Vasili Podkolzin

Vasily Alexandrovich Podkolzin (alternately spelled Vasili Podkolzin, ; born 24 June 2001) is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected tenth overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2019 NHL entry draft and made his NHL debut with them in 2021. Before joining Vancouver Podkolzin played for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League. Internationally Podkolzin has played for the Russian national junior team at several tournaments.

Playing career Podkolzin played for the Belye Medvedi club until he was 12 years old when he moved to Vityaz Podolsk. The move was done both because Belye Medvedi has no professional affiliate, and their leadership had changed. He spent four years with Vityaz at their school, but was not given a chance to play for their club in the Junior Hockey League (MHL), the top junior league in Russia, so in 2018 he decided to transfer to powerhouse SKA Saint Petersburg. He split the 2018–19 season between three teams and leagues: three games with SKA; fourteen with SKA-Neva of the Supreme Hockey League (VHL), the minor league for the KHL; and twelve games with SKA-1946 of the MHL.

Rated by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the second-best international (playing outside of North America) skater, Podkolzin was a highly regarded prospect going into the 2019 NHL entry draft. He was selected tenth overall by the Vancouver Canucks.

On 30 May 2021, Podkolzin was signed by the Vancouver Canucks to a three-year, entry-level contract. He scored his first NHL goal against the Philadelphia Flyers' Carter Hart on 15 October in his second NHL game.

During the season, while beginning the year playing with AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, Podkolzin was taken off ice on a stretcher during a game against the Colorado Eagles, due to a collision with Keaton Middleton. Podkolzin made 44 appearances with Abbotsford, registering 28 points, he was recalled to Vancouver on multiple occasions registering 2 assists through 19 games.

As a pending restricted free agent, Podkolzin was re-signed by the Canucks to a two-year, $2 million contract on 19 April 2024. Before commencing his contract with the Canucks, Podkolzin was traded by Vancouver to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL entry draft on 18 August 2024.

International play

In 2018, Podkolzin captained Russia in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup where he won a bronze medal. In the bronze medal game against the United States, Podkolzin scored a hat trick in a 5–4 victory. He led the tournament in scoring with 8 goals, 3 assists and 11 total points in 5 games. He also played at the 2019 Under-18 World Championships, scoring four points in seven games.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2018–19 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2018–19 SKA-Neva VHL 14 2 3 5 4 8 2 1 3 0 2018–19 SKA-1946 MHL 12 6 2 8 2 3 2 1 3 0 2019–20 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 30 2 6 8 7 4 1 2 3 0 2019–20 SKA-Neva VHL 16 3 5 8 6 1 0 0 0 0 2019–20 SKA-1946 MHL 2 0 4 4 6 — — — — — 2020–21 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 35 5 6 11 15 16 6 5 11 6 2020–21 SKA-Neva VHL 1 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2021–22 Vancouver Canucks NHL 79 14 12 26 26 — — — — — 2021–22 Abbotsford Canucks AHL — — — — — 2 1 1 2 0 2022–23 Vancouver Canucks NHL 39 4 3 7 9 — — — — — 2022–23 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 28 7 11 18 12 — — — — — 2023–24 Abbotsford Canucks AHL 44 15 13 28 15 3 0 1 1 2 2023–24 Vancouver Canucks NHL 19 0 2 2 8 2 0 0 0 10 2024–25 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 8 16 24 48 22 3 7 10 20 2025–26 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 19 18 37 63 6 3 3 6 5 NHL totals 301 45 51 96 154 30 6 10 16 35 KHL totals 68 7 12 19 22 20 7 7 14 6

International Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM 2017 Russia U17 5 1 5 6 10 2018 Russia U18 4 2 2 4 0 2018 Russia HG18 5 8 3 11 8 2019 Russia WJC 7 0 3 3 4 2020 Russia WJC 7 1 4 5 8 2021 Russia WJC 7 2 2 4 8 Junior totals 35 14 19 33 38

Awards and honors Award Year Ref International World Junior A Challenge – All-Star Team 2018