Five Vladislav Namestnikov facts

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vladislav Namestnikov is preparing for his first senior national team competition, and we have a few new facts about the young forward which you may not yet know. 

Shone for the junior national teams

Vladislav competed for Russia at both the under 17 and under 18 World Championships, and at the tournaments, he became the side's top scorer. Indeed he took 10 points in 5 under 17 World Championship games (8+2).

His uncle is Vyacheslav Kozlov

Many know that Vladislav is the son of famous Soviet defenseman Evgeny Namestnikov. However, it's not so well publicized that his uncle is Vyacheslav Kozlov. He often visited the Detroit Red Wings dressing room, and there he met Tampa Bay's future general manager Steve Yzerman. 

Vladislav and Evgeny Namestnikov played for the same AHL club

In the 1993/1994 season, Evgeny Namestnikov played for Saracuse Crunch, Vancouver's then farm club. Indeed Vladislav went on to play for the Crunch, although it was already a part of the Tampa Bay system.

Evgeny Namestnikov

Working on his physical build 

Even by his own means, Vladislav is not the biggest built player in the NHL. Nevertheless, in an interview with NHL.com, he spoke about his intensified summer preparations, and you can be sure that he will be in top form for the World Cup of Hockey.

Haircut

Not long ago in 2015, Vladislav took part in the special charity event Cut for Cure. The aim of the organisation is to raise money for children suffering with cancer. In line with their name, the charity cuts hair, and even some of the children involved do some of the scissor work. Alongside Vladislav, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Nikita Nesterov and Jonathan Drouin all agreed to have their hair chopped off. 

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After:

On the 8th of September, Vladislav will compete in a World Cup of Hockey preparation match with the Russian national team against the Czech Republic. You can purchase tickets to see Vladislav in action with your own eyes.

Russian Ice Hockey Federation