Learning More About Alexander Nikishin

RALEIGH, N.C. - Alexander Nikishin, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it?

It's a moment many fans of the team have eagerly awaited for the past several seasons.

His list of accolades runs incredibly deep, but when it comes to his skill set, what kind of player is he? Why has he become such a popular name in hockey circles? What makes him a good fit for the Canes?

We asked those questions, and more, to the man who runs the draft for Carolina and plucked him in the third-round in 2020, Canes Associate General Manager Darren Yorke.

For the Canes fan who doesn't know much about him, how would you describe Alexander Nikishin?

"The great thing about Alex is his versatility. You have a defenseman who is suited to play our style, with the ability to skate well. He skates well backwards defending the rush and has the ability to jump up and read the play, being a second layer of offense.

At the same time, he's got a grit and a nastiness that every organization would be thrilled to have. He's made some punishing hits. He has shown he's willing to stick up for teammates and will fight. Not that we need or expect him to fight, but he's a player who will do anything for his teammates and he's hard to play against, so those opportunities have happened.

But ultimately, it's the versatility with the different layers to his game that make him extremely exciting."

How has he grown since he was drafted by the organization in 2020?

"I think you'll see a player that has really grown at all levels. When we drafted him, he played two different styles of game for the two different leagues he was playing in.

What has happened is that both of those playing styles have merged together and he's been able to do it all at the KHL level. His offensive instincts, which he showed in the MHL, are now present and consistent in the KHL.

The defensive ability and his ability to be hard to play against, he was already doing at 18 years old in the KHL. Now, that's just more consistent and naturally a part of his game.

The biggest thing is his offensive game: the deception with his edges, his evasiveness, his puck touches, his vision, what he showed against his own age group, has now been shown consistently against the best players in Russia."

What he is right now, how close is that to what you expected when the team drafted him? Or has he surpassed expectations?

"We have to be honest with ourselves and say he's exceeded expectations. His game is what you love to see from a player - him showing that growth and development and achieving the dreams that he set out to when he first started playing - to play in the best league in the world."

How close is he to his ceiling? How much more room does he have to get better?

"With most athletes, they don't want to ever put a ceiling on how far they can go. There's always another level that they're striving to achieve. Alex is no different.

The exciting thing is that we've seen a player who continues to get better year after year, and like most competitive athletes, he's going to try and add elements to his game."

When you look at the Canes' lineup now, what about his game makes him a fit?

"We constantly talk about being able to play fast and play aggressively in every aspect of the game, in all three zones. He's a player who is extremely competitive, skates extremely well, and is able to combine those with his sense to play fast defensively and then get up in the play.

He's able to show that in a more relaxed system now. Now, put him around every other individual on our team who likes to play aggressive and it's just the perfect blend. We should be putting a player in a better position to utilize his assets."