Ilya Sorokin

Ilya Sorokin
Sorokin with the New York Islanders in 2021
Born (1995-08-04) 4 August 1995 (age 29)
Mezhdurechensk, Russia
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams
New York Islanders
Metallurg Novokuznetsk
CSKA Moscow
National team  Russia
NHL draft 78th overall, 2014
New York Islanders
Playing career 2012–present

Ilya Igorevich Sorokin (Russian: Илья Игоревич Сорокин; born 4 August 1995) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NHL). Sorokin was selected by the Islanders in the third round (78th overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

KHL (2012–2020)

Sorokin played as a youth with local club Vympel Mezhdurechensk, before joining KHL club Metallurg Novokuznetsk as a 17-year old in 2012.[1] He made his professional and KHL debut with Novokuznetsk during the following 2012–13 season, appearing in relief during a 8–6 defeat to Barys Astana on 7 January 2013.[2] Following two promising seasons, Sorokin was selected by the New York Islanders, 78th overall, in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

During his third year within Metallurg Novokuznetsk in the 2014–15 season, Sorokin appeared in 22 games before he was traded to perennial powerhouse club, CSKA Moscow, in exchange for financial compensation on 24 December 2014.[3]

Sorokin continued his KHL career with CSKA Moscow by signing a three-year contract extension on 10 June 2017.[4] In 2019, Sorokin won the Gagarin Cup with CSKA Moscow, also being named most valuable player of the 2019 Gagarin Cup playoffs.

New York Islanders (2020–present)

On 13 July 2020, Sorokin was signed to a one-year, entry-level contract with draft club the New York Islanders for the remainder of the 2019–20 season. However, unsigned prospects from other leagues, such as Sorokin in the KHL, were ruled ineligible to feature in the Return to Play phase following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract completed Sorokin's entry-level status to become a restricted free agent,[5] and Sorokin was signed by the Islanders to a one-year, $2 million contract extension for the 2020–21 season the day after his entry-level contract was essentially nullified.[6]

Sorokin made his NHL and Islanders debut on 16 January 2021, against the New York Rangers. Sorokin was originally slated to be the backup for the game when the intended starter, Semyon Varlamov, was injured during warmups. The Islanders lost the game 5–0, while Sorokin allowed five goals on 31 shots.[7] Sorokin's first NHL win, and first NHL shutout, came on 16 February, in the Islanders' 3–0 win over the Buffalo Sabres. He made 20 saves in the win.[8] Sorokin made his Stanley Cup playoffs debut against the Pittsburgh Penguins in game 1, winning 4–3 in overtime. while Varlamov recovered from injury. Varlamov took the starting role back in games 2 and 3 but struggled while playing through his injuries, losing both games. Sorokin took back the starting job in game 4 and won games 4–6, helping the Islanders win the series. Sorokin lost game 1 against the Boston Bruins in the second round, and Varlamov became the starting goaltender for the remainder of the playoffs.

On 1 September 2021, Sorokin was re-signed to a three-year, $12 million contract by the Islanders.[9][10]

Sorokin's first NHL point came on 9 March 2023, when he received an assist after poke-checking a puck which led to a breakaway for Brock Nelson and the game winning goal in overtime against the Penguins.[11] In the course of the 2022–23 season, Sorokin recorded a 31–22–7 with a .924 save percentage and a league-leading six shutouts. In recognition of his achievements, he was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's best goaltender.[12] Sorokin was widely credited as the main reason the Islanders qualified for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.[13][14] They were ultimately ousted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round. [15]

On 1 July 2023, Sorokin signed an eight-year, $66 million contract extension with the Islanders.[16][17]

International play


Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing
 Olympic Athletes from Russia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2018 Pyeongchang
Representing  Russia
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Russia
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Germany/France
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Slovakia
IIHF World U20 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2015 Canada

