The Calgary Flames haven’t had a Russian player as a regular member of their NHL roster since Andrei Zyuzin, way, way back in the 2006-07 season. In 2020-21, the Flames will finally have a Russian favour – and their new Russian is an Olympic gold medalist.
So what should Flames fans expect from defenseman Nikita Nesterov?
How he got here
A product of Chelyabinsk, Russia, Nesterov came up with his hometown team. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2011 NHL Draft in the fifth round, and followed that up by making his KHL debut the following season with the KHL’s Traktor Chelyabinsk.