Aleksander Barkov

Aleksander Aleksandrovich "Sasha" Barkov (; born 2 September 1995) is a Finnish professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Barkov was selected by the Panthers in the first round, second overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He is the son of former Russian ice hockey player Alexander Barkov Sr. and holds dual Finnish and Russian citizenship. Barkov is regarded as an elite two-way centre and one of the best defensive forwards in hockey, winning the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2021 and 2024.

Barkov was born and raised in Tampere, Finland, where his father was playing for Tappara of the Finnish SM-Liiga at the time. Barkov joined Tappara's junior system and started his professional career with the club in the Finnish Elite League in 2011. Upon making his debut at the age of 16, he surpassed a 37-year-old record by becoming the youngest player in the league to score a point. Before suffering a season-ending injury, he set numerous career highs in the 2012–13 season and was ranked first overall amongst international skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Following the draft, Barkov joined the Florida Panthers roster and made his NHL debut as the youngest player in the league during the 2013–14 season. While his early seasons were often shortened due to injuries, he steadily improved his performance over time. Alongside his teammate Jonathan Huberdeau, Barkov often played on the Panthers' first line and his style of play earned widespread recognition across the league. Upon being named the tenth captain in Panthers franchise history in 2018, he experienced a breakout season where he surpassed Pavel Bure's franchise record for most points in a single season. He finished with a franchise-best 96 points and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy as the league's most gentlemanly player. Despite his efforts, the Panthers only qualified for the playoffs once in his first six seasons with the team.

While the following seasons were shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Barkov and the Panthers thrived and qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs for four consecutive seasons. After falling in the first round during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, he broke out offensively and helped lead the Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup playoffs. During the 2020–21 season, Barkov became the first player in franchise history to register six consecutive 50-point and 20-goal seasons. He also became the first Panther in franchise history to be recognized with the Frank J. Selke Trophy, as the forward who "demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game." After being eliminated in the first round in back-to-back seasons, he continued to lead the Panthers in scoring en route to a third Stanley Cup playoffs showing. Although he experienced setbacks due to injuries, Barkov surpassed Olli Jokinen and became the first player in franchise history to score 200 goals for the Panthers. While Barkov did not make an immediate impact during the Panthers' first-round series against the Washington Capitals, he gradually found his offensive game later in the series. His efforts helped the Panthers advance past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1996. In 2024, he captained the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, becoming the first Finnish-born captain to win the Cup. Provided by Wikipedia