Valeri Nichushkin making star turn during Stanley Cup playoffs

Like an indie band suddenly going from dive bars to selling out stadiums, every now and then, an “analytics darling” hits the mainstream. For a significant chunk of the NHL playoffs, Valeri Nichushkin‘s been gathering a wider following. Yet, in being a key catalyst in the Avalanche’s 4-3 OT win in Game 1 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, Nichushkin Awareness reached another level.

If you’ve followed nerdy conversations on Hockey Twitter (and the sometimes … excessive backlash of those conversations), then you may agree that Nichushkin’s rise to prominence feels like a long-time coming. And it also feels a little surreal.

If you’re Nichushkin’s wallet, you also may start to feel fatter soon. It won’t hurt the 27-year-old’s bank account that he’s becoming a UFA just as people are realizing that he’s more than just a “spreadsheet star.”

Again, Valeri Nichushkin’s Game 1 performance turned plenty of heads.

Every now and then, a “fancy stats” star bridges the gap to appeal to the old and new-school alike. That’s absolutely the case with Nichushkin. Soak in this Valeri Nichushkin Game 1 highlight reel from Dimitri Filipovic:

Val Nichushkin clips from Game 1. Look at that puck pursuit, it's beautiful pic.twitter.com/uTEL4xHgMX

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) June 16, 2022

If there’s a single word that comes to mind, it’s tenacious.

Want grit and hustle? Nichushkin overflows with elbow grease. Do you almost get a little weird talking about “active sticks?” Nichushkin supplies your fix. Just watch Victor Hedman become increasingly annoyed in those clips above. Now that is a player who is “tough to play against.”

To an extent, this is how Nichushkin’s been playing for years. In September 2020, J Fresh broke down Nichushkin’s