Team Russia will be without one of its best young forwards at the upcoming 2015 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship as Nail Yakupov will miss the tournament with a hip injury, the Edmonton Oilers announced Wednesday.
“Nail has been suffering from bilateral hip injuries this season and after further examination and MRI imaging, he requires additional treatment and rehabilitation,” Oilers head physician, Dr. Dhiren Naidu, said in a press release.
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Yakupov signed a two-year, $5-million contract extension with Monday after collecting a career high 33 points in 81 games this season.
The first-overall pick from the 2012 draft also finished the 2014-15 season with a league-worst minus-35 rating. In 192 career NHL games the 21-year-old has 42 goals, 46 assists and 78 penalty minutes.
The Oilers also announced forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins won’t be available to Team Canada. The centre has a fracture in his right foot and requires more time to heal, according to the team.
