Mattias Tedenby
Born	(1990-02-21) February 21, 1990 (age 22) Vetlanda, Sweden
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	167 lb (76 kg; 11 st 13 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	New Jersey Devils HV71 (SEL)
National team	Sweden
NHL Draft	24th overall, 2008 New Jersey Devils
Playing career	2007–present

Mattias Tedenby (born February 21, 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player, currently with the New Jersey Devils in the NHL.

Playing career[link]

Tedenby started his playing career in the Swedish elite league club HV71's youth teams, playing for the under 18 years-team in 2005–06; and both under 18 and under 20 teams in 2006–07 and 2007–08. During the 2007–08 Elitserien season, he was called up HV71's professional team and played in 23 games, scoring six points.^[1] During the off-season in 2008, he was contracted for one year by HV71.^[2] After playing in 10 games, including one CHL game, with HV71, Tedenby was loaned to IK Oskarshamn in the second tier league, HockeyAllsvenskan. After 13 games, totalling 11 points, he was recalled to join HV71 again.^[3]

Tedenby was drafted in the first round, 24th overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.^[4] He signed a three-year entry level contract with the Devils on May 14, 2010.

Mattias was announced as the last of four nominees for 2009–10 Elitserien Rookie of the Year on March 4, 2010.^[5]

Tedenby made his NHL debut on November 10, 2010 and recorded an assist on a goal by Jason Arnott in his first game.^[6] Soon after, on November 12, Tedenby recorded his first National Hockey League goal on the power play against Devan Dubnyk of the Edmonton Oilers.

Off the ice[link]

Tedenby's father, Robert, is a retired ice hockey player who played for Modo Hockey in the 1980s.^[7]

Career statistics[link]

Awards and honours[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mattias Tedenby's NHL player profile
• Mattias Tedenby's career stats at Eliteprospects.com
• Mattias Tedenby's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Ilya Kovalchuk
Born	(1983-04-15) April 15, 1983 (age 29) Tver, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight	235 lb (107 kg; 16 st 11 lb)
Position	Winger
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	New Jersey Devils Spartak Moscow (Rus-2) Ak Bars Kazan (RSL) Khimik Moscow Oblast (RSL) Atlanta Thrashers
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	1st overall, 2001 Atlanta Thrashers
Playing career	1999–present

Ilya Valerevich Kovalchuk (Russian: Илья́ Вале́рьевич Ковальчу́к; born April 15, 1983) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger who is an alternate captain of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted first overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft by the Atlanta Thrashers, he began his NHL career in 2001–02 with Atlanta and was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as league rookie-of-the-year. He is a three-time NHL All-Star and won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal-scorer in 2004 in a three-way tie with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash. After eight seasons with the Thrashers, he was traded to the Devils in February 2010, and later signed a 15-year, $100 million contract during the off-season.

Internationally, Kovalchuk has played for Russia in the IIHF World U18 Championship, World Junior Championship, World Championship, World Cup and Winter Olympics, highlighted by back-to-back gold medals in the 2008 and 2009 World Championship.

Playing career[link]

Early career[link]

Kovalchuk played for Russian Super League club HC Spartak Moscow for two seasons before entering the NHL. Drafted by the Thrashers first overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, he became the first Russian to be drafted first overall in the NHL's history.^[1] In club-level competition, Kovalchuk wore the number 17 as a tribute to Valeri Kharlamov, a Soviet superstar in the 1970s.^[2]

Atlanta Thrashers[link]

Kovalchuk with the Thrashers during the 2005–06 NHL season.

Entering his NHL rookie season in 2001–02, Kovalchuk scored 29 goals and 51 points despite missing 17 games with a season-ending shoulder injury. He finished second in voting to teammate Dany Heatley for the Calder Trophy as league rookie of the year.^[1] Both were named to the NHL All-Rookie Team. After improving to 38 goals and 67 points in his second season, Kovalchuk scored 41 goals in 2003–04, making him a co-winner of the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy after tying for the league lead in goals with Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames and Rick Nash of the Columbus Blue Jackets.^[1] He also added 46 assists for 87 points, tying him with Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche for second in the league that season, behind Martin St. Louis. Kovalchuk also participated in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2004.

Due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Kovalchuk returned to Russia, playing for both Ak Bars Kazan and Khimik Moscow Oblast of the Russian Superleague. After the lockout, Kovalchuk returned to the Thrashers and scored 52 goals, tying him with rookie Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals for third in the league in scoring (behind Jonathan Cheechoo of the San Jose Sharks (56), and Jaromír Jágr of the New York Rangers (54)). He also tied his career-high of 46 assists for a career-high 98 points, leading the Thrashers in team scoring for the second consecutive season, while finishing eighth overall in league scoring. He also became the first Thrashers player to score 50 goals in a season.

