Dad Life, Golf and Summer Training With Nikita Zadorov: ‘Best Time of the Year’

BostonBruins.com –– Nikita Zadorov has kept his competitive spirit alive during this NHL offseason.

The Boston Bruins defenseman and his nine-year-old daughter, Sophie, were partners in the parent-and-child golf tournament at their course in Florida, where the Zadorov family spends the summer.

The duo came in fourth place, Zadorov explained, while watching Sophie drill a shot down the fairway on an afternoon in August.

“Sophie was hitting drives like this,” he said. “My putting lost us the tournament.”

Stephanie, Zadorov’s five-year-old daughter, prefers to caddie – which, in her mind, he said, is riding in the golf cart, filling holes with chips and chasing the occasional iguana. Zlatan, Zadorov’s one-year-old son, doesn’t participate just yet. He prefers staying by the ocean.

“He started walking in June, but now it’s like he’s buzzing here,” Zadorov said. “Loves the beach, loves the pool.”

Zadorov and his wife, Aleksandra, made Florida their offseason home nearly 10 years ago and have kept coming back as their family grows. It works well for both Zadorov’s training and activities for the kids, he said. There is also a big Russian-speaking community where they are, which the Moscow native appreciates.

“We like it here,” Zadorov said. “Now it feels like home here.”

The 6-foot-7, 255-pound blueliner is coming off a 2025-26 season during which he tied his career-high in points with 22 (two goals, 20 assists) through 81 regular-season games. Zadorov had the third-most hits on the Bruins with 196 and posted one assist in the first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres. The 31-year-old – who signed a six-year deal with Boston in July 2024 – wants to keep pushing.

Zadorov is training with Scott Foresman, the owner of Biocore Sports Performance, and skating with fellow NHLers – like Anthony Duclair and Garnet Hathaway – at the Baptist Health Ice Plex, the Florida Panthers’ practice rink in Fort Lauderdale.

“One of my buddies introduced me to Scott, and I think it clicked right away for me…My training routine and training style changed throughout my career. Obviously, being older, there’s different stuff you need to focus on. When I was young, there was more other stuff we were looking to.” Zadorov said. “Closer to September, it is going to be two beach sessions. On the beach, we do jumping, running, everything in the sand – conditioning-wise and also change-of-direction stuff. It is a nice mix.”

In June and July, Zadorov’s group concentrates more on individual skill, and by August it transitions to game-like situations: board battles, 3-on-2 and 2-on-1 drills. Zadorov likes to start his day early at the gym to get his session done before getting on the ice. It is usually an hour of off-ice work before his 30-minute drive to the rink. The routine keeps him feeling “fresh.”

“During the season there’s a lot of tactical stuff, there’s a lot of adjustments and some stuff just to keep the conditioning level up and everything between the games. There’s not much time right now. There used to be way more practices; now the league has changed. There’s way more intensity in the games and recovery and all that,” Zadorov said. “In the summer, you’re pretty much trying to get better. First of all, get back to the shape you were during the season and then after that you can improve your skill stuff, your skating, your stick handling, the shot. You work on your skill more individually than during the season.”

With summer winding down, Zadorov is gearing up for B’s training camp back in Boston, which opens in mid-September. He will be part of a deep defensive group battling for top roles on the backend. It will be Zadorov’s third full season in the Black & Gold, and the mission is clear.

“We made a step forward last year making the playoffs. I thought we could’ve went deeper, could’ve beat Buffalo. I think the next step for us is trying to improve, like always. We have a great team, great roster for that,” he said. “I think we showed a lot of [resilience] and fight last year for the fans. I think they appreciate it. It’s really exciting to play in front of them as well.”

For now, though, Zadorov will enjoy this last stretch of family time – and perhaps get a few more golf rounds in – before the 2026-27 campaign gets underway.

“That’s the best time of the year because we travel so much and games. They’re in school, so you drop them off in the morning, you go skate, work out, and then you pick them up, then they have a bunch of activities, all the sports,” Zadorov said. “Now in the summer, you have a good three, four months – even with training, try to get the training done early – so I can come here and spend time with them.”