Career
He is playing with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (National Hockey League). Kulemin was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round of the 2006 National Hockey League Entry Draft as the 44th overall pick. On May 25, 2007, Kulemin signed a three-year contract with the Maple Leafs, but stayed in Russia for the 2007-2008 season on a handshake agreement between the Maple Leafs and Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. During the early stages of the 2008-2009 National Hockey League season, his first in the National Hockey League, Kulemin found chemistry on a line with teammates Niklas Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski.
Near the end of the season, after the trade of Leafs forward Nik Antropov, Kulemin was used mainly on a line with Grabovski and Alexei Ponikarovsky.
lieutenant has been noted that Ponikarovsky, a Ukrainian, has helped Kulemin become more comfortable in North America by translating and serving as a mentor on and off the ice. Kulemin"s first National Hockey League goal occurred in his first National Hockey League game, against the Detroit Red Wings, on goaltender Chris Osgood, in Toronto"s 2008-2009 season opener on October 9, 2008.
He was selected as a reserve by Team Russia for the 2010 Winter Olympics should an injury occur during the tournament. On July 2, 2010, Kulemin signed a 2 year-year contract worth $2.35M per year.
On April 5, 2011, Kulemin became the first Russian-born Toronto Maple Leaf to score 30 goals in a season since Alexander Mogilny scored 33 in 2002–2003.
Kulemin, along with Mats Sundin, Philosophy Kessel, James van Riemsdyk and Mogilny, are the only Leafs to score 30 or more since the 1999–2000 National Hockey League season. Following this season, which was a personal best, Kulemin dropped to 7 goals over 70 games in the 2011-2012 National Hockey League season. Kulemin was re-signed by Toronto on July 20, 2012, to another two-year contract, worth $2.8M per year.
During the National Hockey League lockout in the 2012-2013 National Hockey League season, he returned to the Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where he scored 38 points in 36 games.
Upon the lockout ending he returned to Toronto. He was selected to play in the 2014 Winter Olympics for the Russian National team on home soil.
On July 2, 2014, Kulemin left the Leafs after six seasons to sign a four-year free agent contract with the New York Islanders.
