From the ashes: the first years of Russia at the World Juniors

Note: this post is a Part II, which means it should have come after Part I, Nyet, nyet Soviet. Well I screwed that up. If you want to read about the early history of Russia at the World Junior Championship, check out the link above. Enjoy!

656 - Alexander Kuzminsky

A centre, Kuzminsky’s 1992 world juniors tournament was his only time representing Russia internationally, scoring two goals in six games. He was drafted 120th overall by Toronto in 1991, playing four seasons in North America in the Colonial League. From 1996 to 2004 Kuzminski played in five different European countries, primarily in Germany.

657 - Alexander Cherbayev

Cherbayev, a right winger, played in the 1992 and 1993 world junior tournaments, scoring seven goals and nine points in ten games, winning gold at the 1992 tourney. Drafted 51st overall by San Jose in 1992, he played four seasons in the IHL and ECHL before returning to Europe, playing primarily in Russia. 

658 - Sergei Krivokravsov

A right winger, Krivokrasov scored three goals and six points at the 1992 world juniors. His only additional international appearance came in the 1998 Olympics, winning silver while playing in six games for Russia.

Krivokrasov was drafted 12th overall by Chicago in 1992. He played 10 seasons for five NHL franchises, scoring 86 goals and 195 points in 450 games and represented Nashville at the 1999 NHL all-star game. From 2002 to 2008 he played at home in Russia, winning a league title in 2004.

659 - Sergei Zholtok

Zhotlok, a Latvian born centre, played at the 1991 and 1992 world juniors, scoring four goals and 10 points in 14 games. Despite being part of the 1991 silver medal winning team, Zholtok would go on to represent Latvia for the rest of his career, including six world championships at varying levels. At the 1994 B level tournament he was awarded top player for Latvia, scoring six goals and seven points in 4 games. Zholtok captained the 2004 world championship team as well.

He was drafted 55th overall by Boston in 1992, playing for six NHL teams over 10 seasons. Zholtok scored 111 goals and 258 points in 588 career games, all ranking second all time for Latvian born NHLers. He tragically passed away at the age of 31 during a November 2004 game when he suffered a cardiac arrhythmia during a game in Latvia.

660 - Alexei Zhitnik

A defenceman, Zhitnik represented his country at the 1991 worlds (winning silver) and was part of the gold medal winning 1992 world juniors team. In his international career he won Olympic gold (1992) and silver (1998), played in the 1992 Canada Cup, 1996 World Cup, and four world championships. At the 1996 world championship Zhitnik was named best defenceman and a tournament all-star.

Drafted 81st overall by Los Angeles in 1991, Zhitnik played for five NHL teams over 15 seasons. He scored 96 goals and 471 points in 1085 games, which places him top four in each of those categories for a Russian born defenceman. Zhitnik also played in two all-star games.

661 - Sandis Ozolinsh

Ozolinsh, a defenceman, was a teammate of Zhitnik’s at the 1991 and 1992 world juniors, scoring two goals and nine points in 14 games. Latvian born, he followed the path of Sergei Zholtok, representing his birth country following the 1992 world junior tournament. He played on three Olympic teams (captaining the team in 2014) and three world championship squads.

Ozolinsh was drafted 30th overall by San Jose in 1991. Over 15 NHL seasons he played in 875 games, scoring 167 goals and 564 points, and is the leader in all major statistical categories for a Latvian born NHLer. Ozolinsh played in seven all-star games and was a first team all-star in 1997. He was the first Latvian to win a Stanley Cup as part of the Colorado Avalanche in 1996; he remains one of only three Latvians to do so.

662 - Boris Mironov

Mironov, like Zhitnik and Ozolinsh, was part of the defensive core for the 1991 and 1992 world junior squads, scoring two goals and seven points. He won two Olympic medals with Russian (silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002) and played at the 1996 World Cup.

Drafted 27th overall by Winnipeg, Mironov played 11 NHL seasons with four teams, scoring 76 goals and 307 points in 716 games. He was named to the 1994 NHL all-rookie team.