Evgeni Malkin Fansite - Evgeni Malkin Biography

The six foot three inch, 186 pound center was drafted 2nd overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was the second pick in the draft behind Alexander Ovechkin. Malkin has chosen to remain in Russia for the 2005-06 hockey season with Metallurg Magnitogorsk to hone his skills before signing for the Penguins for the 2006-07 NHL season. Potential frontrunner for Calder Trophy in 2006-2007. He has not yet signed with the Penguins for the 06-07 season.

Evgeni Malkin is a product of the Metallurg Magnitogorsk hockey school. He has consistently been the top scorer on Russia’s ‘06 national team. He made his debut on the U18 squad during last season’s 2003 U18 World Junior Championships, where he skated on the top line with Alexander Ovechkin. He made his Russian Superleague debut during the 2003-04 season, working his way up from the fourth line.

Malkin has been compared to players such as legendary Montreal Canadien Jean Beliveau, and is currently thought to be the best hockey player outside of the NHL. Malkin is a very smooth skater with great passing ability and many experts agree that in a draft without an Ovechkin- or Crosby-like prospect he could and would be a first overall.

Malkin was named top forward and MVP of the 2006 World Junior Hockey Tournament for the silver medal winning Russian team, which he captained. He earned first star against the American hockey team in the semi-finals, but team Russia eventually lost 5-0 to Team Canada in the finals. Less than two months later, Malkin was given one of the final spots on the senior Russian hockey team for the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he helped the team to a fourth-place finish with 6 points in 7 games. He also played at the IIHF World Hockey Championships in May, making him one of few hockey players to play in all three major tournaments in the same year.

His father, Vladimir, was a defenseman for Metallurg Magnitogorsk, and his brother, Denis, was in Metallurg’s hockey system as well. Evgeni, according to his father, used to sleep with a hockey stick in his bed.