Nail Yakupov

Nail Yakupov
Yakupov with the Edmonton Oilers in 2015
Born	(1993-10-06) 6 October 1993 (age 30) Nizhnekamsk, Russia
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position	Right wing
Shoots	Left
KHL team Former teams	Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk Edmonton Oilers St. Louis Blues Colorado Avalanche SKA Saint Petersburg Amur Khabarovsk Avangard Omsk
NHL draft	1st overall, 2012 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	2012–present

Nail Railovich Yakupov (Russian: Наиль Раилович Якупов, Tatar: Наил Раил улы Якупов; born 6 October 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, and also played with the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche. Due to his draft position, short NHL career and low point totals, Yakupov is widely regarded as one of the biggest draft busts in NHL history.^[1]

Yakupov grew up within the HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk junior program and moved to North America in 2010 to further his career. Nicknamed the "Yak Attack" for his scoring abilities, he joined the Sarnia Sting, a major junior team in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he played for two years before being selected in the NHL Entry Draft. Yakupov played for the Russian national junior team, winning medals in all three tournaments he participated in.