Vitaly Kolesnik

Last updated

(Photo courtesy Mike Ashmore. Thanks, Mike!)

BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Ust-Kamenogorsk, Soviet Union (now Kazakhstan), August 20, 1979.
HOME:
HEIGHT: 6'2".
WEIGHT: 198 lbs.
UNIFORM #: 31 (Lowell), 30 (Kazakhstan 2004), 20 (Kazakhstan 2005, 2006, Colorado).
CATCHES: Left
STYLE:
STRENGTHS:
WEAKNESSES:

Name pronounced ko-LEZ-nik.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

TRANSACTIONS:

Signed as free agent by Colorado Avalanche, August 16, 2005.
Signed as free agent by Khimik Mytischy (Russia), July 6, 2006.

ACCOLADES:

Goaltender, Team PlanetUSA, American Hockey League All-Star Game, February 1, 2006. Vitaly wore sweater number 31.

INJURIES:

FIRSTS:

Vitali made his National Hockey League debut on December 7, 2005, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Looking to shake up his club, Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville recalled Kolesnik the day before, prompting rumours that Colorado intended to trade either David Aebischer or Peter Budaj. Instead, Vitali was given the start against the Boston Bruins, and looked solid, keeping good position in the crease and knocking down some tough chances through traffic. In the end, Kolesnik picked up his first win of his NHL career, stopping twenty shots in a 4-1 win. Vitali was named the game's #2 star after allowing only a goal to Marco Sturm.

NHL SHOOTOUTS:

December 9, 2005 - defeated New Jersey, 1-0 (Viktor Kozlov save, Brian Gionta save, Scott Gomez save, Alexander Mogilny save, Sergei Brylin save, John Madden save, Jamie Langenbrunner save).
2005-06 season to date: 1 win, 0 losses, 7 saves on 7 chances.

DID YOU KNOW?

The surname "Kolesnik" means "wheels maker" or "wheels master" in Russian.

SEASON RECORDS:

REGULAR SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   T  OL     GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS
04-05 Kazakhstan WORLD             5    279   1   4   0          8   1.72     168   .952     0   0   0     0
05-06 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL    29   1717  15  13       0     80   2.80     970   .918     3   0   1     2
      Colorado Avalanche NHL       8    370   3   3       0     20   3.24     178   .888     0   0   1     2
ONE (1) NHL SEASON                 8    370   3   3       0     20   3.24     178   .888     0   0   1     2

POST-SEASON
Year  Team                        GP    Min   W   L   GA    GAA   Shots    Sv%   ShO   G   A   PiM     S/60    PERS

NHL GAME DIRECTORY:

Signed as free agent by Colorado Avalanche, 2005.
12/07/05: W (59m48s, 20/21) 4-1 victory vs. Boston (Raycroft).
12/09/05: W (64m58s, 28/31) 4-3 SO victory (7/7) at New Jersey (Brodeur).
12/10/05: L (58m22s, 31/35) 3-4 defeat at Pittsburgh (Fleury).
12/12/05: L (59m45s, 25/31) 2-6 defeat vs. Ottawa (Hasek).
12/18/05: W (60m, 29/30) 2-1 victory at NY Rangers (Weekes).
12/20/05: L (58m28s, 24/27) 2-3 defeat at Nashville (Vokoun).
12/26/05: - (3m20s, 0/2) 7-4 victory vs. Phoenix (Joseph, Boucher) [Replaced by Budaj].
03/31/06: - (5m36s, 1/1) 3-6 defeat at Calgary (Kiprusoff) [Replaced Budaj].

