Ilya Kovalchuk Biography

Ilya Valeryevich Kovalchuk (Russian: Илья Валерьевич Ковальчук; born April 15, 1983) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He developed in the youth system of Spartak Moscow, joining their senior team in the Vysshaya Liga in 1999. After two seasons with Spartak he joined the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League (NHL), who selected him first overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. After eight seasons with the Thrashers, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in February 2010, and later signed a 15-year, $100 million contract during the off-season after a 17-year, $102 million was rejected by the league as being an attempt to circumvent salary cap restrictions. Three years later, he retired from the NHL having played 11 seasons, in order to return to Russia, joining SKA. Kovalchuk is fifth all-time in the NHL for overtime goals scored (14), and 18th all time in goals per game average (.511). He is the seventh highest scoring Russian in NHL history. While in the NHL, Kovalchuk was twice named to the end of season All-Star Team, and in 2004 finished in a three-way tie for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's leading goal-scorer, sharing it with Jarome Iginla and Rick Nash.