RALEIGH, N.C. – Eric Tulsky, General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has agreed to terms with defenseman Alexander Nikishin on a two-year, entry level contract. The deal will pay Nikishin $832,500 for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, and he receives a signing bonus of $185,000.
“We are grateful for Alexander’s time with SKA, a premier European hockey franchise, which helped him develop into one of the top prospects in hockey,” said Tulsky. “His size and skill have allowed him to have a record-breaking career in the KHL, and we believe he will be an impactful player in the NHL.”
Nikishin, 23, scored 17 goals and added 29 assists (46 points) in 61 regular-season games while serving as team captain for SKA St. Petersburg during the 2024-25 season. The Orel, Russia, native ranked second among KHL defensemen in goals and game-winning goals (4) and third in points. He also appeared in four playoff games for SKA, scoring two goals and earning an assist (3 points).
Nikishin is SKA’s all-time leader in scoring by a defenseman with 177 points (54g, 123a) and 166 penalty minutes in 288 regular-season games, also adding 15 points (8g, 7a) in 35 career postseason contests. Nikishin established a record for single-season scoring by a Russian-born KHL defenseman in 2022-23, leading all KHL defensemen with 55 points (11g, 44a) in 65 games, and then broke his own record the following season, again leading all KHL defensemen with 56 points (17g, 39a) in 67 contests. The 6’2”, 220-pound defenseman was named KHL Defenseman of the Month seven times over the past three seasons. Selected by the Hurricanes in the third round, 69th overall, at the 2020 NHL Draft, Nikishin was the youngest player representing Russia at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, capturing a silver medal.