AHL GAME DIRECTORY:

Assigned to Lowell Lock Monsters, October 2005.
10/14/05: W (59m56s, 33/35) 4-2 victory vs. Manchester (Hauser).
10/15/05: W (60m, 34/36) 3-2 victory at Hartford (Bruckler).
10/22/05: L (60m, 25/31) 4-6 defeat at Albany (Ahonen).
10/23/05: L (58m50s, 34/37) 1-3 defeat at Portland (Marsters).
10/26/05: W (60m, 41/42) 4-1 victory vs. Philadelphia (Beauchemin).
10/28/05: W (60m, 26/29) 7-3 victory at Springfield (Eklund).
10/29/05: W (60m, 35/36) 4-1 victory at Providence (Thomas).
11/04/05: W (60m, 27/27) 4-0 victory vs. Portland (Wall).
11/05/05: L (59m29s, 25/27) 1-2 defeat at Portland (Naumenko).
11/12/05: W (65m, 29/33) 5-4 SO victory (4/5) vs. Hartford (Bruckler).
11/13/05: L (59m34s, 26/31) 1-5 defeat at Bridgeport (Dubielewicz).
11/16/05: W (59m55s, 38/39) 4-1 victory vs. Albany (Ahonen).
11/18/05: L (59m37s, 32/36) 3-4 defeat vs. Portland (Marsters).
11/20/05: OTL (62m41s, 23/28) 4-5 OT defeat vs. Manchester (Hauser).
11/25/05: L (58m22s, 27/31) 3-4 defeat vs. Springfield (Coleman).
11/26/05: W (60m, 29/35) 7-6 victory at Portland (Naumenko, Marsters).
12/02/05: - (31m23s, 9/10) 0-4 defeat vs. Bridgeport (Madden, Dubielewicz) [Replaced Nastiuk].
12/03/05: W (59m56s, 35/35) 2-0 victory vs. Providence (Thomas).
12/04/05: L (59m52s, 37/39) 0-3 defeat at Providence (Thomas).
01/06/06: W (59m57s, 33/35) 9-2 victory at Norfolk (Crawford).
01/08/06: L (58m47s, 28/32) 2-4 defeat at Philadelphia (Beauchemin).
01/13/06: W (59m53s, 31/34) 5-3 victory at Manchester (LaBarbera).
01/15/06: OTL (60m17s, 27/30) 2-3 OT defeat vs. Bridgeport (Cloutier).
01/20/06: L (59m50s, 44/46) 1-2 defeat vs. Bridgeport (Rudkowsky).
01/22/06: W (60m, 42/44) 3-2 victory at Hartford (Gherson).
01/27/06: W (59m47s, 37/39) 8-2 victory vs. Hartford (Gherson, Montoya).
01/28/06: L (58m58s, 28/32) 2-4 defeat at Hartford (Montoya).
02/01/06: - (20m, 8/10) 4-9 defeat [in Winnipeg] vs. Canadian All-Stars (Flaherty, Danis, Sabourin) [Replaced Rinne, Montoya].
02/26/06: OTL (64m46s, 40/46) 5-6 OT defeat vs. Hartford (Gherson).
03/05/06: W (59m47s, 15/15) 6-0 victory vs. Albany (Doyle, Naumenko).

INTERNATIONAL GAME DIRECTORY:

Played for Kazakhstan in 2004 IIHF World Championships (Czech Republic).
04/26/04: L (52m24s, 27/31) 0-7 defeat vs. Czech Republic (Vokoun) [Replaced Yeremeyev].
04/30/04: - (26m50s, 16/16) 5-0 victory vs. France (Huet, Lhenry) [Replaced Yeremeyev].
05/01/04: W (60m, 20/23) 5-3 victory vs. Japan (Fukufuji).
Played for Kazakhstan in 2005 IIHF World Championships (Austria).
05/01/05: W (60m, 32/33) 2-1 victory vs. Germany (Jonas).
05/03/05: L (60m, 34/36) 1-2 defeat vs. Switzerland (Gerber).
05/05/05: L (60m, 38/39) 0-1 defeat vs. Czech Republic (Hnilicka).
05/07/05: L (59m20s, 25/26) 0-2 defeat vs. Belarus (Mezin).
05/09/05: L (40m, 31/34) 1-3 defeat vs. Russia (Sokolov) [Replaced by Ogureshnikov].
Played for Kazakhstan in 2006 Winter Olympics (Turin, Italy).
02/16/06: L (60m, 32/36) 1-4 defeat vs. United States (DiPietro).
02/19/06: L (59m51s, 25/27) 1-2 defeat vs. Slovakia (Krizan).

To The Goaltender Home Page