{{Short description|Russian ice hockey player (born 2001)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Infobox ice hockey biography | name = Alexander Nikishin | image = | image_size = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|10|2|df=y}} | birth_place = Oryol, Russia | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 3 | weight_lb = 196 | position = Defence | shoots = Left | league = NHL | team = Carolina Hurricanes | former_teams = Spartak Moscow<br>SKA Saint Petersburg | ntl_team = RUS | draft = 69th overall | draft_year = 2020 | draft_team = Carolina Hurricanes | career_start = 2019 | career_end = }} '''Alexander Alexandrovich Nikishin''' ({{langx|ru|Александр Александрович Никишин}}; born 2 October 2001) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).
==Playing career==
===KHL=== Nikishin made his Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) debut for Spartak Moscow during the 2019–20 season. He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the 2020 NHL entry draft with the 69th overall pick.<ref>{{cite web|title=Alexander Nikishin|accessdate=8 October 2020|publisher=Elite Prospects|url=https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/514652/alexander-nikishin}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2020 NHL Draft: Complete results, list of picks for Rounds 1-7 |date=7 October 2020 |publisher=NBC |url=https://nhl.nbcsports.com/2020/10/07/2020-nhl-draft-complete-results-list-of-picks-for-rounds-1-7 |accessdate=9 October 2020}}</ref> Nikishin was expected to sign with the Carolina Hurricanes after his contract expires with SKA Saint Petersburg in the spring of 2025.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/carolina-hurricanes/latest-news/hurricanes-gm-confirms-top-prospect-expected-to-sign-this-spring | title = Hurricanes GM Confirms Top Prospect Expected To Sign This Spring | publisher = The Hockey News | date = 3 January 2025 | accessdate = 3 January 2025}}</ref>
Following three seasons in the KHL with Spartak Moscow, Nikishin was traded to SKA Saint Petersburg in exchange for five contracted players and the rights to four further players and an additional 50 million rubles on 31 July 2022.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.ska.ru/news/view/alieksandr-nikishin-v-ska/ | title = Александр Никишин – в СКА! | publisher = SKA Saint Petersburg | date = 31 July 2022 | accessdate = 31 July 2022 | language = Russian}}</ref> With SKA Saint Petersburg, Nikishin's production improved, and he recorded 55 points in 65 games during the 2022–23 season.
Nikishkin was named team captain for the 2023–24 season, and led his team in scoring with 56 points in 67 games, though his season ended with a 4–1 series loss to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in round 2 of the 2024 Gagarin Cup playoffs.
His production was slightly lower in the 2024–25 season, resulting in 46 points in 61 games, good enough for second in team scoring, behind only Ivan Demidov.
===NHL=== Following SKA Saint Petersburg's first round loss to Dynamo Moscow in the 2025 Gagarin Cup playoffs,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gusev reaches landmark, Dynamo reaches round two |url=https://en.khl.ru/news/2025/04/06/544819.html |access-date=12 April 2025 |website=en.khl.ru}}</ref> Nikishin had his KHL contract terminated on 11 April 2025.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1910647716729757708 |user=hcSKA_News |title=Good luck, captain! 👏 SKA Hockey Club and Alexander Nikishin have mutually terminated his contract, with the defenseman joining the Carolina Hurricane |author= SKA Saint Petersburg |date=11 April 2025 |access-date=11 April 2025}}</ref> The same day, he agreed to a two year, entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and joined the team for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hurricanes Agree To Terms With Nikishin |url=https://www.nhl.com/hurricanes/news/hurricanes-agree-to-terms-with-nikishin |access-date=11 April 2025 |website=NHL.com |date=11 April 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SKA Saint Petersburg confirms Alexander Nikishin set to join Carolina Hurricanes |url=https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/ska-saint-petersburg-confirms-alexander-nikishin-set-to-join-carolina-hurricanes-1.2286948 |access-date=11 April 2025 |website=TSN |date=11 April 2025}}</ref>
==International play== {{MedalTableTop|name = }} {{MedalSport|Men's ice hockey}} {{MedalCountry|{{flagIOC|ROC|2022 Winter}} }} {{MedalOlympic}} {{MedalSilver|2022 Beijing|}} {{MedalBottom}} On 23 January 2022, Nikishin was named to the roster of the Russian Olympic Committee athletes for the 2022 Winter Olympics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2022/olympic-m/news/31594/roc_targets_repeat_gold |title=ROC targets repeat gold |date=24 January 2022 |access-date=9 February 2022 |publisher=International Ice Hockey Federation}}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===Regular season and playoffs=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" style="text-align:center; width:60em" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Regular season ! rowspan="100" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 2017–18 | CSKA Moscow | RUS U17 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2018–19 | MHC Krylya Sovetov | MHL | 62 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 55 | — | — | — | — | — |- | 2019–20 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2019–20 | MHK Spartak | MHL | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |- | 2019–20 | Khimik Voskresensk | VHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2020–21 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 20 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |- | 2020–21 | MHK Spartak | MHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2020–21 | Khimik Voskresensk | VHL | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |- | 2021–22 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 46 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2021–22 | Khimik Voskresensk | VHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |- | 2022–23 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 65 | 11 | 44 | 55 | 50 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2023–24 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 67 || 17 || 39 || 56 || 39 | 5 || 1 || 0 || 1 || 4 |- | 2024–25 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 61 || 17 || 29 || 46 || 32 | 4 || 2 || 1 || 3 || 2 |- bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2024–25 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | — || — || — || — || — | 4 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 6 |- | 2025–26 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 81 || 11 || 22 || 33 || 33 | || || || || |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | KHL totals ! 288 !! 54 !! 123 !! 177 !! 166 ! 35 !! 8 !! 7 !! 15 !! 23 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL totals ! 81 !! 11 !! 22 !! 33 !! 33 ! 4 !! 0 !! 1 !! 1 !! 6 |}
===International=== {| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" ID="Table3" style="text-align:center; width:40em" |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Year ! Team ! Event ! Result ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- | 2022 | ROC | OG | {{silver2}} | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="4" | Senior totals ! 6 ! 0 ! 0 ! 0 ! 4 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Ice hockey stats}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nikishin, Alexander}} Category:2001 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century Russian sportsmen Category:Carolina Hurricanes draft picks Category:Carolina Hurricanes players Category:HC Spartak Moscow players Category:Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Category:JHC Spartak players Category:Medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic ice hockey players for Russia Category:Olympic medalists in ice hockey Category:Olympic silver medalists for the Russian Olympic Committee athletes Category:Russian ice hockey defencemen Category:SKA Saint Petersburg players Category:Sportspeople from Oryol