Andrei Andreyevich Vasilevskiy (Russian: Андрей Андреевич Василевский; born 25 July 1994) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 19th overall, by the Lightning at the 2012 NHL entry draft, and is widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders currently in the NHL, and possibly in league history.[1]
Nicknamed the "Big Cat" and "Vasy", he won the Vezina Trophy as the league's top goaltender in the 2018–19 season and was also nominated for the 2017–18 NHL season, and has led the league in wins for five consecutive seasons (2017–18 to 2021–22). He also backstopped the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2021 playoffs while also holding the NHL record for most wins in single postseason (18 in 2020).
Vasilevskiy was selected 19th overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. On 6 May 2014, he was signed by the Lightning to a three-year, entry-level contract.[3]
Professional (2014–present)
Early years in Tampa Bay (2014–2016)
On 27 September, Vasilevskiy was assigned to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL), the top minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.[4] On 15 December, Vasilevskiy was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week. In the previous week, he allowed just one goal on 56 shots faced in two games, which was good for a 0.50 goals against average (GAA) and a .982 save percentage. Vasilevskiy had a 29-save shutout against the Springfield Falcons, which snapped their franchise-record 11-game winning streak. In the next game, he made 29 saves in a 4–1 victory over the Hershey Bears.[5] Vasilevskiy had compiled a record of 8–3–3 in 14 appearances with Syracuse that season, with a 2.34 GAA, .918 save percentage and two shutouts. On 2 January 2015, he was named CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December, posting a 4–0–1 record with a 1.17 GAA and a .962 save percentage. He was the first Syracuse goaltender to win the award since Karl Goehring was honored in March 2008.[6]
Vasilevskiy with the Lightning in December 2014
On 16 December 2014, Vasilevskiy was recalled to the Tampa Bay Lightning.[7] He then started that night in his NHL debut, a 3–1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.[8] In the process he also became the first NHL goaltender to ever wear uniform number 88. He recorded his first NHL shutout on 3 March 2015, over the Buffalo Sabres in a 28-save performance.[9] Vasilevskiy's first playoff win came on 6 June, when he replaced starting goaltender Ben Bishop twice during the third period of Game 2 of the Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks; he thus became the first goalie in 24 years to win a playoff Final in relief and the first to earn his first career playoff win in relief in the Final since Lester Patrick in 1928.[10] The Lightning would go on to lose the finals against the Blackhawks in six games.
On 3 September, Vasilevskiy had successful surgery to remove a blood clot from near his left collarbone and to treat a type of thoracic outlet syndrome. Vasilevskiy was expected to return to the ice in 2–3 months.[11] On 21 October, Vasilevskiy was cleared to come off of his blood thinner medication, allowing him to return to practice. On 1 November, the Lightning recalled Vasilevskiy from his conditioning stint with the Crunch, where he made 56 of 58 saves in two wins.[12] Vasilevskiy made his return to the NHL that same day, in a 4–3 Lightning victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.[13] Vasilevskiy once again filled in for Ben Bishop in round three of the 2016 playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins after Bishop got injured. Despite Vasilevskiy's strong performance, the Lightning lost in seven games, one win shy of playing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. Vasilevskiy appeared in 24 games with the team during the 2015–16 season, posting a record of 11–10–0 to go along with a 2.76 goals-against average and .910 save percentage, as well as one shutout in his second season. He also played in eight Stanley Cup playoff games, recording a record of 3–4 to go along with a 2.76 goals-against average and .925 save percentage.[14]
Emergence, Vezina Trophy, back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, Conn Smythe Trophy (2016–present)
On 1 July 2016, the Lightning announced the re-signing of Vasilevskiy to a three-year contract extension.[15] On 28 December, Vasilevskiy recorded his first career NHL point as an assist on an overtime goal scored by Tyler Johnson, which came in a 4–3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.[16]
On 26 October 2017, Vasilevskiy played in his 100th career NHL game in a 3–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.[17] In that game, Vasilevskiy recorded his 8th consecutive win of the season, tying Vasilevskiy with Nikolai Khabibulin for most consecutive wins by a Lightning goaltender.[18] Four days later Vasilevskiy recorded his 9th consecutive win, passing Khabibulin for most consecutive wins in franchise history. This was also Vasilevskiy's 10th win of the month of October, which tied him with Manny Legace and Craig Anderson for the most wins in a single season in the month of October in NHL history.[19] On 12 December, Vasilevskiy recorded a 3–0 shutout against the St. Louis Blues at the Scottrade Center. The win was Vasilevskiy's 20th of the season over 25-games, the fifth fastest in NHL history.[20] This also made Vasilevskiy only the sixth goalie in NHL history to record 20 wins in 25 games played.[21][22]
On 10 January 2018, Vasilevskiy was named to the 2018 NHL All-Star Game, his first.[23][24] On 22 January, Vasilevskiy recorded a shutout win in a 2–0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center.[25] The shutout was Vasilevskiy's seventh of the season, which tied him with Nikolai Khabibulin for the most shutouts in a single season by a Lightning goalie.[26] Additionally, Vasilevskiy set the franchise record for most road shutouts in a single season, with six.[27] On 27 February, Vasilevskiy recorded his 78th career NHL win,[28] moving Vasilevskiy past Daren Puppa for third most in Lightning history.[29] On 20 March, Vasilevskiy recorded his 41st win of the season,[30] surpassing Ben Bishop for most wins in a single season in franchise history, placing him third.[31] On 3 April, Vasilevskiy recorded his 43rd win of the season in a 4–0 shutout of the visiting Boston Bruins,[32] surpassing Nikolai Khabibulin for second most wins in franchise history, with 84.[33] Vasilevskiy's eighth shutout of the season gave him sole possession for the most shutouts in a single season by a Lightning goaltender.[34] On 17 April, Vasilevskiy was nominated for the Vezina Trophy for the first time in his career as the NHL's yearly award for top goaltender (which eventually went to Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne.[35]
