Vitaly Kolesnik
Encyclopedia
Vitaly Nikolaevich Kolesnik (born August 20, 1979) is a Kazakhstani
professional ice hockey
goaltender
currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa
of the Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL).
on August 16, 2005. Unlike the vast majority of NHL players, he was never drafted.
He played for the Avalanche's minor league hockey team, the Lake Erie Monsters
, where he logged a 2.80 goals against average
(GAA) and a .916 save percentage
with a pair of shutouts. His first game played with the Colorado Avalanche
was on December 7, 2005, in which they beat the Boston Bruins
4–1. On December 28, 2005, the Colorado Avalanche announced that Kolesnik was being sent back to Lake Erie, after starting seven NHL games, going 3–3–0, with a 3.29 goals against average and a .887 save percentage. Earlier in the week, on December 21, it was announced that Kolesnik was selected to represent his home country of Kazakhstan in the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin
, Italy
.
Kolesnik was recalled again by the Avalanche on March 9, 2006 to dress as a backup to Peter Budaj
. Kolesnik finished the season with Colorado, appearing in eight games.
For the 2006–07 season, Kolesnik left North America
to play for Mytishi Khimik in the Russian Superleague
(RSL). On April 28, 2009, he left Mytishi Khimik and signed with league rival Avangard Omsk
. After only three months with Avangard, Kolesnik joined Salavat Yulaev Ufa
and signed a three-year contract. During the opening round playoffs in the 2009–10 season against Avtomobilist
, Kolesnik became the victim of a bizarre random assault when an inebriated Ekaterinburg fan from the stands swung a stick repeatedly over the Ufa team bench and concussed Kolesnik. Kolesnik left the game as Avtomobilist won 4-3 and were subsequently fined.
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
currently playing for Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev is a professional ice hockey team based in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League, and were part of Group C of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League.-History:The...
of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL).
Playing career
Kolesnik was signed as a free agent by the Colorado AvalancheColorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
on August 16, 2005. Unlike the vast majority of NHL players, he was never drafted.
He played for the Avalanche's minor league hockey team, the Lake Erie Monsters
Lake Erie Monsters
The Lake Erie Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They began play in the 2007–08 AHL season at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio...
, where he logged a 2.80 goals against average
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....
(GAA) and a .916 save percentage
Save percentage
Save percentage is an ice hockey and lacrosse statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal a goaltender stops...
with a pair of shutouts. His first game played with the Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
was on December 7, 2005, in which they beat the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
4–1. On December 28, 2005, the Colorado Avalanche announced that Kolesnik was being sent back to Lake Erie, after starting seven NHL games, going 3–3–0, with a 3.29 goals against average and a .887 save percentage. Earlier in the week, on December 21, it was announced that Kolesnik was selected to represent his home country of Kazakhstan in the 2006 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics
-Leading scorers:-Leading goaltenders:Goalkeepers with 40% or more of their team's total minutes.-Awards:Antero Niittymäki was named the most valuable player and received the Directorate Award for best goaltender of the tournament. Directorate Awards also went to Teemu Selänne for best forward, and...
in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Kolesnik was recalled again by the Avalanche on March 9, 2006 to dress as a backup to Peter Budaj
Peter Budaj
Peter Budaj is a Slovak professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
. Kolesnik finished the season with Colorado, appearing in eight games.
For the 2006–07 season, Kolesnik left North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to play for Mytishi Khimik in the Russian Superleague
Russian Superleague
The Russian Superleague , commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was considered the second best league in the world, after the National Hockey League of North America...
(RSL). On April 28, 2009, he left Mytishi Khimik and signed with league rival Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk are a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in the city of Omsk, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Overview:...
. After only three months with Avangard, Kolesnik joined Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
Salavat Yulaev is a professional ice hockey team based in Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of the Russian Federation. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League, and were part of Group C of the 2008–09 Champions Hockey League.-History:The...
and signed a three-year contract. During the opening round playoffs in the 2009–10 season against Avtomobilist
Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
Avtomobilist is a professional ice hockey team based in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. They replaced Khimik Voskresensk in the Kontinental Hockey League in 2009.-External links:...
, Kolesnik became the victim of a bizarre random assault when an inebriated Ekaterinburg fan from the stands swung a stick repeatedly over the Ufa team bench and concussed Kolesnik. Kolesnik left the game as Avtomobilist won 4-3 and were subsequently fined.