Sergei Kostitsyn

Sergei Kostitsyn (born March 20, 1987) is a Belarusian professional ice hockey player. He currently plays for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Personal Life
Sergei's older brother, Andrei, plays for the Montreal Canadiens.

Career
Just like his older brother, Sergei was a natural when he joined the Belarusian Junior Hockey Program. He played for HK Gomel in Belarus during the 2004 - 2005 season, getting 14 points in 40 games.

He was drafted by the OHL's London Knights during the CHL Import Draft. Kostitsyn moved to North America in 2005 - 2006 to play for the Knights, recording 26 goals, 52 assists, and 78 points, leading all rookies in scoring during the '05 - '06 season.

He was a second-runner-up for the Emms Family Award as OHL Rookie of the Year, behind Logan Couture, of the Ottawa 67's, and John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals.

Sergei was key factor during the Knights' playoff run in 2006, which they lost to the Peterborough Petes in the OHL Final. During his first OHL playoff game ever, Sergei managed to tally up six points, a goal and five assists, in a 6-1 win over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. In the semi-finals, he scored the series-clinching goal against the Guelph Storm, which was a power play goal during the first overtime of Game 5.

In addition to being named Rookie of the Year, the Knights also awarded him the title of Playoff Performer of the Year, since he finished the post-season with 37 points in only 19 games.

Kostitsyn joined the Montreal Canadiens' training camp in 2006 - 2007. He was returned to the London Knights for a second OHL season, being placed on a line with Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner, and was named an alternate captain. He finished third in both the OHL and CHL, only scoring behind teammate Patrick Kane and Oshawa's John Tavares, aftering tallying up 40 goals and 131 points in only 59 games. His staggering 91 assists led him in the CHL and broke the London Knights' franchise record of 89, which was set by Dennis Ververgaert in the 1972 - 1973 season.

Montreal Canadiens
On May 1, 2007, Sergei was signed to an amateur tryout contract with the Canadiens' AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs, to help them during their Calder Cup-winning playoff run. However, he was not inserted into the team's line-up, so he returned to Belarus to see his family.

On May 26, Kostitsyn signed a 3-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

Sergei began his 2007 - 2008 season with the Bulldogs. On December 12, 2007, he was called up by the Canadiens after leading the Bulldogs in scoring. He played his first NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 13, and was placed on the top-line was captain Saku Koivu and Christopher Higgins. He recorded his first NHL point, in the form of an assist, during his next game on Decemeber 15, in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Five days later, during his fourth game on December 20, he scored his first NHL goal on the power-play, in a 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals.

Kostitsyn was reassigned to the Bulldogs on February 19, 2009, of the following season. He gained 14 points in 16 games while in the AHL, and was again called up a little over a month later to play for the Canadiens.

Prior to the 2009 - 2010 season, Sergei was cut from the Canadiens line-up and sent back to Hamilton. On September 30, he announced that he would not return to Hamilton, even asking to be traded. This consequently led to him being suspended by the team. A few days later, he agreed to report to Hamilton, with just enough time to prepare for the 2009 - 2010 season. With four points in his first five games, he left the team on October 21, leading to another suspension by the Canadiens. He decided to once again report to Hamilton, recording 13 points in 16 games, and was again called up by the Canadiens.

On May 7, Sergei was cut from the Canadiens, with Jacques Martin telling him to stay off the ice during their morning skate.

On June 29, 2010, Kostitsyn was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for then-goaltender Dan Ellis and forward Dustin Boyd. The trade also involved future considerations.

On July 6, 2010, Kostitsyn signed a 1-year contract with the Predators worth $550,000 that would run through the 2010 - 2011 NHL season.

Career Statistics
(GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalites in Minutes, " - " = None)