Grigori Denisenko

Grigori Georgievich Denisenko (Russian: Григорий Георгиевич Денисенко; born 24 June 2000) is a Russian professional ice hockey winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 15th overall, by the Florida Panthers in the 2018 NHL entry draft. He played two seasons with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League before moving to North America in 2020, and made his NHL debut in 2021.

Grigori Denisenko
Denisenko with the Henderson Silver Knights in 2024
Born	(2000-06-24) 24 June 2000 (age 25) Novosibirsk, Russia
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight	178 lb (81 kg; 12 st 10 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Free agent Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Florida Panthers Vegas Golden Knights
NHL draft	15th overall, 2018 Florida Panthers
Playing career	2018–present

Playing career

Denisenko played as a youth within the junior ranks of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. He made his professional debut in the Kontinental Hockey League with Lokomotiv during the 2017–18 playoffs, featuring in 4 post-season games before returning to help junior affiliate Loko capture the Junior Hockey Championship.

As the 7th ranked international skater by the NHL Central Scouting, Denisenko was selected at the 2018 NHL entry draft in the first round, 15th overall, by the Florida Panthers on 23 June 2018.^[1]

On 5 May 2020, Denisenko agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers.^[2] He officially signed his contract on 15 July 2020.^[3] He began the 2020–21 season playing in the American Hockey League with the Syracuse Crunch, and made his NHL debut on 6 March 2021 against the Nashville Predators.^[4] Denisenko later made his NHL playoff debut on 13 June 2023, filling in for an injured Matthew Tkachuk in game 5 of the 2023 Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights.^[5][6]

On 6 October 2023, Denisenko was waived by the Panthers and subsequently claimed by the Golden Knights.^[7] After being placed back on waivers by Vegas one day later, Denisenko was assigned to Vegas' AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights.^[8] Denisenko debuted for Vegas on 4 January 2024, playing eight minutes in a 4–1 loss to the Panthers.^[9] He completed his first season with Vegas, going scoreless through 6 games.

In the 2024–25 season, Denisenko made just one appearance with the Golden Knights, as he was primarily assigned to AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. After posting 10 goals and 24 points through 42 games with the Silver Knights, Denisenko was traded by Vegas to the Nashville Predators in exchange for future considerations on 18 February 2025.^[10]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Russia
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2020 Czech Republic
	2019 Canada

Denisenko was selected to the Russian team for the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver, Canada.^[11] Denisenko was the tournament scoring leader, recording four goals and nine points in seven games to help Russia claim the Bronze medal.^[12][13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2016–17	Loko Yaroslavl	MHL		28	9	13	22	59		4	0	0	0	0
2017–18	Loko Yaroslavl	MHL		31	9	13	22	30		12	5	2	7	8
2017–18	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	KHL		—	—	—	—	—		4	0	0	0	6
2018–19	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	KHL		25	4	2	6	58		6	0	3	3	2
2018–19	Lada Togliatti	VHL		6	1	2	3	4		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Loko Yaroslavl	MHL		4	1	2	3	0		2	1	1	2	0
2019–20	Lokomotiv Yaroslavl	KHL		38	6	6	12	8		6	1	0	1	0
2020–21	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		15	5	4	9	2		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Florida Panthers	NHL		7	0	4	4	2		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		30	9	9	18	8		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Florida Panthers	NHL		1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Charlotte Checkers	AHL		56	12	24	36	39		4	0	0	0	6
2022–23	Florida Panthers	NHL		18	0	3	3	4		1	0	0	0	0
2023–24	Henderson Silver Knights	AHL		65	20	36	56	50		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		6	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2024–25	Henderson Silver Knights	AHL		42	10	14	24	36		—	—	—	—	—
2024–25	Vegas Golden Knights	NHL		1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2024–25	Milwaukee Admirals	AHL		23	7	8	15	40		8	1	0	1	6
KHL totals				63	10	8	18	66		16	1	3	4	8
NHL totals				33	0	7	7	12		1	0	0	0	0

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2016	Russia	U17			6	1	3	4	10
2017	Russia	IH18	4th		1	0	0	0	12
2019	Russia	WJC			7	4	5	9	4
2020	Russia	WJC			7	3	6	9	8
Junior totals					21	8	14	22	34

Awards and honors

Award	Year	Ref
International
World Junior Championship – Media All-Star Team	2019	[14]