Nikiforov was born in 1957 in Vilnius, Lithuania, to a military family. They later relocated to Riga, Latvia,[4] and there he started playing ice hockey around the age of 7. Nikiforov's first ice hockey stick "consisted of two broken pieces his father scavenged from a local rink and screwed, then taped together."[5] His skates "were bought by his mother on the Soviet Union's black market."[5]
During his time in Riga, Nikiforov played for Dinamo Riga from the peewee age bracket up to the elite level. He eventually made the junior national team and played briefly at a professional level before recognizing that his future lay in coaching.[5]
Coaching careeredit
In 1980, Nikiforov moved back to Vilnius and took up a coaching position in the town of Elektrėnai.[4] During his time coaching in Lithuania, he was instrumental in the development of Dainius Zubrus and Darius Kasparaitis, who would go on to play in the NHL.[5] In 1987, Nikiforov was invited to attend a coaching development program in Moscow, which was led by ice hockey legend Anatoly Tarasov.[4]
By 1991, Nikiforov had immigrated to the United States, settling on Long Island with his wife, while his parents cared for his two young children in Minsk.[2] He took construction work in Manhattan, until a short coaching stint with Roger Neilson of the New York Rangers,[4][5] after which he was offered a position at the Rinx, a large recreation complex on Long Island in the town of Hauppague, New York,[4] by Gerry Hart, a former player for the New York Islanders. He was initially employed as a handy man but eventually given the chance to run clinics for students on the ice each morning.[5]
At the Rinx, Nikiforov coached a number of teams, including the PAL Jr. Islanders 16U AAA team and the New York Bobcats of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League.[1] Nikiforov's work at PAL Ice Hockey included a stint as the skills and development coach for the organization.[6] Nikiforov also runs ice hockey camp and clinics at the Rinx.[7]
Although much of his time since the 1980s has been spent in the United States, Nikiforov has frequently returned to Lithuania,[3] and in 2017 and 2018 he was the head coach of the Lithuanian U18 National Team and the head coach of the U20 National Team in 2019.
Notable studentsedit
Over the years, Nikiforov has coached a number of notable ice hockey players:
^ abcd. New York Bobcats. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
^ abMetcalf, Bobby (13 February 2014). "Mallards' Nikiforov looks to family for success". The Quad-City Times. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^ abcdManninen, Henrik (12 January 2020). "IIHF - Exceeding expectations". International Ice Hockey Federation. from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^ abcdefghijklm"About". Coach Aleksey. from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^ abcdefghiHollander, Sophia (11 January 2011). "A Gifted Coach and His Dream Machine". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^"Nikiforov Named New Skills & Development Coach". P.A.L Junior Islanders. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^"Clinics & Camps". Coach Aleksey. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
^Pinchevsky, Tal (14 June 2012). "Russian coach celebrates Scuderi's second Cup". NHL.com. from the original on 3 July 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
External linksedit
Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com
Coaching profile at Elite Prospects
November 10, 2023
aleksey, nikiforov, born, april, 1957, lithuanian, hockey, coach, former, player, dinamo, riga, father, quad, city, storm, winger, vladimir, nikiforov, resides, long, island, coaches, hauppauge, york, born, 1957, april, 1957, vilnius, lithuanian, soviet, union. Aleksey Nikiforov born 27 April 1957 is a Lithuanian ice hockey coach and former player for Dinamo Riga 1 He is the father of Quad City Storm winger Vladimir Nikiforov 1 2 He resides on Long Island and coaches in Hauppauge New York 3 Aleksey NikiforovBorn 1957 04 27 27 April 1957 age 66 Vilnius Lithuanian SSR Soviet UnionNationalityLithuanianOccupationIce hockey coachYears active1980 presentChildrenVladimir NikiforovWebsitehttp coachaleksey com Contents 1 Early life 2 Coaching career 3 Notable students 4 References 5 External linksEarly life editNikiforov was born in 1957 in Vilnius Lithuania to a military family They later relocated to Riga Latvia 4 and there he started playing ice hockey around the age of 7 Nikiforov s first ice hockey stick consisted of two broken pieces his father scavenged from a local rink and screwed then taped together 5 His skates were bought by his mother on the Soviet Union s black market 5 During his time in Riga Nikiforov played for Dinamo Riga from the peewee age bracket up to the elite level He eventually made the junior national team and played briefly at a professional level before recognizing that his future lay in coaching 5 Coaching career editIn 1980 Nikiforov moved back to Vilnius and took up a coaching position in the town of Elektrenai 4 During his time coaching in Lithuania he was instrumental in the development of Dainius Zubrus and Darius Kasparaitis who would go on to play in the NHL 5 In 1987 Nikiforov was invited to attend a coaching development program in Moscow which was led by ice hockey legend Anatoly Tarasov 4 By 1991 Nikiforov had immigrated to the United States settling on Long Island with his wife while his parents cared for his two young children in Minsk 2 He took construction work in Manhattan until a short coaching stint with Roger Neilson of the New York Rangers 4 5 after which he was offered a position at the Rinx a large recreation complex on Long Island in the town of Hauppague New York 4 by Gerry Hart a former player for the New York Islanders He was initially employed as a handy man but eventually given the chance to run clinics for students on the ice each morning 5 At the Rinx Nikiforov coached a number of teams including the PAL Jr Islanders 16U AAA team and the New York Bobcats of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League 1 Nikiforov s work at PAL Ice Hockey included a stint as the skills and development coach for the organization 6 Nikiforov also runs ice hockey camp and clinics at the Rinx 7 Although much of his time since the 1980s has been spent in the United States Nikiforov has frequently returned to Lithuania 3 and in 2017 and 2018 he was the head coach of the Lithuanian U18 National Team and the head coach of the U20 National Team in 2019 Notable students editOver the years Nikiforov has coached a number of notable ice hockey players Matt Gilroy 5 Chris Higgins 5 Mike Komisarek 5 Rob Scuderi 8 Darius Kasparaitis 3 Dainius Zubrus 3 Tony Romano 4 Vladimir Malahov 4 Brian McCabe 4 Eric Nystrom 4 Ryan Vesce 4 James Marcou 4 Alexei Yashin 4 Dana Trivigno 4 Uwe Krupp 1 References edit a b c d Putting L I hockey back on the map Nikiforov knows hockey New York Bobcats Archived from the original on 30 September 2007 Retrieved 28 September 2020 a b Metcalf Bobby 13 February 2014 Mallards Nikiforov looks to family for success The Quad City Times Retrieved 29 September 2020 a b c d Manninen Henrik 12 January 2020 IIHF Exceeding expectations International Ice Hockey Federation Archived from the original on 21 March 2020 Retrieved 29 September 2020 a b c d e f g h i j k l m About Coach Aleksey Archived from the original on 27 November 2021 Retrieved 29 September 2020 a b c d e f g h i Hollander Sophia 11 January 2011 A Gifted Coach and His Dream Machine Wall Street Journal ISSN 0099 9660 Retrieved 29 September 2020 Nikiforov Named New Skills amp Development Coach P A L Junior Islanders 9 September 2016 Retrieved 29 September 2020 Clinics amp Camps Coach Aleksey Retrieved 29 September 2020 Pinchevsky Tal 14 June 2012 Russian coach celebrates Scuderi s second Cup NHL com Archived from the original on 3 July 2018 Retrieved 29 September 2020 External links editBiographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects com Coaching profile at Elite Prospects Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aleksey Nikiforov amp oldid 1177364235, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
