Stephen Stamkos is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who plays center forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League. Also known by the nickname Zaika, he possesses a right-handed punching style. Steven is 185 centimeters tall and weighs 86 kilograms.
The hockey player is a two-time winner of the "Maurice Richard Trophy" (annually awarded to the best sniper based on the results of the season). Holds multiple records with Tampa, including most overtime goals with five and most goals scored in a season with sixty (all in 2011/12).
Biography
Steven Stamkos was born on February 7, 1990 in Markham, Ontario, Canada. From an early age, he began to be interested in and play hockey. His first hockey team is Markham Wakser. From here he began his journey to the OHL, and then to the NHD.
National Hockey League
In 2006, Stamkos was selected first overall in the Ontario Hockey League Draft by the Markham Waxers ofMXA (Small Hockey Association). The hockey player spent the next two seasons in the Sarnia Sting club from the OHL. Here he showed all his best qualities on the ice - he scored many goals and showed what he was capable of from the technical side. Due to his merit, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning through the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In July of the same year, Steven Stamkos signed a professional contract.
Debut point in the 2008/09 season, Stephen scored in Game 8 against the Toronto Mayrl Leafs. Stamkos' first goal came in the very next game against the Buffalo Sabers. In February 2009, the striker scored the first hat-trick in his professional career - all goals came against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Steven Stamkos' stats with Tampa improved with each season - he was one of the top scorers and assistants on the team. In the 2011/12 season, the forward even set an NHL record - he scored five goals in overtime, and also set a club record - 60 goals scored in a season. As part of Tampa, Stephen managed to become a two-time winner of the Maurice Richard Trophy, five times - a participant in the all-star match. In 2011 and 2012 was included in the symbolic NHL team.
Canada Career
Stephen Stamkos has been with the national team since an early age. In 2007, he was a member of the World Cup, where he was named the team's top scorer (ten points in six matches). In 2008, together with the team, he won gold medals at the junior world championship. Being quiteAs a young hockey player, he was already almost a national hero. In 2009, he was invited as part of the adult Canadian team, and after a while, Stamkos was already skating on ice in Switzerland as part of the World Championship, from where he took a silver medal. Nineteen-year-old Steven Stamkos then scored eleven points in nine games and was included in the symbolic team of the tournament. His teammate from Tampa, Martin St. Louis, also got there.
In 2010 and 2013, Stamkos also competed at the World Championships, but without success. Repeatedly defended the flag of his country at the Winter Olympics. In 2014, he missed the winter games due to an injury received in November 2013. In 2016, he won the World Cup as part of the Canadian national team. S. Stamkos took part in all six meetings of the tournament and scored 2 points.
