Roman Kantserov is chasing Russian-born scoring history with the Blackhawks

In the 100-year history of the Chicago Blackhawks, only 30 Russian-born players, including goalies, have worn the iconic red, white, and black jersey. Today, one of the team’s brightest young stars is Roman Kantserov, born in Magnitogorsk, Russia, in 2004.

The second-round pick, selected 44th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft, has begun his NHL career on a tear, leading the team in goals just 17 games into the season. This is no surprise to fans who followed Kantserov in the KHL, where he scored 36 goals last year with hometown Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

Currently, the rookie is on pace for 40 goals, which would shatter the team’s record for most goals by a Russian-born player, a milestone held by former Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin. During his rookie season, Panarin scored 30 goals to become the first and only Russian-born Blackhawks player to achieve the feat, only to break his own record in his sophomore season with 31 goals.

It’s only fitting that 10 seasons later, Kantserov is looking to challenge that mark and carve his own place in team history.

Whether or not Kantserov can break Panarin’s record will be a fun journey to watch for the remainder of the season. However, with eight goals in 17 games, he’s well on pace to reach at least 20 goals, barring an injury or significant decrease in production. When, not if, Kantserov scores his 20th goal, he’ll join an exclusive club of Russian-born players to score at least 20 goals in a single season for the Blackhawks.

Artemi Panarin (2015-16, 2016-17)

As mentioned, Panarin burst onto the scene in 2015-16 and won the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year with 77 points in 80 games, including his first 30-goal season. In a follow-up performance, he bagged 31 goals in 82 games the following year to finish behind Patrick Kane (89 points) for the team lead in scoring. Right now, Panarin remains the only Russian-born player with a 30-goal season for Chicago.

Artem Anisimov (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18)

Initially drafted by the New York Rangers, Artem Anisimov joined the Blackhawks in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets that sent Brandon Saad to Ohio. During Anisimov’s first three seasons in Chicago, he reached 20 goals, tying his personal best of 22 in 2015-16. In 291 games, he scored 77 goals for Chicago, falling short of four consecutive 20-goal seasons with just 15 in 2018-19.

Alexei Zhamnov (1996-2000, 2001-02)

Without a doubt, Alexei Zhamnov is the most prolific Russian-born scorer in Blackhawks history, playing eight seasons, collecting 140 goals and 424 points. The fourth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets in 1990 came to Chicago in the trade that sent Jeremy Roenick to the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996. With the Jets, Zhamnov was already a four-time 20-goal scorer who produced a career-high of 30 in 1994-95.

His scoring trends continued during his first four seasons with the Blackhawks, where he scored 20, 21, 20, and 23 goals, respectively. Surprisingly, it wasn’t until his ninth season in the NHL that he failed to reach 20 goals, coming up short at 13. However, he bounced back in 2001-02, scoring 22, the last time he’d reach the mark in his career. All told, Zhamnov had five 20-goal seasons for the Blackhawks, becoming one of only 22 players to achieve the feat with the Original Six franchise.

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