After a tumultuous end to his NHL playing career, former New Jersey Devils prospect Nikita Okhotiuk revealed in a recent interview that he had been trying to return home to Russia for three years.
Okhotiuk, 23, was drafted by the Devils 61st overall in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut after one full season in the AHL with the Binghamton Devils.
The young defenseman's Devils career ultimately ended on Feb. 23, 2023, after only 15 games with New Jersey, when the organization struck a deal with the San Jose Sharks to acquire All-Star power forward Timo Meier. After 43 games with San Jose and another nine games with the Calgary Flames following another trade last season, Okhotiuk fulfilled his contractual obligations and decided enough was enough.
"Three years ago I was thinking about returning. When I played in New Jersey I tried to leave every year, but they did not let me go," Okhotiuk told Pavel Panyshev of Championat. "I personally talked, tried to negotiate, met with the general manager. I said: 'Let go, let me play'. However, it did not work out."
"I thought about it every year, tried, but it didn’t work out. . . I have a family here, friends, relatives. And I myself love Russia very much. It was hard for my mentality to live in North America."
If this is truly it for Okhotiuk in North America, the 23-year-old moves onto his new journey with CSKA Moscow in the KHL with 67 games, three goals, nine assists, and 12 points under his belt at the NHL level.
Okhotiuk scored his first NHL goal in his NHL debut with the Devils on April 21, 2022, burying a Janne Kuokkanen rebound past Buffalo Sabres goalie Craig Anderson. Despite Okhotiuk's goal pulling the Devils within one goal at 3-2, they ultimately lost the game, 5-2.
We wish Nikita the best of luck back home in Russia in the KHL and happier playing days ahead.