Maxim Afinogenov

Full name: Maxim Sergeevich Afinogenov
Team: SKA St. Petersburg (KHL)
Number: 61
Position: Right Wing
Height: 6’0”/182 cm
Weight: 194 lbs/88 kg
Shoots: Left
Born: September 4, 1979 in Moscow, RUS
Drafted: Selected by Buffalo Sabres in 3rd round (69th overall) of the 1997 Entry Draft

Strengths: Russia is not short on speedy, electrifying forwards, but Afinogenov stands out with his up-tempo game and penchant for making fancy dekes around opposing defencemen. Other than being dangerous on offense, he has also become more reliable in defensive and penalty-killing situations.

Weaknesses: Afinogenov’s unpredictable and explosive style of play makes him prone to losing control of the puck. He shies away from tough physical play, but occasionally takes undisciplined penalties. In recent seasons, Afinogenov has missed more games due to injury and his ice-time has decreased.

Biography: Afinogenov comes from a sporting family, as his mother was a track and field athlete. He was drawn to hockey at very young age and was already on a team when he was seven. Despite being a good student at school, Maxim frequently got into trouble. His devotion to hockey paid off in his teen years, making it to the junior squad of the prestigious Dynamo Moscow. When he was sixteen, he even got to play in one game for the main team! In that same season, he began to regularly represent Russia at international tournaments. Afinogenov was Russia’s top scorer at the 1999 World Junior Championship held in Canada, winning the Best Forward award and helping lead Russia to its first World Junior gold medal finish in the post-Soviet era. In his final season with Dynamo before leaving to North America, Maxim’s team made it to the final of the Superleague playoffs, but ultimately lost. Following a stint in the American Hockey League, Afinogenov secured a spot on the Buffalo Sabres and instantly became one of the team’s most skilled players. Despite his talents, “Mad Max” did not fit in with ease in coach Lindy Ruff’s notorious defensive system. The most memorable goal scored by Afinogenov came in the quarterfinal match against Czech Republic at the 2002 Olympics, when Max scored Russia’s only goal against former Buffalo teammate Dominik Hasek. Back in the NHL, he suffered a concussion during team training camp and had to miss most of the 2002-03 season. In December 2003, “Mad Max” registered his first NHL hattrick. During the NHL lockout of 2004-05, Afinogenov returned to Dynamo and this time the team succeeded in winning the Russian Superleague championship. Returning to the NHL, Maxim led the Sabres in scoring in 2006 and continued to produce at a greater than point-per-game pace before wrist and groin injuries shortened his season in 2007. Towards the end of the 2008-09 season, he was a healthy scratch, signalling the end of his playing career in Buffalo. For the following season, Afinogenov practiced with the Atlanta Thrashers on a try-out basis, secured a spot playing alongside Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikolai Antropov and would go on to top 60 points. In 2010, he returned to Russia and signed a five-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg.

Club Stats:

Season	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
1995-96	Dynamo Moscow	1	0	0	0		0
1996-97	Dynamo Moscow	29	6	5	11		10
1997-98	Dynamo Moscow	35	10	5	15		53
1998-99	Dynamo Moscow	38	8	13	21		24
1999-00	Rochester (AHL)	15	6	12	18	+5	8
1999-00	Buffalo	65	16	18	34	-4	41
2000-01	Buffalo	78	14	22	36	+1	40
2001-02	Buffalo	81	21	19	40	-9	69
2002-03	Buffalo	35	5	6	11	-12	21
2003-04	Buffalo	73	17	14	31	-4	57
2004-05	Dynamo Moscow	36	13	14	27		91
2005-06	Buffalo	77	22	51	73	+6	84
2006-07	Buffalo	56	23	38	61	+19	66
2007-08	Buffalo	56	10	18	28	-16	42
2008-09	Buffalo	48	6	14	20	-7	20
2009-10	Atlanta	82	24	37	61	-17	46
2010-11	SKA St. Petersburg	51	13	20	33	+8	50
2011-12	SKA St. Petersburg	23	4	8	12	+4	36
2012-13	SKA St. Petersburg	26	4	4	8	-3	4
Totals	RHL/KHL Reg. Season	239	58	69	127		268
Totals	RHL/KHL Playoffs	55	18	16	34		46
Totals	NHL Reg. Season	651	158	237	395	-43	486
Totals	NHL Playoffs	49	10	13	23	+5	22

National Team Stats:

Year	Tournament	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1996	European U18	5	1	1	2	0
1997	European U18	6	4	3	7	18
1998	World U20	7	3	2	5	4
1999	World U20	7	3	5	8	0
1999	World Championship	6	2	1	3	2
2000	World Championship	6	1	0	1	4
2002	Olympic Games	6	2	2	4	4
2002	World Championship	9	3	0	3	6
2004	World Championship	5	1	1	2	4
2004	World Cup	4	0	1	1	2
2005	World Championship	9	3	2	5	6
2006	Olympic Games	8	0	1	1	10
2008	World Championship	8	5	1	6	2
2010	Olympic Games	4	1	1	2	0
2010	World Championship	9	3	4	7	18
2011	World Championship	9	1	2	3	6
Totals	U18 Level	11	5	4	9	18
Totals	U20 Level	14	6	7	13	4
Totals	Senior Level	83	22	16	38	66

Photo Gallery:

Afinogenov had his best season in 2005-06

Maxim has represented Russia in more than a dozen tournaments

Afinogenov was the most electrifying player in Buffalo

Maxim scores at the 2008 World Championship

“Mad Max” scores!

