Nikita Scherbak

Nikita Sergeevich Scherbak (Russian: Никита Сергеевич Щербак; born December 30, 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for Ducs d'Angers of the Ligue Magnus.

Nikita Scherbak
Scherbak in 2014
Born (1995-12-30) December 30, 1995
Moscow, Russia
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Left
Ligue Magnus team
Former teams		 Ducs d'Angers
St. John's IceCaps
Montreal Canadiens
Laval Rocket
Los Angeles Kings
Ontario Reign
Avangard Omsk
Traktor Chelyabinsk
HC '05 Banská Bystrica
Mountfield HK
HC Slovan Bratislava
NHL Draft 26th overall, 2014
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2015–present

He most recently played under contract with the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL). Scherbak was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (26th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Junior
Nikita Scherbak with the Everett Silvertips in 2015

Scherbak began his junior career in 2012 playing with Kapitan Stupino in the Russian Junior Hockey League.[1] Scherbak was drafted by the Saskatoon Blades in the 2nd round of the 2013 CHL Import Draft.

He joined the Blades in 2013 where he led all rookies in goals (28), assists (50), and points (78) during the 2013–14 WHL season.[2] His outstanding play was rewarded when he was invited to play the 2014 CHL Top Prospects Game.[3]

Scherbak was rated as a top prospect who was viewed as a possible first round selection heading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[4] After his selection on July 22, 2014, he was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens.[5]

On September 22, Scherbak was traded to the Everett Silvertips from the Saskatoon Blades based on league rules which state that no more than two non-North American players may be on the same club's roster at any given time.[6]

Professional

During the 2016–17 season, Scherbak made his NHL debut for Montreal Canadiens on January 7, 2017 against Toronto Maple Leafs and scored on the power play, on his first NHL career shot, to put the Canadiens up 3–2, with just 0.9 seconds left of the first period.[7] Montreal won the game 5–3.

After starting the first 11 games of the 2018–19 season as a healthy scratch, Scherbak was assigned to the Laval Rocket, Montreal's AHL affiliate, for conditioning.[8][9] He made his season debut on October 31, 2018 in a 2–1 loss against the Belleville Senators.[10] On November 9, 2018, Scherbak scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season in a 5–1 victory over the Cleveland Monsters.[11] He was recalled from the conditioning stint on November 14, 2018, but did not immediately rejoin the Canadiens because of a lower-body injury.[12] On December 1, 2018, Scherbak was placed on NHL waivers by the Canadiens.[13] He was subsequently claimed by the Los Angeles Kings.[14]

On June 25, 2019, having completed his contract with the Kings, Scherbak was not tendered a qualifying offer by the club, releasing him as a free agent.[15] The following day, while opting to return to Russia to continue his career, Scherbak was officially signed to a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the KHL.[16] In his first KHL season in 2019–20, Scherbak opened with just 2 goals and 6 points through 16 games before he was released by Avangard Omsk. On November 5, 2019, Scherbak continued in the KHL, joining fellow club Traktor Chelyabinsk for the remainder of the season.[17]

As an un-signed free agent entering the pandemic delayed 2020–21, Scherbak opted to return to North America, agreeing to a one-year AHL contract with the Texas Stars, affiliate of the Dallas Stars, on 23 January 2021.[18] He was productive during his tenure with Texas, collecting 5 goal and 15 points through 28 appearances in the shortened season.

As a free agent in the off-season, Scherbak returned to Europe in securing a contract with Slovak Extraliga club, HC '05 Banská Bystrica, on 9 September 2021.[19][20]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Kapitan Stupino MHL 50771414 —————
2013–14 Saskatoon Blades WHL 6528507846 —————
2014–15 Everett Silvertips WHL 6527558260 1135810
2015–16 St. John's IceCaps AHL 487162320 —————
2016–17 St. John's IceCaps AHL 6613284132 41124
2016–17 Montreal Canadiens NHL 31010 —————
2017–18 Laval Rocket AHL 267233020 —————
2017–18 Montreal Canadiens NHL 264268 —————
2018–19 Laval Rocket AHL 51012 —————
2018–19 Los Angeles Kings NHL 81012 —————
2018–19 Ontario Reign AHL 23471118 —————
2019–20 Avangard Omsk KHL 1624610 —————
2019–20 Traktor Chelyabinsk KHL 1514512 —————
2020–21 Texas Stars AHL 285101512 —————
2021–22 HC '05 Banská Bystrica Slovak 256152120 —————
2021–22 Mountfield HK ELH 1748124 51126
2022–23 Mountfield HK ELH 51454 —————
2022–23 HC Slovan Bratislava Slovak 102682 41122
NHL totals 37 6 2 8 10 — — — — —
KHL totals 31 3 8 11 22 — — — — —

Awards and honours
Award Year
WHL
CHL Top Prospects Game (Team Cherry) 2014 [21]

References
  1. "Nikita Scherbak prospect profile". HockeysFuture.com. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  2. "Saskatoon Blades' Nikita Scherbak snubbed of rookie honour, and other WHL awards notes". Yahoo! Sports. April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
  3. "Nikita Scherbak - The Next Ones: 2014 NHL Draft Prospect Profile". thehockeywriters.com. June 15, 2014. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  4. "Nikita Scherbak Top 30 NHL Draft Prospect". frozenfutures.com. June 15, 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  5. "Canadiens sign first round pick Scherbak". National Hockey League. July 21, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  6. "Blades Trade Scherbak to Silvertips". WHL.ca. WHL.ca. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  7. "Canadiens Scherbak scores on debut". Montreal Canadiens. January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  8. "Nikita Scherbak assigned to Laval Rocket for conditioning". Eyes On The Prize. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  9. "Canadiens' Nikita Scherbak: Heads down for conditioning". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  10. "'It's frustrating': Nikita Scherbak makes season debut with Rocket, loses 2-1". Eyes On The Prize. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  11. "Two goals from Jake Evans fuel Rocket in 5-1 victory over Monsters". Rocket de Laval. November 10, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  12. "Le Canadien rappelle Nikita Scherbak | Hockey". La Presse (in Canadian French). November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  13. Cowan, Stu (December 1, 2018). "Canadiens put Nikita Scherbak on NHL waivers". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  14. Cowan, Stu (December 1, 2018). "Canadiens put Nikita Scherbak on NHL waivers". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  15. "Blake on draft, approach to free agency". lakingsinsider.com. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  16. "Avangard signs Nikita Scherbak, announces return of two juniors" (in Russian). Avangard Omsk. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  17. "Nikita Scherbak will continue his career in Traktor" (in Russian). Traktor Chelyabinsk. November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  18. "Texas Stars announce signings of six forwards". Texas Stars. January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  19. "Nikita Scherbak, forward with NHL experience, comes to Bystrica" (in Slovak). HC '05 Banská Bystrica. September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  20. "Do HC ´05 prichádza Nikita Scherbak, útočník so skúsenosťami z NHL". hc05.sk (in Slovak). September 9, 2021.
  21. "Top Prospects Game Standouts". The Hockey Writers. January 7, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
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