Oleg Saprykin

Oleg Saprykin

Born	(1981-02-12) February 12, 1981 (age 36) Moscow, Russian SFSR, URS
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
KHL team Former teams	Salavat Yulaev Ufa Calgary Flames Phoenix Coyotes Ottawa Senators HC Dynamo Moscow SKA Saint Petersburg Salavat Yulaev Ufa CSKA Moscow HC Sochi Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
National team	Russia
NHL Draft	11th overall, 1999 Calgary Flames
Playing career	2000–present

Oleg Dmitrievich Saprykin (Russian: Олег Дмитриевич Сапрыкин; born February 12, 1981) is a Russian professional ice hockey player. Saprykin is currently playing with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), and has also played with HC Dynamo Moscow, SKA Saint Petersburg, HC Sochi and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. He played in the 2009 KHL All-Star Game, held in Red Square and was a member of Ufa's Gagarin Cup championship team in 2011. Saprykin also played parts of seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a first round selection, 11th overall, of the Calgary Flames and also played for the Phoenix Coyotes and Ottawa Senators. Internationally, Saprykin has played with the Russian National Team on two occasions and was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 2009 World Championship.

A native of Moscow, Saprykin broke into the Russian Super League in 1997 as a 16-year-old with HC CSKA Moscow. He recorded two assists in 20 Russian League games. Hoping to attract the attention of National Hockey League (NHL) scouts, Saprykin left Russia to play junior hockey in North America. He joined the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the 1998–99 season. Saprykin finished 10th in league scoring with 93 points and was named to the WHL's second All-Star Team.