On 14 November, Vasilevskiy suffered an injury while in practice. Two days later, it was announced that he would be sidelined for four to six weeks with a broken left foot.[36] Vasilevskiy returned 4 weeks later, starting his first game back on 13 December, at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. That night his 48 saves tied Ben Bishop's team record from four seasons prior, as the Lightning defeated the Leafs 4–1.[37] On 8 January 2019, Vasilevskiy was added to the Atlantic Division roster for the 2019 National Hockey League All-Star Game as a replacement for an injured Carey Price.[38] On 15 January, Vasilevskiy recorded a shutout in a 2–0 Lightning win over the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center.[39] The shutout moved Vasilevskiy past Nikolai Khabibulin (14) for second most shutouts in franchise history (15).[40] On 14 February, Vasilevskiy recorded his 17th shutout in a 6–0 Lightning victory over the Dallas Stars, tying him with Ben Bishop for most shutouts in Lightning history.[41] Two days later, in Tampa's next game, the record became Vasilevskiy's alone at 18.[42] On 20 March, Vasilevskiy recorded 54 saves in a 5–4 overtime win over the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena to set the Lightning record for the most saves in a game.[43] In a 13-save victory over the Boston Bruins on 25 March, Vasilevskiy moved past Ben Bishop for the most saves in franchise history, with 5739.[44] On 1 April, Vasilevskiy started in his 207th career NHL game, which came in a 5–2 win over the Ottawa Senators. This resulted in Vasilevksiy passing Daren Puppa (206) for second most starts in franchise history.[45] On 19 June, at the 2019 NHL Awards, Vasilevskiy was awarded the Vezina Trophy as the top goaltender in the league after being a finalist for the second consecutive season and second time in his career altogether. He was the first player in franchise history to win the award.[46]
On 29 July, Vasilevskiy signed an eight-year, $76 million contract extension to remain with the Lightning through the 2027–28 season. Vasilevskiy was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy for the third consecutive season (which eventually was awarded to Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets).[47] On 11 August 2020, Vasilevskiy made 61 saves in a five overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in the opening game of the first round of the playoffs,[48] the most saves in a playoff game in Lightning history.[49] On 25 August, Vasilevskiy recorded an overtime victory over the Boston Bruins in the second game of their second round series.[50] The win was Vasilevskiy's 22nd, as he passed both Ben Bishop and Nikolai Khabibulin for the most playoff victories in Lightning playoff history.[51] On 28 September, Vasilevskiy recorded his first career playoff shutout in the Lightning's Stanley Cup clinching win over the Dallas Stars in game 6 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Finals, winning the game 2–0 and the series 4–2.[52] With the shutout, Vasilevskiy joined Tom Barrasso as the only goaltenders in NHL history to record their first shutout in a playoff year during the Stanley Cup clinching game.[53] He also set an NHL record for the most minutes played by a goaltender in the postseason (1,708:12) and the most postseason wins in a single season (18).[54]
Vasilevskiy continued his stellar play during the pandemic shortened 2020–21 season and was named a finalist for the Vezina trophy for the fourth straight season (which was eventually given to Marc-André Fleury of the Vegas Golden Knights).[55] In each of the series clinching 2021 playoff games, Vasilevskiy earned a shut out. On 7 July 2021, Vasilevskiy posted a 1–0 shutout against the Montreal Canadiens to take win the series 4–1, as the Lightning clinched their second consecutive Stanley Cup.[56] Vasilevskiy posted shutouts in all four of the Lightning series winning games, extending his streak to 5 consecutive series clinching shutouts, tying an NHL record with Chris Osgood and Clint Benedict. Vasilevskiy was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, becoming the first goaltender since Jonathan Quick in 2012 to win the award.
On 23 May 2022, Vasilevskiy posted his NHL record-breaking sixth series clinching shutout with a 49 save shutout against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Florida Panthers in a four game sweep, finishing the series with an astonishing .981 save percentage, as he allowed only three goals out of 154 shots.[57] He and the Lightning would go on eventually to a third consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, losing in six games to the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche.
On 28 September 2023, it was reported that Vasilevskiy had undergone back surgery. He went on to miss the first two months of the 2023–24 season.[58] Vasilevskiy would make his return and season debut on 24 November, making 22 saves as the Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 8–2 at PNC Arena[59]
On 14 November 2024, Vasilevskiy earned his 300th career NHL win in the Lightning's 4–1 win over the Winnipeg Jets, becoming only the 40th goaltender in NHL history to reach 300 wins, and the fastest to reach the milestone.[60]
On 9 April 2017, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation named Vasilevskiy to its roster for the 2017 World Ice Hockey Championships. Vasilevskiy was joined by teammate Nikita Kucherov.[62] On 21 May 2017, Vasilevskiy helped Russia capture a bronze medal when they defeated Finland in the bronze medal game.[63] Additionally, Vasilevskiy was voted the top goaltender of the tournament.[64]
Vasilevskiy and his wife have one son. He considers himself a family man, spending time with his family when not busy with ice hockey, avoiding bars and social media. He has his wife's and son's names painted on his goaltender mask.[66]
