19 | March | 2011 | Russkiy Hockey

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