In the 2006–07 NHL season, Kovalchuk's point production dropped for the first time in his career. He finished with 42 goals and 34 assists for 76 points. During a game against the Nashville Predators during the season on January 11, 2006, Predators coach Barry Trotz accused Kovalchuk with "always [playing] with an illegal stick." Trotz had asked the referees to check Kovalchuk's stick following a Thrashers goal, but claimed that Kovalchuk was able to switch his stick before the referees could check.^[3] Despite his drop in production on the season, Kovalchuk and the Thrashers qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Kovalchuk scored one goal and one assist in his NHL playoffs debut as the team lost in the opening round to the New York Rangers in four games.

In 2007–08, Kovalchuk scored two consecutive hat tricks in a loss to the Ottawa Senators and a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on November 1 and 3, 2007, respectively. Later that season, on January 23, 2008, Kovalchuk was suspended for one game by the NHL for a hit from behind on New York Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsíval in a game a day prior.^[4] He finished with his second 52-goal season in three years, along with 35 assists for 87 points.

With the departure of Bobby Holik to the New Jersey Devils in the 2008 off-season, the Thrashers' captaincy remained vacant for the first half of the 2008–09 season. Kovalchuk served as one of five alternate captains to start the season until the alternates collectively requested to general manager Don Waddell and coach John Anderson for Kovalchuk to take over the captaincy.^[5] Soon thereafter, on January 11, 2009, Kovalchuk was named Holik's successor and the sixth team captain in Thrashers' history during the team's Casino Night charity event.^[5] The announcement came amidst speculation that the Thrashers were looking to trade Kovalchuk with his contract set to expire at the end of the following season.^[5] Kovalchuk completed his first season as team captain with 43 goals for his fifth consecutive 40-goal season and 91 points.

Near the beginning of the 2009–10 season, Kovalchuk scored the 300th and 301st goal of his NHL career in a 4–2 win during the St. Louis Blues' home opener on October 8, 2009.^[6] He was leading the league in goals several weeks into the season when he suffered a broken foot after blocking shot in a game against the San Jose Sharks on October 24.^[7]

New Jersey Devils[link]

In the final year of his contract, Kovalchuk and the Thrashers could not come to an agreement on an extension. Thrashers general manager Don Waddell reportedly offered 12-year, $101 million and seven-year, $70 million contracts, both of which Kovalchuk turned down.^[8] Rather than potentially losing him to unrestricted free agency in the off-season, Kovalchuk was traded on February 4, 2010, to the New Jersey Devils. Atlanta received defenceman Johnny Oduya, rookie forward Niclas Bergfors and junior prospect Patrice Cormier, and a first round selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Kovalchuk and defenceman Anssi Salmela; the teams also traded second round selections in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.^[9] Kovalchuk recorded two assists the following day in his Devils' debut, a 4–3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 5.^[10] Kovalchuk eventually ended the season with 41 goals along with 44 assists, for 85 points split between Atlanta and New Jersey. On February 10, 2011, Kovalchuk scored the game winning goal in a game over the Toronto Maple Leafs to give Jacques Lemaire the 600th win of his coaching career.^[11]

Ilya Kovalchuk recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick – a goal, an assist, and a fight – on February 4, 2012, the two year anniversary of his trade to the Devils, against the Philadelphia Flyers. This was the first such hat trick ever recorded by Kovalchuk and second in the Devils' franchise, following Adam Henrique the month before. Kovalchuk assisted on two goals by teammate Kurtis Foster, scored a short-handed goal, then fought Brayden Schenn after a scrum formed when Flyers forward Zac Rinaldo performed a slew-foot on Devils captain Zach Parise.^[12]

Kovalchuk recorded his first scoring hat trick as a member of the New Jersey Devils on February 14, 2012, during a 4–1 victory in Buffalo against the Sabres.^[13]

On March 8, Kovalchuk's 13th career hat trick and 2nd hat trick as a New Jersey Devil was recorded. The Devils won 5–1 against the New York Islanders, with Ilya being the first star of the night.

On March 20, Kovalchuk became the 87th player in NHL history to score 400 goals. It was the lone goal of a 1–0 victory over the Ottawa Senators. He was given third star of the night.

