Playing career

Nikolishin began his professional career with HC Dynamo Moscow. He played for four years domestically in Russia and was named Russian player of the Year in the 1993-94 season. During this time Andrei also captured a gold medal with the CIS in the 1992 World Junior Championships and represented Russia in the 1993 World Championships, 1994 Winter Olympics and the 1994 World Championships.

Nikolishin was drafted in the second round of the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, picked 47th by the Hartford Whalers. He made his NHL debut in the delayed 1994-95 season with the Whalers and following with 51 points in the 1995-96 season. After representing Russia in the 1996 World Cup, Nikolishin started the 1996-97 season with the Whalers but was shortly traded to the Washington Capitals for Curtis Leschyshyn on November 9, 1996.

In the following 1997-98 campaign, Nikolishin established himself as an important checking and special teams player, recording 13 assists in the playoffs helping the Capitals reach the Stanley Cup finals before falling to champions the Detroit Red Wings. After a brief holdout prior to the 1998-99 season, Nikolishin was a main-stay on the checking line for the Capitals over the next four seasons.

After representing Russia in the 2002 Winter Olympics, Nikolishin was traded from the Capitals, along with Chris Simon, to the Chicago Blackhawks for Michael Nylander and a 2003 third round pick (Steve Werner) on November 1, 2002. Nikolishin played just one season with the Blackhawks before he was again dealt on June 21, 2003, to the Colorado Avalanche prior to the 2003-04 season, his last in the NHL.

Due to the 2004 NHL Lockout, Andrei returned to Russia and signed with HC CSKA Moscow on June 4, 2004. He has since played with Lada Togliatti, Avangard Omsk and SKA St. Petersburg.

On November 5, 2007, Nikolishin was signed by Traktor Chelyabinsk and remained with the team as captain when Traktor joined the newly formed KHL in the 2008-09 season.

Personal

Nikolishin comes from a Ukrainian family. Following the Russian Revolution, the brother of his grandfather went on to serve in the Polish Army, and eventually emigrate the family to Edmonton, Alberta, known for its large Ukrainian Canadian diaspora population.

His father, Vasyl Nikolishin, was a victim of Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, and was exiled from Ukraine to a Gulag forced labor coal mine in Vorkuta, the largest center of the camps in European Russia, for a period of 25 years. His parents did not tell him of this until he was older, out of fear of repressions, jeopardizing his career, and the stigma of being an enemy of the people that would restrict his travel abroad. Upon his death, his father's body was repatriated to Vivnya, Lviv Oblast.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1990-91	Dynamo Moscow	USSR		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1991-92	Dynamo Moscow	CIS		6	1	0	1	2		—	—	—	—	—
1992-93	Dynamo Moscow	IHL		42	5	7	12	30		10	2	1	3	8
1993-94	Dynamo Moscow	IHL		41	8	12	20	30		9	1	3	4	4
1994-95	Dynamo Moscow	IHL		12	7	2	9	6		—	—	—	—	—
1994-95	Hartford Whalers	NHL		39	8	10	18	10		—	—	—	—	—
1995-96	Hartford Whalers	NHL		61	14	37	51	34		—	—	—	—	—
1996-97	Hartford Whalers	NHL		12	2	5	7	2		—	—	—	—	—
1996-97	Washington Capitals	NHL		59	7	14	21	30		—	—	—	—	—
1997-98	Portland Pirates	AHL		2	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
1997-98	Washington Capitals	NHL		38	6	10	16	14		21	1	13	14	12
1998-99	Dynamo Moscow	RSL		4	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
1998-99	Washington Capitals	NHL		73	8	27	35	28		—	—	—	—	—
1999-00	Washington Capitals	NHL		76	11	14	25	28		5	0	2	2	4
2000-01	Washington Capitals	NHL		81	13	25	38	34		6	0	0	0	2
2001-02	Washington Capitals	NHL		80	13	23	36	40		—	—	—	—	—
2002-03	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		60	6	15	21	26		—	—	—	—	—
2003-04	Colorado Avalanche	NHL		49	5	7	12	24		11	0	2	2	4
2004-05	CSKA Moscow	RSL		55	7	19	26	62		—	—	—	—	—
2005-06	Lada Togliatti	RSL		14	2	0	2	36		—	—	—	—	—
2005-06	Avangard Omsk	RSL		19	3	4	7	8		13	1	1	2	32
2006-07	SKA St. Petersburg	RSL		19	2	2	4	26		3	0	0	0	10
2007-08	Traktor Chelyabinsk	RSL		32	11	21	32	30		3	0	0	0	4
2008-09	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		48	10	29	39	108		3	1	0	1	2
2009-10	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		46	7	14	21	77		2	0	0	0	2
2010-11	Traktor Chelyabinsk	KHL		30	5	8	13	22		—	—	—	—	—
2011-12	Sokil Kyiv	PHL		36	16	45	61	32		8	3	5	8	14
NHL totals				628	93	187	280	270		43	1	17	18	22

Olympic medal record
Representing Russia
Men's ice hockey
	2002 Salt Lake City	Team

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1992	CIS	WJC	01 !		7	1	2	3	2
1993	Russia	WC	01 !		8	1	3	4	8
1994	Russia	Oly	4th		8	2	5	7	6
1994	Russia	WC	5th		6	0	0	0	4
1996	Russia	WC	4th		8	2	3	5	10
1996	Russia	WCH	SF		4	1	3	4	4
1997	Russia	WC	4th		5	0	1	1	6
2000	Russia	WC	11th		4	0	0	0	0
2002	Russia	Oly	03 !		6	0	1	1	6
Senior int'l totals					49	6	16	22	44

[ Source: Wikipedia ]