18. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
  20. ^ ""Салават Юлаев" объявил о подписании контракта с Сапрыкиным". championat.com (in Russian). 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
  21. ^ Cruickshank, Scott (2015-04-30). "Former Flame forward shares 2004 memories". Calgary Herald. p. C5.
  22. ^ Sportak, Randy (2015-04-30). "Saprykin catches up". Calgary Sun. p. NHL5.
  23. ^ Pritha, Paul (2019-01-02). "Flight Attendant Struck On Head By Drunk Ice Hockey Player, Plane Diverted". International Business Times.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Calgary Flames' first round draft pick
1999
Succeeded by