Kovalchuk ended the 2011–12 season with seven game-deciding shootout goals, and eleven shootout goals in total, setting a new record in both categories. The league first introduced shootouts in 2005.^[14]

Contract controversy

Kovalchuk became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2010. On July 19, after receiving offers from other teams most notably the Los Angeles Kings, Kovalchuk agreed to a 17-year, $102 million deal to remain with the Devils. The length of the deal broke the record for the longest contract in NHL history.^[15] However, the contract was rejected by the NHL the next day, on the grounds that it circumvented the league's salary cap. Arbitrator Richard Bloch heard the union's appeal, and nullified the deal.^[16]

Another contract was submitted to the NHL. During the early morning hours of September 4, 2010, the league approved the contract along with a new agreement with the NHLPA. The contract is a 15-year, $100 million deal.^[17]

Consequently, the NHL penalized the Devils for trying to circumvent the NHL Salary Cap with Kovalchuk's original contract. As a result, the Devils surrendered $3 million, a third round draft choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft and one future first round draft choice within the next four seasons.

International play[link]

Medal record
Ilya Kovalchuk
Competitor for  Russia
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Bronze	2002 Salt Lake City
World Championships
Silver	2010 Germany
Gold	2009 Switzerland
Gold	2008 Canada
Bronze	2007 Russia
Bronze	2005 Austria
IIHF World U18 Championships
Gold	2001 Finland
Silver	2000 Switzerland

Kovalchuk won his first medals with Russia in a major international event at the IIHF World U18 Championships, earning silver and gold medals in 2000 and 2001, respectively. He also competed for Russia at the World Junior Championships in 2001, but finished seventh.

The following year, Kovalchuk made his senior international debut with Russia at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, during his rookie NHL season with the Atlanta Thrashers. He recorded three points in six games to help Russia to a bronze medal finish. He then made his World Championships debut in 2003, but failed to medal.

Kovalchuk made his second straight Winter Olympics appearance in 2006 in Turin. He had a four-goal game on February 19 in a 9–2 win over Latvia, but returned to Atlanta without a medal, losing in the bronze medal game.

In 2008 Kovalchuk played in the IIHF World Championship, held in Quebec City, Canada. He scored his only two goals of the tournament in the gold medal game against Team Canada – once to force the game into overtime, then the game-winner to give Russia the championship. The following year, he led Russia to a second straight gold medal over Canada in the 2009 IIHF World Championship and was named the tournament MVP.

In May 2010, Kovalchuk played for Russia in the 74th IIHF WC in Germany, finishing second.

Played for Russia in:

• 2002 Winter Olympics (bronze)
• 2003 World Championships
• 2004 World Cup of Hockey
• 2005 World Championships (bronze)
• 2006 Winter Olympics
• 2007 World Championships (bronze)
• 2008 World Championships (gold)
• 2009 World Championships (gold)
• 2010 Winter Olympics
• 2010 World Championships (silver)

Awards and achievements[link]

• 2002 NHL YoungStars Game – (MVP)
• NHL All-Rookie Team – 2002
• NHL All-Star Game – 2004, 2008, 2009
• NHL Second All-Star Team – 2004
• 2003-04 NHL Season – Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy – (42*) (tied with 2 others)
• 2003-04 NHL Season – Kharlamov Trophy (Top Russian Player in the NHL)
• 2011–12 NHL Season – NHL Leader in Shootout Goals (11)
• (IIHF) 2008 World Championship – Gold Medal
• (IIHF) 2009 World Championship – Gold Medal
• (IIHF) 2009 World Championship – (MVP)^[18]
• 2014 Winter Olympics ambassador for Russia^[19]

Records[link]

• 2011–12 NHL Season – NHL Record for most Shootout Goals in a single-season (11)
• 2011–12 NHL Season – NHL Record for most Game-deciding shootout Goals in a single-season (7)
• Atlanta Thrashers franchise single season goal total, 52 (2005–06, 2007–08)

Career statistics[link]

Regular season and playoffs[link]

International[link]

Year	Event	Place		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2000	WJC-U18	2 !		6	2	3	5	6
2001	WJC	7th		7	4	2	6	37
2001	WJC-U18	1 !		6	11	4	15	26
2002	Oly	3 !		6	1	2	3	14
2003	WC	5th		7	4	0	4	6
2004	WC	10th		6	3	1	4	6
2004	WCH	5th		4	1	0	1	4
2005	WC	3 !		9	3	3	6	4
2006	Oly	4th		8	4	1	5	31
2007	WC	3 !		9	2	5	7	10
2008	WC	1 !		8	2	6	8	52
2009	WC	1 !		9	5	9	14	4
2010	Oly	6th		4	1	2	3	0
2010	WC	2 !		9	2	10	12	2
2011	WC	4th		9	3	5	8	6
Junior int'l totals				19	17	9	26	69
Senior int'l totals				88	31	44	75	139

All-Star Games[link]

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Ilya Kovalchuk's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Ilya Kovalchuk – player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Ilya Kovalchuk's NHL player profile