Sorokin was a member of the Olympic Athletes from Russia team at the 2018 Winter Olympics that won the gold medal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2012–13 Kuznetskie Medvedi MHL 27 11 8 3 1,423 61 1 2.57 .914 3 0 2 159 9 0 3.40 .898
2012–13 Metallurg Novokuznetsk KHL 5 1 1 0 151 7 0 2.77 .919
2013–14 Kuznetskie Medvedi MHL 4 2 1 1 245 11 0 2.69 .917 2 0 2 104 7 0 4.04 .800
2013–14 Metallurg Novokuznetsk KHL 27 5 12 0 1,346 65 0 2.90 .911
2014–15 Metallurg Novokuznetsk KHL 22 4 11 1 978 53 1 3.25 .906
2014–15 Kuznetskie Medvedi MHL 1 0 1 0 60 4 0 4.00 .871
2014–15 Krasnaya Armiya MHL 3 1 1 1 184 4 1 1.31 .949 7 2 5 363 13 1 2.15 .928
2014–15 CSKA Moscow KHL 6 3 2 0 275 6 0 1.31 .937
2015–16 Zvezda Chekhov VHL 1 0 1 0 60 2 0 2.01 .917
2015–16 CSKA Moscow KHL 28 17 7 4 1,639 29 10 1.06 .953 20 15 5 1,270 28 3 1.32 .945
2016–17 CSKA Moscow KHL 39 25 7 6 2,276 61 5 1.61 .929 7 5 2 443 15 1 2.03 .916
2017–18 CSKA Moscow KHL 37 25 8 4 2,183 58 8 1.59 .931 18 10 6 1,062 27 5 1.52 .930
2018–19 CSKA Moscow KHL 40 28 6 4 2,328 45 11 1.16 .940 20 16 4 1,213 24 5 1.19 .947
2019–20 CSKA Moscow KHL 40 26 10 3 2,365 59 9 1.50 .935 4 4 0 246 3 2 0.73 .966
2020–21 New York Islanders NHL 22 13 6 3 1,272 46 3 2.17 .918 7 4 1 387 18 0 2.79 .922
2021–22 New York Islanders NHL 52 26 18 8 3,073 123 7 2.40 .925
2022–23 New York Islanders NHL 62 31 22 7 3,588 140 6 2.34 .924 6 2 4 370 16 0 2.60 .929
2023–24 New York Islanders NHL 56 25 19 12 3,326 167 2 3.01 .908 1 0 1 27 3 0 6.61 .786
KHL totals 244 134 64 22 13,541 383 44 1.70 .930 69 50 17 4,236 97 16 1.37 .940
NHL totals 192 95 65 30 11,257 476 18 2.54 .919 14 6 6 784 37 0 2.83 .921

International

Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2015 Russia WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3 1 1 0 180 8 0 2.66 .886
2016 Russia WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 3 1 0 0 76 0 1 0.00 1.000
2017 Russia WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 2 1 0 0 80 0 1 0.00 1.000
2018 OAR OG 1st place, gold medalist(s) 1 0 0 0 20 1 0 3.00 .857
2018 Russia WC 6th
2019 Russia WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Junior totals 3 1 1 0 180 8 0 2.66 .886
Senior totals 6 2 0 0 176 1 2 0.34 .985

Awards and honors

Award Year Ref
KHL
All-Star Game 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Goaltender of the Year 2016
First All-Star Team 2016
Gagarin Cup champion 2019 [18]
Playoffs MVP 2019 [19]
NHL
NHL All-Star Game 2023
NHL Second All-Star Team 2023

References

  1. ^ "Kontinental Hockey League – Official Website – KHL.RU – official site – Players". en.khl.ru. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Game Summary: Barys 8 – Novokuznetsk 6" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Goaltender Sorokin moves from Novokuznetsk to CSKA" (in Russian). allhockey.ru. 24 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  4. ^ "Report: Sorokin extends deal to remain in KHL". SNY. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  5. ^ "G Sorokin signs with Islanders". The Sports Network. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Sorokin agrees to terms on one-year contract extension". New York Islanders. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Buchnevich, Panarin lead Rangers to 5–0 win over Islanders". AP News. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  8. ^ Wawrow, John (16 February 2021). "Sorokin stops 20 shots for 1st NHL win; Isles blank Sabres". AP News. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Islanders Announce Signings". NHL.com. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Islanders sign goalie Ilya Sorokin to three-year, $12M extension". Sportsnet. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. ^ Kurz, Kevin. "Ilya Sorokin gives the Islanders the advantage they need in the playoff chase". The Athletic. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  12. ^ Satriano, David (11 May 2023). "Hellebuyck, Sorokin, Ullmark named Vezina Trophy finalists". NHL.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  13. ^ Luszczyszyn, Dom; Goldman, Shayna (15 April 2023). "2023 NHL playoff preview: Hurricanes vs. Islanders". The Athletic. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  14. ^ Fischler, Stan (13 April 2023). "The Many Reasons Why The Islanders Made The Playoffs". The Hockey News. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  15. ^ Rosner, Stefen (4 May 2023). "Islanders Sorokin Chats About Vezina, Workload, & Final Goal". The Hockey News. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Islanders Sign Sorokin". NHL.com. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  17. ^ Wyshynski, Greg (1 July 2023). "Islanders, Ilya Sorokin agree to eight-year contract extension". ESPN.com. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  18. ^ "CSKA lifts the Gagarin Cup". Kontinental Hockey League. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  19. ^ "KHL hands out 2018–19 awards in Moscow". theihlc.com. 28 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.