Nikita Gusev

Nikita Andreyevich Gusev (; born 8 July 1992), nicknamed "Goose", is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing under contract for HC Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

He became known as one of the best players in the KHL – winning the KHL's Golden Stick (MVP) award in 2018, and 2024 and finished the 2023–24 Season with 89 points (23 goals, 66 assists). His 89 points is the highest season total in the history of the KHL, beating out Sergei Mozyakin's record of 85 points. Gusev won the KHL's Gagarin Cup championship in 2017 with SKA Saint Petersburg.

Internationally, he has represented Russia on numerous occasions, winning a gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and a silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Playing career

Professional

SKA Saint Petersburg On 14 July 2017, Gusev signed a two-year contract extension with Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) powerhouse club SKA Saint Petersburg.

In the 2018–19 season, his last season under contract with SKA, Gusev posted a career and league-high 82 points, leading the KHL with 65 assists. He continued his offensive dominance in the post-season, contributing 19 points in 18 games before suffering a conference final defeat for the second consecutive season to CSKA Moscow. Through nine seasons in the KHL, Gusev is 10th all-time with 332 points in 391 games.

New Jersey Devils On 21 June 2017, with the selection of Jason Garrison by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, the Knights received from the Tampa Bay Lightning the rights to Gusev, along with a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL entry draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft as compensation for the Golden Knights agreeing to select Garrison.

On 14 April 2019, Gusev signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Vegas Golden Knights, instantly joining the club amid their first-round playoff series against the San Jose Sharks, remaining on the Golden Knights extended squad without playing for the club.

On 29 July 2019, Gusev as a restricted free agent, was traded by the Golden Knights to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a third-round pick in 2020 and a second-round pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft. He immediately agreed to terms with the Devils on a two-year, $9 million contract with an average annual value of $4,500,000. In the following 2019–20 season, Gusev made an immediate offensive impact with the rebuilding Devils, leading the club with 31 assists and placing second in points with 44 through 66 games before the remainder of the regular season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the Devils missing the postseason, Gusev returned to action in the delayed 2020–21 season and struggled to replicate the previous season's campaign offensively, posting just two goals and five points through 20 games. On 9 April 2021, the Devils placed Gusev on unconditional waivers in order to mutually terminate the remainder of his contract.

Florida Panthers On 11 April 2021, Gusev signed as a free agent to a one-year, $1 million contract with the Florida Panthers.

Return to SKA As a free agent over the summer and approaching the season, Gusev opted to continue his career in the NHL, signing a Professional Tryout contract in accepting an invitation to attend the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp on September 18, 2021. Gusev was later released from his tryout on October 5, 2021. with no other NHL teams expressing an interest he opted to return to the KHL, with his former team SKA Saint Petersburg.

Gusev enjoyed two offensively productive seasons with SKA, before opting to leave the club as a free agent at the conclusion of the 2022–23 season on 30 April 2023.

Dynamo Moscow On 18 July 2023, Gusev as a free agent agreed to terms on a one-year contract with his fifth KHL club, HC Dynamo Moscow, for the 2023–24 season. After a highly productive debut season with Dynamo, Gusev was re-signed to a one-year contract extension on 1 August 2024.

International play

Gusev has played for Russia at the World Junior Championships and World Championships. He was a member of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

On 23 January 2022, Gusev was named to the roster to represent Russian Olympic Committee athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2007–08 Belye Medvedi Moskva MosJHL 7 5 9 14 0 — — — — — 2008–09 Belye Medvedi Moskva MosJHL 24 30 33 63 6 — — — — — 2009–10 Krasnaya Armiya MHL 48 17 40 57 14 5 1 2 3 0 2010–11 CSKA Moscow KHL 18 1 0 1 2 — — — — — 2010–11 Krasnaya Armiya MHL 38 22 37 59 14 16 17 10 27 6 2011–12 CSKA Moscow KHL 15 2 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 2011–12 Krasnaya Armiya MHL 34 30 46 76 26 19 16 17 33 0 2012–13 CSKA Moscow KHL 6 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2012–13 THK Tver VHL 15 7 6 13 2 — — — — — 2012–13 Amur Khabarovsk KHL 24 4 8 12 6 — — — — — 2013–14 HC Yugra KHL 44 8 6 14 10 — — — — — 2014–15 HC Yugra KHL 55 21 16 37 12 — — — — — 2015–16 HC Yugra KHL 23 7 7 14 4 — — — — — 2015–16 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 33 13 22 35 10 15 5 9 14 0 2016–17 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 57 24 47 71 8 18 7 16 23 2 2017–18 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 54 22 40 62 2 15 7 5 12 2 2018–19 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 62 17 65 82 10 18 9 10 19 0 2019–20 New Jersey Devils NHL 66 13 31 44 12 — — — — — 2020–21 New Jersey Devils NHL 20 2 3 5 0 — — — — — 2020–21 Florida Panthers NHL 11 2 3 5 2 — — — — — 2021–22 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 31 10 25 35 4 16 7 9 16 12 2022–23 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 37 23 26 49 6 13 5 7 12 0 2023–24 Dynamo Moscow KHL 68 23 66 89 10 9 3 7 10 2 2024–25 Dynamo Moscow KHL 68 29 40 69 12 17 5 6 11 8 2025–26 Dynamo Moscow KHL 66 17 38 55 4 4 1 1 2 0 KHL totals 661 221 408 629 100 126 49 70 119 26 NHL totals 97 17 37 54 14 — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2012 Russia WJC 7 3 6 9 0 2017 Russia WC 10 7 7 14 4 2018 OAR OG 6 4 8 12 4 2018 Russia WC 6th 4 1 3 4 0 2019 Russia WC 10 4 12 16 0 2022 ROC OG 6 0 6 6 2 Junior totals 7 3 6 9 0 Senior totals 36 16 36 52 10

Awards and honors

Award YearKHL All-Star Game 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 Golden Stick (MVP) 2018, 2024 Gagarin Cup champion 2017 International Olympic Best Forward 2018