The future hockey player was born on March 4, 1995, in Chelyabinsk. The Urals city is not only famous for its harshness, but also its good hockey players. Many excellent players came out of the Chelyabinsk Traktor children’s school at one time. Valery is careful about his personal life, so it is unknown how the hockey player was formed.
Facts that trickle out allow us to know that as a child Nichushkin loved to watch hockey games on television. The skill and skating of the players caused the boy extreme amazement. A little later his parents made a gift to their son and bought a sports uniform.
The first professional team for Nichushkin was the youth team Traktor. He made his Hockey League debut in the 2011-2012 season. Nichushkin’s performance this year was quite modest. In 38 regular season games, he managed to score only 4 goals and give 8 assists.
It is important to note that results in youth championships are extremely important for sports prediction. For example, India race tips always take into account the past achievements of the athletes.
Despite his modest individual numbers, Nichushkin received an invitation to two international tournaments. First, the forward took part in a tournament in Canada where players were no older than 17 years old. The Russian national team performed magnificently, losing only one game. This allowed them to take 1st place. Nichushkin made a huge contribution to the national team’s victory. In the final match against the Americans, he managed to score two goals and brought the team victory with a score of 5-4. Moreover, at the end of the tournament, Valery became one of the top scorers. However, he and the Russian national team failed to consolidate their success in the international arena.
After the triumphant performance at the tournament in Canada, the World Cup was held. Russia was in for a disappointment. The team could have been eliminated after the group stage. Only good results against underdogs saved them. Still, there was no escaping fate. The Russian national team did not win any medals. Nichushkin did not shine in the World Cup. He only managed to score 2 points through 6 games.
KHL
The next game year is even more eventful for the hockey player. Nichushkin spends the beginning of the season 2012-2013 in the Polar Bears, and then the forward is sent to gain experience in the Chelyabinsk Chelmet. This team plays in the higher hockey league. Valery didn’t stay there for long. He took part in 15 games of the regular championship, after which he was called up to the main team Traktor.
The young forward played 18 regular season games with two goals and four assists. After the season he not only won the silver medal with the team but also won the best rookie award. The next season Nichushkin showed even more incredible play which helped him and his team win second place in the regular season and make it to the playoffs finals. In the final, Tractor met with Dynamo Moscow. The series was very tight and ended with a win for Dynamo. Nichushkin appeared on the ice 25 times and showed quite good results for a rookie. He managed to score 9 points.
In 2015, Valery played in the World Championships in Ufa. The fans expected only victory from the Russian team, but it was not possible to meet the expectations of the fans. The Russian national team could not finish the home tournament without medals and in the game for third place against Canada, the Russians won. It was Nichushkin who led his team to victory, scoring the winning goal in overtime. In addition to the World Junior Championship, the hockey player also played in the Junior Championship. It was also held in Russia in the city of Sochi.
In the group stage, the Russian national team left no chance to their opponents. The Russians completely failed in the playoffs and were left without any medals. Despite the disappointing results for Nichushkin, this tournament was the most productive of his career. The forward scored 4 goals and dished out 4 assists in 6 games. After a great season, the rights to the hockey player go to Dynamo Moscow. Linking his future with the white-blue striker began. Valery breaks his contract with Dynamo Moscow and leaves for the ocean.
NHL
Before the start of the 2013 draft, Valeri meets with the head coach of Dallas. The coach was interested in the player. That’s why it was Nichushkin who went to Dallas following the first round. Immediately after the draft, Dallas signed the player to a standard rookie contract. He made his NHL debut in October 2013. However, the forward was not immediately able to distinguish himself from productive actions.
Dallas had the experienced Russian Sergei Gonchar in the lineup. He helped Nichushkin overcome his crisis. Dallas’ head coach was sympathetic to the young player’s struggles. After guidance from the experienced hockey player and trust from the coaching staff, Valery scored his first puck in the game against the Anaheim Ducks. This puck helped the forward become the youngest author of a goal in Dallas history.
Nichushkin has earned his place in the first lineup, entering the ice with the team’s leaders. He has four points in one regular season game as a result of his placement on the first line. The Russian broke the record for the most points in one game for a rookie.
The forward appeared in 75 games in the 2013-2014 season. Nichushkin was one of the team’s leaders. Valeriy made his debut for the adult national team at the Olympic Games in Sochi. The forward took part in all of the team’s games at the tournament, where he could only score in the opening game against Slovenia. Russia had a very poor showing at this tournament and could only make it to the quarterfinals.
After a successful season, Nichushkin suffered a serious hip injury early in the next year. This sidelined the forward for several months. He didn’t return to the ice until early March of the following year. However, he never managed to regain his former form.
In the 2014-2015 season, the forward played in Dallas only 15 games, distinguishing himself with one assist. For the rest of the season, the hockey player was forced to play the rest of the season in the farm club. Nichushkin trained hard during the offseason to be in good shape for the start of the regular season and to spend the final year of his contract at the highest level. He did it but unlike in his debut season, the Russian is no longer a member of the top three on offense. In 79 regular season games, he managed to score only 29 points. At the end of the season, team management was in no hurry to offer Nichushkin a full-player contract. He waited until September and returned to CSKA in Russia.
Nichushkin spent two seasons with the Army team and became one of the team’s main strike forces. He appeared in 114 regular season and playoff games and scored 65 points. During this time, Valery became a silver and bronze medalist in the KHL Championship. At the moment, the last international tournament in which Nichushkin played is listed as the 2018 World Championship. The Russian team was not only the favorite but also one of the most productive teams. Despite that, they failed to win this time as well. We had to settle for only bronze medals. Nichushki took part in 6 games and dished out 3 assists during the championship.
Return to the NHL
After 2 productive seasons in Russia, he returned to North America and signed a full-fledged contract with Dallas. The agreement is for 2 years with a total of 5 million and 900 thousand dollars.
In the 2018-2019 season, the striker gave out the worst performance of his career. In the regular championship, Nichushkin played 50 games, in which he could not score once and gave 10 assists. Neither the player nor the team management expected this to happen. After the season ended, the player was placed on the draft board.
In August 2019, Nichushkin signed a one-year contract with Colorado. In the 2019-2020 season, Valeri played 65 games for Colorado, in which he was able to score 27 points. Despite the rather modest performance, the club management decided to sign Nichushkin to another contract. Under the new agreement, the striker was to earn $6 million over 2 years. Despite his great eagerness to realize his potential, it did not work out. In the 2020-21 regular season, the forward participated in 65 games, marking ten pucks and 11 assists.
The best season of Nichushkin’s career is 2021/2022. The Russian managed 52 points in 62 regular season games. Nichushkin was one of the team’s leaders and helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup for the first time in a long time. It’s an amazing story of how a player who scored 20 points a season, despite all the setbacks, got his way and won the most prestigious team award in hockey.