Afinogenov played only one season with Ilya Kovalchuk and the Thrashers

Maxim now plays for SKA St. Petersburg

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Sergei Samsonov

Full name: Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov
Last team: Florida Panthers
Number: 14
Position: Left Wing
Height: 5’8”/173 cm
Weight: 188 lbs/85 kg
Shoots: Right
Born: October 27, 1978 in Moscow, RUS
Drafted: Selected by Boston Bruins in 1st round (8th overall) of the 1997 Entry Draft

Strengths: Sergei Samsonov has shown to be capable of being an elite point-per-game winger. He is among hockey’s fastest and most creative players, exciting fans with flashy plays.

Weaknesses: As one of the NHL’s smallest and least tough players, Samsonov is not a dominant force on the ice. Following an injury in 2002, he has not been able to elevate his play to higher levels and score consistently.

Biography: “Sammy” grew up in Moscow at a time when the Red Army team consisted of legends like Larionov, Makarov, Krutov, Fetisov, and later Bure, Mogilny, and Fedorov. To have the opportunity to follow in their footsteps was a great honour for Sergei, as he developed in the Red Army’s youth program since the age of six. Already at the age of sixteen he was demonstrating that he had world-class hockey skills by tearing up the junior league in scoring. Before the end of his wunderkind season, he earned a spot with the main CSKA club and drew plenty of attention from top NHL teams. Sergei shined at the 1996 and 1997 World Junior Championships, helping Russia win the bronze medal in both years and being named the tournament’s Best Forward in the latter year. While still seventeen, Samsonov moved to North America to play for the International Hockey League’s Detroit Vipers. Sergei helped his new team win the league’s championship and also was named the Rookie of the Year. He is still considered a very popular athlete in the Michigan area. Drafted to the NHL by the Bruins, Samsonov immediately made the team and had an impressive year, winning the Calder Trophy as NHL’s best rookie. He improved in each of the next few seasons, eventually becoming a top-line forward. Samsonov was a member of Russia’s Olympic team that won bronze at the 2002 Olympics. His career took a big hit later that year due to a wrist injury that required surgery and caused him to miss almost an entire NHL season. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Sergei joined Dynamo Moscow at the end of the season. After the NHL resumed, Samsonov suffered more injuries that hindered the quality of his play. In 2006, he was traded to Edmonton and went all the way to the Stanley Cup final with the Oilers. Samsonov signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 2006, but did not fit in well with the club and was eventually waived. He began the next season with the Chicago Blackhawks, but finished with the Carolina Hurricanes, with whom he signed a new three-year deal. In 2011, he was traded to the Florida Panthers. Samsonov is currently unsigned.

Club Stats:

Season	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM
1994-95	CSKA-2 Moscow (CIS-2)	50	110	72	182
1994-95	CSKA Moscow	13	2	2	4		14
1995-96	CSKA Moscow	51	21	17	38		12
1996-97	Detroit Vipers (IHL)	73	29	35	64		18
1997-98	Boston	81	22	25	47	+9	8
1998-99	Boston	79	25	26	51	-6	18
1999-00	Boston	77	19	26	45	-6	4
2000-01	Boston	82	29	46	75	+6	18
2001-02	Boston	74	29	41	70	+21	27
2002-03	Boston	8	5	6	11	+8	2
2003-04	Boston	58	17	23	40	+12	4
2004-05	Dynamo Moscow	3	1	0	1		0
2005-06	Boston/Edmonton	74	23	30	53	-3	22
2006-07	Montreal	63	9	17	26	-4	10
2007-08	Rockford (AHL)	2	1	0	1	-1	0
2007-08	Chicago/Carolina	61	14	22	36	-1	16
2008-09	Carolina	81	16	32	48	-8	28
2009-10	Carolina	72	14	15	29	-15	32
2010-11	Carolina/Florida	78	13	27	40	-2	14
Totals	RHL Reg. Season	67	24	19	43		26
Totals	RHL Playoffs	8	2	3	5		4
Totals	NHL Reg. Season	888	235	336	571	+11	209
Totals	NHL Playoffs	76	18	29	47	+7	20

National Team Stats:

Year	Tournament	GP	G	A	PTS	PIM
1995	European U18	5	2	4	6	0
1996	European U18	5	3	2	5	4
1996	World U20	7	4	2	6	0
1997	World U20	6	6	1	7	0
2002	Olympic Games	6	1	2	3	4
2004	World Cup	4	1	2	3	0
Totals	U18 Level	10	5	6	11	4
Totals	U20 Level	13	10	3	13	0
Totals	Senior Level	10	2	4	6	4

Photo Gallery:

Samsonov captained Russia’s junior squad to bronze medals

Sergei won the Calder Trophy a NHL’s best rookie in 1998

Sammy was the most skilled player when played on the Bruins

Samsonov at the Salt Lake City Olympics

One of the league’s best stickhandlers

Samsonov didn’t hang too long as an Edmonton Oiler

As a Carolina Hurricane

Sergei most recently played for Florida