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| Kris Russell | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Russell with theCalgary Flames in 2013 | |||
| Born | (1987-05-02)May 2, 1987 (age 38) Caroline, Alberta, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Columbus Blue Jackets St. Louis Blues TPS Calgary Flames Dallas Stars Edmonton Oilers | ||
| National team |  Canada | ||
| NHL draft | 67th overall,2005 Columbus Blue Jackets | ||
| Playing career | 2007–2022 | ||
Kris Russell (born May 2, 1987) is aCanadian professionalice hockeydefenceman who is currently anunrestricted free agent. He most recently played in the2021–22 season, for theEdmonton Oilers of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted in the third round, 67th overall, by theColumbus Blue Jackets in the2005 NHL Entry Draft and played four seasons with the team before moving on to theSt. Louis Blues,Calgary Flames andDallas Stars. He has also played forTPS andOulun Kärpät in the FinnishLiiga.
Russell was a top defenceman injunior hockey with theWestern Hockey League (WHL)'sMedicine Hat Tigers. He was a member of two WHL championship teams, was twice named the WHL's top defenceman, and won theFour Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL's most outstanding player in2006–07. Internationally, Russell has representedCanada on several occasions: he was a member of two gold medal-winning teams at theWorld Junior Championship and has played in twoWorld Championships. Russell is known for his ability and willingness to block shots, formerly having held the NHL record for blocked shots; he has since been surpassed by former teammateMark Giordano. He and his twin brotherRyan briefly played together in Columbus.
Kris Russell was born May 2, 1987, inRed Deer, Alberta.[1] He has an identical twin brother,Ryan, born to mother Terri and father Doug.[2] They grew up in the nearby village ofCaroline.[3] Doug was a professional bull fighter on Alberta'srodeo circuit – someone who protectsbull riders while they escape the ring following their rides by distracting the bulls – and made four appearances at theCanadian Finals Rodeo, but left the sport when his sons were born.[2] Kris was coached by his father for much of his minor hockey career and was moved todefence by Doug when he was ten years old.[3]
TheMedicine Hat Tigers selected Russell with their eighth round selection, 138th overall at the 2002Western Hockey League (WHL)Bantam Draft.[4] He played four seasons with the Tigers and the first time he played Ryan, who was a member of theKootenay Ice, in a game, the brothersfought each other. Kris described the event as "fun" while noting that neither was trying to hurt the other.[5] He was a member ofleague championship teams in his first season,2003–04, and his last,2006–07.[1] Russell was highly decorated in hisjunior career. He was named to a WHL All-Star Team three times and was twice named recipient of theBrad Hornung Trophy as the league's most sportsmanlike player. He twice led the league in goal scoring and won theBill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the top defenceman in both2005–06 and 2006–07. In his final WHL season, Russell was also named the winner of theFour Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL's most outstanding player and was named theCanadian Hockey League'sDefenceman of the Year.[1]
Internationally, Russell twice represented Canada as a member of thenational junior team. He first played at the2006 World Junior Championship where he recorded one goal and three assists for the gold medal-winning Canadians.[6] Returning for the2007 tournament, Russell tiedJonathan Toews for the team lead with four goals as Canada again won the gold medal.[7]
TheColumbus Blue Jackets selected Russell with their third-round pick, 67th overall, at the2005 NHL Entry Draft.[1] Shorter and lighter than his peers throughout minor hockey, he was often told he was too small to play in the NHL. Listed at five feet, ten inches tall, Russell defied expectations and earned a spot with the Blue Jackets in his first professional season,2007–08 season.[8] He made his NHL debut and scored his first point with an assist in a 4–0 victory over theAnaheim Ducks on October 5, 2007.[1][9] Russell's first two NHL goals came on January 22, 2008, against goaltenderMike Smith, and was named thefirst star in a 4–2 win over theDallas Stars.[10] He added eight assists to finish with 10 points in 67 games for Columbus.
Russell spent the majority of the2008–09 season with the Blue Jackets but also played 14 games with theirAmerican Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theSyracuse Crunch. He had 21 points in 66 games with Columbus and added a goal and an assist in his first four NHL playoff games. He led Blue Jackets' defencemen with seven goals in2009–10 and set a career high with 23 points in 73 games in2010–11.[1] He was briefly a teammate of his brother as the Blue Jackets acquired Ryan before the2011–12 season.[11] However, Russell only played 12 games for Columbus that season, as he was traded to theSt. Louis Blues in exchange forNikita Nikitin in a November 11, 2011, trade. The deal reunited Russell withKen Hitchcock, who had previously coached him in Columbus before becoming the head coach of the Blues.[12]
In 55 games combined between Columbus and St. Louis, Russell scored 12 points and made his secondStanley Cup playoff appearance by playing nine post-season games with St. Louis. When the2012–13 season was delayed by alabour dispute, he signed withTPS in the FinnishSM-liiga. He suffered a slight tear to hisMedial collateral ligament early in the season and missed some time before rejoining TPS.[13] He recorded 14 points in 15 games before returning to St. Louis when the NHL season finally began.[1] With the Blues, Russell recorded seven points in 33 games but dropped down the Blues' depth chart and did not appear in any2013 playoff games for the team.
