SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that San Diego Gulls forward Nikita Nesterenko has been selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 28, 2024.
Nesterenko recorded four goals and three assists for seven points in three games last week, all wins by the Gulls.
At home against Abbotsford on Tuesday evening, Nesterenko scored the decisive shootout goal to lift San Diego to a 2-1 victory over the Canucks. On Friday, he tallied a goal and two assists to help the Gulls to a 6-3 win at Iowa. And on Saturday, Nesterenko recorded the first multiple-goal game of his pro career, potting a hat trick and adding an assist as San Diego knocked off the Wild, 7-4, to match their longest winning streak of the season.
A 22-year-old rookie out of Boston College, Nesterenko has totaled 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 38 games for the Gulls this season. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native was originally a sixth-round pick by Minnesota in the 2019 NHL Draft and was acquired by Anaheim in a trade on Mar. 3, 2023. He made his NHL debut with the Ducks last spring, collecting one goal in nine appearances.
