Maxim Afinogenov

Maxim Afinogenov
Born (1979-09-04) September 4, 1979
Moscow, Russian SFSR,
Soviet Union
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
KHL team
Former teams		 Dynamo Moscow
Buffalo Sabres
Atlanta Thrashers
SKA St. Petersburg
Vityaz Podolsk
National team  Russia
NHL Draft 69th overall, 1997
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 1995–present

Maxim Sergeyevich Afinogenov (Макси́м Серге́евич Афиноге́нов, IPA: [mɐˈksʲim sʲɪrˈɡejɪvʲɪtɕ ɐfʲɪnɐˈɡʲɛnəf]; born September 4, 1979) is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Known for his blistering skating speed,[1] he was drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Buffalo Sabres in the third round, 69th overall, in 1997 and played nine seasons with the club. He then played one season with the Atlanta Thrashers before signing with SKA St. Petersburg in 2010.

Personal life

Afinogenov was first introduced to hockey by his dad when he was five years old.[2] He married Elena Dementieva on July 16, 2011.[3] His sister Katia Afinogenov married current Vegas Golden Knights left winger Max Pacioretty one week later.[4]

Playing career

Buffalo Sabres

Afinogenov was a forward for Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague (RSL) 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 (AHL) 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 two-year, $2.4 million contract on September 4, 2002.[1] However, that same day, while playing a pickup game 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 HSBC Arena in a 7–1 win against the Washington Capitals.[5] 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 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 Conference Finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. Afinogenov added eight 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.

Atlanta Thrashers

Following the 2008–09 season, in which he was sidelined once more with a groin injury,[6] 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 season in 1999–2000. On September 17, 2009, the Atlanta Thrashers invited Afinogenov to their 2009–10 training camp on a tryout.[6] 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. He finished the season with a career-high 24 goals and 61 points, finishing second on the team in points, behind only Nik Antropov.


Medal record
Representing  Russia
Ice hockey
World Championships
2008 Canada
2002 Sweden
2010 Germany
2005 Austria
Winter Olympics
2002 Salt Lake City
World Junior Championships
1999Canada
1998Helsinki

KHL

Following the 2009–10 season, Afinogenov signed a five-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) as a free agent. After a productive first season with St. Petersburg, Afinogenov was plagued by injury in the following two seasons. He was traded to Podolsk-based HC Vityaz prior to the 2013–14 season, and was announced as the team's captain.[7]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1995–96 Dynamo Moscow II RUS II 34 23 9 32 30 — — — — —
1995–96 Dynamo Moscow IHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
1996–97 Dynamo Moscow RSL 29 6 5 11 10 4 0 2 2 0
1997–98 Dynamo Moscow RSL 35 10 5 15 53 — — — — —
1998–99 Dynamo Moscow RSL 38 8 13 21 24 16 10 6 16 14
1998–99 Dynamo Moscow II RUS II 1 1 2 3 2 — — — — —
1999–2000 Rochester Americans AHL 15 6 12 18 8 8 3 1 4 4
1999–2000 Buffalo Sabres NHL 65 16 18 34 41 5 0 1 1 2
2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 78 14 22 36 40 11 2 3 5 4
2001–02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 81 21 19 40 69 — — — — —
2002–03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 35 5 6 11 21 — — — — —
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 73 17 14 31 57 — — — — —
2004–05 Dynamo Moscow RSL 36 13 14 27 91 10 4 4 8 8
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 77 22 51 73 84 18 3 5 8 10
2006–07 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 23 38 61 66 15 5 4 9 6
2007–08 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 10 18 28 42 — — — — —
2008–09 Buffalo Sabres NHL 48 6 14 20 20 — — — — —
2009–10 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 82 24 37 61 46 — — — — —
2010–11 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 51 13 20 33 50 11 4 1 5 10
2011–12 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 23 4 8 12 36 12 3 1 4 4
2012–13 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 26 4 4 8 4 13 1 3 4 6
2013–14 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 53 12 14 26 69 — — — — —
2014–15 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 54 17 10 27 124 — — — — —
2015–16 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 56 15 13 28 34 — — — — —
2016–17 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 58 20 27 47 44 4 0 2 2 6
2017–18 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 47 16 20 36 25 — — — — —
RSL totals 138 37 37 74 178 30 14 12 26 22
NHL totals 651 158 237 395 486 49 10 13 23 22
KHL totals 368 101 116 217 386 40 8 7 15 26

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
1996 Russia EJC 1st, gold medalist(s) 5 1 1 2 0
1997 Russia EJC 4th 6 4 3 7 18
1998 Russia WJC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 7 3 2 5 4
1999 Russia WJC 1st, gold medalist(s) 7 3 5 8 0
1999 Russia WC 5th 6 2 1 3 2
2000 Russia WC 11th 6 1 0 1 4
2002 Russia OG 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 6 2 2 4 4
2002 Russia WC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 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 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 9 3 2 5 6
2006 Russia OG 4th 8 1 0 1 10
2008 Russia WC 1st, gold medalist(s) 8 5 1 6 2
2010 Russia OG 6th 4 1 1 2 0
2010 Russia WC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 9 3 4 7 18
2011 Russia WC 4th 9 1 2 3 6
Junior totals 25 11 11 22 22
Senior totals 83 23 15 38 64

References

  1. 1 2 3 "25 – Buffalo Sabres". Sports Illustrated. 2005-10-03. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  2. ↑ "Afinogenov Q&A". NHL.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2010.
  3. ↑ Андрей Дедов. (July 17, 2011). "Чемпион мира и героиня Олимпиады женились на крыше". Life News Online. Retrieved 2011-07-17.
  4. ↑ "Max Pacioretty Wedding Photos". yourcanadiens.com. 2011-07-02. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
  5. ↑ "Rare double hat trick pace Sabres". CBC. 2004-01-01. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
  6. 1 2 "Free agent Maxim Afinogenov could find new home with Atlanta Thrashers". ESPN. 2009-09-18. Retrieved 2009-09-18.
  7. ↑ "Afinogneov, Rybin and Iggulden joins Vityaz". kenros.com. 2013-08-02. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
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