Aleksander Barkov Jr.

Aleksander Aleksandrovich "Sasha" Barkov is a Finnish-Russian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Barkov was selected by the Panthers in the first round, second overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He is the son of former Russian hockey player Alexander Barkov Sr. and holds dual Finnish and Russian citizenship. He grew up in Tampere, Finland, where his father was playing for Tappara of the Finnish SM-Liiga at the time. Aleksander Barkov Jr. himself joined Tappara’s junior system and started his professional career with the club in the Finnish Elite League.