Ilya Lyubushkin

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Nikolaevich and the family name is Lyubushkin.

Ilya Lyubushkin
Born (1994-04-06) 6 April 1994 (age 30)
Moscow, Russia
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
NHL Draft
 Undrafted
Playing career 2012–present

Ilya Nikolaevich Lyubushkin (Russian: Илья Николаевич Любушкин; born 6 April 1994) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, and Anaheim Ducks of the NHL and Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Playing career

Lyubushkin began his career in Russia with Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the Supreme Hockey League (VHL). However, after the plane crash that killed many of the players from Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), a draft was held to repopulate the team and Lyubushkin was among those selected.[1] Lyubushkin made his KHL debut playing with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl during the 2012–13 KHL season.[2] He played his first five professional seasons with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl before opting to become a free agent following the 2017–18 season.[3]

Lyubushkin signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL) on 23 May 2018.[3] In his debut season in North America in the 2018–19 season, Lyubushkin remained on the Coyotes roster for the duration of the year, adding a defensive physical presence. He registered 4 assists in 41 games while finishing fourth on the team and third among all NHL rookies with 150 hits. On 14 June 2019, Lyubushkin was re-signed to a one-year contract to continue with the Arizona Coyotes.[4] He scored four points in 51 games with the Coyotes during the 2019–20 season. As a restricted free agent, Lyubushkin returned for a third season with the Coyotes by agreeing to a one-year, $1 million contract extension on 5 October 2020.[5] He was later returned on loan by the Coyotes to join former club, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, until the commencement of NHL training camp on 28 October 2020.[6] During the 2020–21 season, Lyubushkin scored his first NHL goal against Jonathan Quick in a 4–3 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on 8 April 2021.[7]

On 19 February 2022, Lyubushkin was traded, along with teammate

2025.[8] Lyubushkin made his Maple Leafs debut on 22 February versus the Columbus Blue Jackets.[9] He scored his first goal for the Maple Leafs on 14 April 2022, in a 7–3 win over the Washington Capitals.[10] He made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut on 2 May in a 5–0 rout over the Tampa Bay Lightning, a game in which he fought Corey Perry.[11] The Maple Leafs were eliminated by the Lightning in seven games in the first round.[12]

On 13 July 2022, Lyubushkin was signed as an

shorthanded on a breakaway against Andrei Vasilevskiy in a 6–5 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. It was the first shorthanded overtime goal in Sabres' history.[15] In his first season with the Sabres, he set a career high in points with 14 while scoring 2 goals.[16]

After one season in Buffalo, Lyubushkin was traded to the Anaheim Ducks on 18 August 2023, in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 draft (previously acquired in a deal for John Klingberg).[16] He appeared in 55 games for Anaheim, recording four points.[17] He was often paired with Anaheim's rookie defenceman Pavel Mintyukov.[18]

On 29 February 2024, Lyubushkin was traded back to the Maple Leafs in a three-team deal involving the

2024 draft. Toronto also acquired the rights to unsigned Carolina draft pick Kirill Slepets, who was playing with Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL at the time.[17]

International play

Lyubushkin was selected to play for Russia at the 2014 World Junior Championships.[3] Russia defeated Canada 2–1 to win the bronze medal at the tournament.[19]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season
 Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12
 Kuznetskie Medvedi MHL 26 0 1 1 34 — — — — —
2011–12 Loko Yaroslavl MHL 21 3 1 4 26 3 1 0 1 2
2012–13 Loko Yaroslavl MHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2012–13
 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl-2 VHL 42 1 4 5 26 5 1 0 1 4
2013–14 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 32 1 1 2 18 18 0 0 0 47
2013–14 Loko Yaroslavl MHL 11 1 1 2 36 — — — — —
2014–15 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 60 1 6 7 30 6 0 0 0 8
2015–16 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 55 4 7 11 68 5 0 0 0 0
2016–17 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 60 3 4 7 69 15 0 1 1 26
2017–18 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 50 3 6 9 73 9 1 0 1 4
2018–19 Arizona Coyotes NHL 41 0 4 4 13 — — — — —
2019–20 Tucson Roadrunners AHL 2 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2019–20 Arizona Coyotes NHL 51 0 4 4 18 — — — — —
2020–21 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 5 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2020–21 Arizona Coyotes NHL 42 1 1 2 10 — — — — —
2021–22 Arizona Coyotes NHL 46 0 9 9 26 — — — — —
2021–22 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 31 2 4 6 25 7 0 1 1 18
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 68 2 12 14 38 — — — — —
2023–24 Anaheim Ducks NHL 55 0 4 4 51 — — — — —
KHL totals 262 12 24 36 260 53 1 1 2 85
NHL totals 334 5 38 43 181 7 0 1 1 18

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2014 Russia
WJC
 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 4 4 6
Junior totals 7 0 4 4 6

References

  1. ^ Morgan, Craig (6 September 2018). "Deadly plane crash created Ilya Lyubushkin's NHL opportunity". The Athletic. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  2. ^ "Ilya Lyubushkin player profile". Kontinental Hockey League. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Coyotes Sign Lyubushkin to One-Year Contract". Arizona Coyotes. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018 – via NHL.com.
  4. ^ "Coyotes sign Lyubushkin to one-year contract". Arizona Coyotes. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019 – via NHL.com.
  5. ^ "Coyotes re-sign Capobianco and Lyubushkin". Arizona Coyotes. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020 – via NHL.com.
  6. ^ "Coyotes' Ilya Lyubushkin: Loaned to KHL club". CBS Sports. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Grundstrom's goal caps Kings' rally for 4-3 win over Coyotes". ESPN. Associated Press. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Maple Leafs Acquire Dzingel and Lyubushkin from Arizona". Toronto Maple Leafs. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2022 – via NHL.com.
  9. ^ "Lyubushkin makes Maple Leafs debut vs. Blue Jackets, Muzzin resting in Toronto". Sportsnet. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  10. ^ Wharnsby, Tim (14 April 2022). "Matthews records 100th point of season as Maple Leafs score 7 in rout of Capitals". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  11. ^ Brehm, Mike (2 May 2022). "Ugly brawl breaks out as Toronto Maple Leafs rout Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 1". USA Today. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  12. ^ AlBaroudi, Wajih (14 May 2022). "2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Lightning beat Maple Leafs in Game 7, still hunting for third straight championship". CBS Sports. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  13. ^ "Sabres sign Lyubushkin to 2-year contract". Buffalo Sabres. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022 – via NHL.com.
  14. ^ Engel, Heather (13 October 2022). "Peterka helps Sabres defeat Senators in season opener". National Hockey League. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  15. ^ Kreiser, John (23 February 2023). "Lyubushkin scores in overtime as Sabres top Lightning 6-5". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Lyubushkin traded to Ducks by Sabres". National Hockey League. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Maple Leafs Acquire Defenceman Ilya Lyubushkin". Toronto Maple Leafs. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via NHL.com.
  18. ^ "Maple Leafs acquire D Ilya Lyubushkin from Ducks in 3-team trade involving Hurricanes". The Washington Post. Associated Press. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  19. ^ "World juniors 2014: Russia wins 2-1 over Canada for bronze". CBC News. 5 January 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2024.

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