Aleksander Barkov Jr.

At 29 years old, Aleksander Barkov Jr. has this physical status:

Aleksander Aleksandrovich "Sasha" Barkov, a Finnish professional ice hockey centre who is currently captain of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League, is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre who was born on September 2nd, 1995.

In the first round, second overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Barkov was chosen by the Panthers in the first round, second overall.

He is the son of former Russian hockey player Alexander Barkov Sr. and holds dual Finnish and Russian citizenship.

He grew up in Tampere, Finland, where his father was playing for the Finnish SM-Liiga at the time.

Personal life

Alexander Sr., Barkov's father, played hockey in Russia, Italy, and Finland, and he retired from Tappara in ten years. The family moved to Tampere after Barkov Sr.'s educational career ended. Barkov's mother is also Russian; he also has one older brother, Juri. Barkov speaks both Finnish and Russian; he speaks Russian at home and Finnish elsewhere; While living in North America during the NHL season, he became fluent in English. During the regular season, he and his mother, Olga, live in Boca Raton, Florida, and in the summer, where he owns a lakeside villa. In December 2021, Barkov welcomed a baby boy.

He is a fan of A.C. Milan.

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Playing career

Barkov made his debut in SM-liiga with Tappara on 1 October 2011 and became the youngest player in the league to score a point, with his assist on a goal by Kalle Kaijomaa. The 37-year old record was previously held by Juha Jyrkkiö.

During the 2012–13 season, Barkov suffered a season-ending shoulder injury which required surgery, and he was forced to sit out the rest of the playoffs and the fitness portion of the NHL Combine. Despite this, the final ranking from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft was first overall for international skaters. Barkov was eventually drafted second overall by the Florida Panthers.

On 15 July 2013, Barkov signed his first NHL contract with the Florida Panthers. He became the youngest player since the 1967 NHL expansion to score a goal on 3 October 2013, which he did it in a road game against Kari Lehtonen of the Dallas Stars at the age of 18 years and 31 days. Jordan Staal had previously held that record (for the post-expansion era), scoring his first NHL goal at the age of 18 years and 32 days.

In the midst of a successful 2015–16 season in which he was ultimately named a Lady Byng Memorial Trophy finalist (which he would lose to Anže Kopitar), on 26 January 2016, the Panthers signed Barkov to a new six-year, $35.4 million contract effective from the 2016–17 season through to the 2021–22 season.

The 2017–18 season saw Barkov reach many NHL milestones. He recorded career-highs in assists and points and was invited to the NHL All-Star Game for the first time in his career. He was again named a Lady Byng Memorial Trophy finalist after the 2017–18 season, accumulating only 14 minutes in penalties, which he would lose to William Karlsson.

On 17 September 2018, Barkov was named the Panthers' captain, replacing Derek MacKenzie. On 15 December, in a 4–3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Barkov scored his first career NHL hat-trick. He scored his second career NHL hat-trick on 17 February 2019 in a 6–3 win over the Montreal Canadiens. On 8 March 2019, in a 6–2 Panthers win over the Minnesota Wild, Barkov become the first Panther to record five assists in a one game. On April 18, for the third-straight season, Barkov was named a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, alongside Ryan O'Reilly and Sean Monahan. On 20 June, Barkov was named the winner of the trophy, accumulating just four minor penalties during the 2018–19 season.

On 8 October 2021, Barkov signed an eight-year, $80 million contract extension with the Panthers. He was nominated for the Selke Trophy for the second consecutive season.

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