A restrictedfree agent following the season, Blues management doubted he would be one of the club's top seven defencemen. He was placed onwaivers and went unclaimed.[14] TheCalgary Flames acquired Russell on July 5, 2013, in exchange for a fifth round selection at the2014 NHL Entry Draft and signed him to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.[15]
In his first year in Calgary, Russell was leaned on heavily, emerging as a top-four defensively-oriented defenseman. Paired most frequently withDennis Wideman, the two formed the Flames' second pairing for the majority of the season. Russell set new career-highs in assists and points in2013–14, tallying 22 and 29 in those respective categories. He also finished second on the team in blocked shots with 201, only behindChris Butler (211).
As the Flames improved significantly in2014–15, so did Russell. Once again, he posted new career-highs in assists and points, with 30 and 34, respectively, and he also led the NHL in blocked shots with 283. This mark currently sits as the NHL record for most shots blocked by a single player in a season. With star and captainMark Giordano injured late in the season as the Flames pushed towards a playoff spot, Russell emerged as a temporary top-pairing defenseman in lieu, forming a dangerous shutdown tandem with Wideman once again. This continued into the2015 playoffs, as Russell proved to be a clutch force throughout the Flames' six-game victory over theVancouver Canucks in the first round. One notable moment came in Game 1 of the series, in which the Flames had trailed until just past the midway mark of the third period; first,David Jones scored to tie the game, and then Russell fired a wrist shot from the point which beat Canucks goaltenderEddie Läck to put the Flames up by one goal with under 30 seconds remaining. Russell finished the post-season with seven points, third on the Flames.
The Flames regressed in2015–16, as did Russell. His assist and point totals dramatically sank to just 11 and 15, as the Flames dropped in the standings and missed the2016 playoffs. With this fate becoming evident, Flames general managerBrad Treliving sought to sell some of his assets at the trade deadline. With his contract expiring at the end of the year, Russell was traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for defensemanJyrki Jokipakka, prospect Brett Pollock and a conditional second-round pick (ultimately used to selectDillon Dubé).[16]
In Dallas, Russell was relied on to play top-pairing minutes, but the team fizzled out in the second round to the St. Louis Blues. Russell was held goalless throughout the playoffs, and he was not re-signed by the Stars in the off-season.
On October 7, 2016, with theEdmonton Oilers having cleared cap space in the trade ofNail Yakupov, Russell belatedly signed as a free agent to a one-year, $3.1 million contract for the2016–17 season.[17] Used in a defensively-minded role, Russell enjoyed limited offensive success but slotted in as the team'sde facto fourth defenseman alongside fellow veteranAndrej Sekera. Much like the Flames in 2015, the Oilers made the playoffs in2016–17 season for the first time in years, but lost in the second round to the Anaheim Ducks, and for the second year in a row, Russell was held goalless in the playoffs.
Encouraged by his play, the Oilers announced on June 23, 2017, they had re-signed Russell to a four-year contract worth $4 million per season.[18] During a game against theVegas Golden Knights in November 2021, Russell became the NHL's all-time leader in shots blocked with 1,999.[19]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 55 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 30 | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 72 | 26 | 35 | 61 | 37 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2005–06 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 55 | 14 | 33 | 47 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 11 | ||
| 2006–07 | Medicine Hat Tigers | WHL | 59 | 32 | 37 | 69 | 56 | 23 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 24 | ||
| 2007–08 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 67 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 66 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 28 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 70 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 73 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Columbus Blue Jackets | NHL | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 43 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 5 | ||
| 2012–13 | TPS | SM-l | 15 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 33 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 68 | 7 | 22 | 29 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 79 | 4 | 30 | 34 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 2015–16 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 51 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 11 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 68 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 23 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 78 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 72 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 55 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 35 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 31 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| NHL totals | 912 | 48 | 206 | 254 | 271 | 60 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 24 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Canada Pacific | U17 |  | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Canada | U18 |  | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Canada | WJC | | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2007 | Canada | WJC | | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Canada | WC | 7th | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Canada | WC | 5th | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 23 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 6 | ||||
| Senior totals | 11 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 4 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| RepresentingCanada | ||
| Men'sice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2006 Canada | |
| 2007 Sweden | |
| Award | Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| WHL East Second All-Star Team | 2004–05 | |
| Brad Hornung Trophy WHL most sportsmanlike player | 2004–05 2005–06 | [20] |
| WHL East First All-Star Team | 2005–06 2006–07 | [21] |
| Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy WHL defenceman of the year | 2005–06 2006–07 | [22] |
| CHL Sportsman of the Year | 2005–06 | |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy WHL player of the year | 2006–07 | [23] |
| CHL Defenceman of the Year | 2006–07 |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner of theCHLDefenceman of the Year 2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theCHLSportsman of the Year 2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theWHLBill Hunter Memorial Trophy 2006,2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theWHLBrad Hornung Trophy 2005,2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theWHLFour Broncos Memorial Trophy 2007 | Succeeded by |