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Maxim Afinogenov
Maxim Afinogenov
Born September 4, 1979 (1979-09-04) (age 44)
Moscow, Russia
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
KHL team
Former teams
Vityaz Podolsk
Dynamo Moscow
Buffalo Sabres
Atlanta Thrashers
SKA St. Petersburg
National team Template:Country data RUS
NHL Draft 69th overall, 1997
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 1995–present

Maxim Afinogenov (born Maxim Sergeyevich Afinogenov on September 4, 1979) is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for Vityaz Podolsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Known for his blistering skating speed, Maxim was drafted by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Buffalo Sabres in the third round (69th overall) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and played nine seasons with the club.

He then played one season with the Atlanta Thrashers before signing with SKA St. Petersburg in 2010.

Playing Career[]

Buffalo Sabres[]

Maxim was a forward for Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague (RSL) for four seasons. He was drafted 69th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and played his rookie NHL season in 1999–2000, scoring 34 points in 65 games, while also playing in 15 games with the Sabres' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

Following his third season with the Sabres, a 21-goal, 40-point campaign in 2001–02, he re-signed with a two-year, $2.4 million contract on September 4, 2002. However, that same day while playing a pickup game in Moscow, Maxim took a puck to the head, suffering a concussion. He was limited to just 35 games in the subsequent season, managing just 11 points.

The next season, Maxim recorded his first career hat-trick on December 31, 2003 at the HSBC Arena in a 7–1 win against the Washington Capitals. He finished the season bouncing back from his previous concussion-riddled season with 17 goals and 31 points.

After spending the 2004–05 season back in Russia with Dynamo Moscow due to the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Maxim recorded his best season to date when NHL play resumed in 2005–06 with personal bests of 51 assists and 73 points.

As the Sabres embarked on a playoff run to the Conference Finals (where they were defeated in seven games by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes), he added eight points in 18 post-season games.

He continued his scoring pace the following season in 2006–07 and, despite missing 26 games, scored 61 points and a career-high 23 goals.

During the season, Sabres backup goalie Martin Biron was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline in February of 2007, making Maxim the longest-serving Sabre on the roster.

However, his production tailed off in 2007–08, managing just 28 points in the same number of games as the previous season.

Atlanta Thrashers[]

Following the 2008–09 season (in which he was sidelined once more with a groin injury), Maxim became an unrestricted free agent and was not re-signed by the Sabres. He left the club as the longest-serving Sabre on the previous season's roster, having played for the club since his rookie season in 1999–2000.

On September 17, 2009, the Atlanta Thrashers invited hm to their 2009–10 training camp on a tryout.

On September 29, 2009, Maxim signed a one-year contract with the team worth $800,000. He scored his first goal as a Thrasher on October 17, 2009, against the Buffalo Sabres.

Maxim finished the season with a career-high 24 goals and 61 points, finishing second on the team in points behind only Nik Antropov.

Playing Career in the KHL[]

Following the 2009–10 season, Maxim signed a five-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) as a free agent.

After a productive first season with St. Petersburg, he was plagued by an injury in the following two seasons.

He was traded to Podolsk-based HC Vityaz prior to the 2013–14 season and was announced as the team's captain.

Career Statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1995–96 Dynamo-2 Moscow RUS-2 34 23 9 32 30  —  —  —  —  —
1995–96 Dynamo Moscow RSL 1 0 0 0 0  —  —  —  —  —
1996–97 Dynamo Moscow RSL 29 6 5 11 10  —  —  —  —  —
1997–98 Dynamo Moscow RSL 35 10 5 15 53  —  —  —  —  —
1998–99 Dynamo-2 Moscow RUS-2 1 1 2 3 2  —  —  —  —  —
1998–99 Dynamo Moscow RSL 38 8 13 21 24 16 10 6 16 14
1999–00 Rochester Americans AHL 15 6 12 18 8 8 3 1 4 4
1999–00 Buffalo Sabres NHL 65 16 18 34 41 5 0 1 1 2
2000–01 Buffalo Sabres NHL 78 14 22 36 40 11 2 3 5 4
2001–02 Buffalo Sabres NHL 81 21 19 40 69  —  —  —  —  —
2002–03 Buffalo Sabres NHL 35 5 6 11 21  —  —  —  —  —
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 73 17 14 31 57  —  —  —  —  —
2004–05 Dynamo Moscow RSL 36 13 14 27 91 10 4 4 8 8
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 77 22 51 73 84 18 3 5 8 10
2006–07 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 23 38 61 66 15 5 4 9 6
2007–08 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 10 18 28 42  —  —  —  —  —
2008–09 Buffalo Sabres NHL 48 6 14 20 20  —  —  —  —  —
2009–10 Atlanta Thrashers NHL 82 24 37 61 46  —  —  —  —  —
2010–11 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 51 13 20 33 50 11 4 1 5 10
2011–12 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 23 4 8 12 36 12 3 1 4 4
2012–13 SKA St. Petersburg KHL 26 4 4 8 4 13 1 3 4 6
2013–14 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 53 12 14 26 69  —  —  —  —  —
2014–15 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 54 17 10 27 124  —  —  —  —  —
2015–16 Vityaz Podolsk KHL 56 15 13 28 34  —  —  —  —  —
RSL totals 139 37 37 74 178 30 14 12 26 22
NHL totals 651 158 237 395 486 49 10 13 23 22
KHL totals 263 65 69 134 317 36 8 5 13 20

International[]

Medal record
Maxim Afinogenov
Maxim Afinogenov
Competitor for Template:Country data RUS
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold 2008 Canada
Silver 2002 Sweden
Silver 2010 Germany
Bronze 2005 Austria
Winter Olympics
Bronze 2002 Salt Lake City
World Junior Championships
Gold 1999 Canada
Silver 1998 Helsinki
Year Team Event Place   GP G A Pts PIM
1998 Russia WJC Template:Silver2 7 3 2 5 4
1999 Russia WJC Template:Gold1 7 3 5 8 0
1999 Russia WC 9th 6 2 1 3 2
2000 Russia WC 11th 6 1 0 1 4
2002 Russia Oly Template:Bronze3 6 2 2 4 4
2002 Russia WC Template:Silver2 9 3 0 3 6
2004 Russia WC 10th 5 1 1 2 4
2004 Russia WCH 5th 4 0 1 1 2
2005 Russia WC Template:Bronze3 9 3 2 5 6
2006 Russia Oly 4th 8 1 0 1 10
2008 Russia WC Template:Gold01 8 5 1 6 2
2010 Russia Oly 6th 4 1 1 2 0
2010 Russia WC Template:Silver2 9 3 4 7 18
2011 Russia WC 4th 9 1 2 3 6
Senior international totals 83 23 15 38 64
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