Russian striker Novokuznetsk "Metallurg" Andrey Taratukhin

Novokuznetsk "Metallurg" regular season has problems during the regular championship. In 2016, several experienced players came to the Siberian club: they expected that they would be able to improve the situation. Among them was striker Andrei Taratukhin, who after a fairly successful career failed to demonstrate the former level in the team from Novokuznetsk.

The way to the Russian elite

Andrey Taratukhin was born on February 22, 1983 in Omsk. As a child, his parents took him to the sports section, where the boy quickly fell in love with hockey, after moving to school with the local team - "Vanguard". At the age of 16, Andrei made a big debut with the youth team of the Omsk club, for which he spent three years.

In the following three seasons, the talented striker was involved in the games of the Major League, playing for Mostovik and Mechel, and also went on ice as part of the base of the "Vanguard", opening up his performances in the Super League. However, both seasons in the Omsk team were not set for the hockey player in terms of performance, and in 2004 he left his native club.

Two successful years overseas

Accept the three-time world champion in the Russian national youth and youth team agreed Ufa "Salavat Yulaev." In the "white-green" Andrei Taratukhin spent only a year, but it was the beginning of a serious player becoming. During the season, he played in 54 games, gaining 12 points, and a year later again changed the team, moving to Yaroslavl "Locomotive".

And during his career Yaroslavl flourished Taratukhin Andrew. The hockey player had a great season, including performance, with 24 points, thanks to which he was called to the matches of the Olympic Games in the Russian national team. But having played in 5 meetings, the forward could not distinguish in its composition. Nevertheless, Andrei's success was appreciated by many, including the overseas - in the summer of 2006 the Russian moved to the American League of the AHL.

In the United States, Andrei Taratukhin, whose family, as part of his wife Darya and two twin children Sasha and Masha, moved to the States following him, appeared in the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights. And the season, which became the only player in foreign hockey, turned out to be outstanding for him. For 80 matches, he showed an incredible result, gaining 60 points of effectiveness, but, unable to break into the base of the main club, speaking in the NHL - "Calgary" - decided to return to his homeland.

Return to "Salavat Yulaev"

Accept such a successful hockey player again agreed to "Salavat Yulaev." As part of the Ufimtsev Andrey Taratukhin did not lose his former standards and in two years he was able to score 63 points, which resulted in his club in 2008 to the title of champion. Two subsequent seasons also worked out for the hockey player and his club. In 2010, "Salavat" was able to get to the bronze of the championship, losing in the final of the draw in the Conference to the future owner of the Gagarin Cup - Kazan "Ak Bars".

And a year later the team was subdued and the highest stage of the championship - Ufimtsev, who managed to overcome all stages of the playoffs in the Eastern Conference without difficulty, left no chance for Atlant in the final of the Gagarin Cup. In the final match Andrei Taratukhin became the author of the first puck in the match, which culminated in the labor victory of the "green" - 3: 2.

Wandering through the clubs

At the end of the season 2011/12 Andrei Taratukhin, whose statistics the last few years looked depressing, including due to injuries, left "Salavat Yulaev" due to the completion of the contract. The next championship forward held in the "Vanguard", where again he could not prove himself and was in the "Neftekhimik". Nizhnekamsk team was the second wind for the Russian - he spent quite a productive season, gaining a half dozen points, but the club as a whole showed unsatisfactory results, not getting into the playoffs.

Successful streak for Taratukhin continued in the next season, during a speech for Mytishchi's "Atlant". The player's performance remained at the same level, and the team's coaching staff liked the efforts and focus on the team game, but the team was also out of the playoff round.

In 2015, wanderings of Andrew began in different leagues - after "Ugra" he played in the NHL for the Tyumen "Ruby", after which he was looked through in the "Cupid", eventually ended up in Novokuznetsk. In the "Metallurg" forward hardly can boast of a successful performance - 2 points in 27 meetings for the recent star of the American AHL look very modest. However, despite this, the hockey player does not plan to finish his career.