Kaspars Astašenko

Kaspars Astašenko (17 February 1975[1] – 20 November 2012[2]) was a Latvian professional ice hockey player. Astašenko was born in Riga, Latvia. Astašenko was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 127th overall. Astašenko played parts of two seasons in the National Hockey League with the Lightning.

Kaspars Astašenko
Born (1975-02-17)17 February 1975[1]
Riga, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union
Died 20 November 2012(2012-11-20) (aged 37)
Riga, Latvia
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 206 lb (93 kg; 14 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for HK Pārdaugava Rīga
HC CSKA Moscow
Tampa Bay Lightning
Ilves
HPK
HC Slovan Bratislava
Ritten Sport
Beibarys Atyrau
Belfast Giants
National team  Latvia
NHL Draft 127th overall, 1999
Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career 1993–2012

Playing career

Junior

Astašenko began his career in his native Riga with HK Pārdaugava Rīga, competing in both the Latvian top league and later to Russian Superleague before signing with Russian club, HC CSKA Moscow in 1995.

North America

In 1998, Astašenko signed with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the International Hockey League. After a stint with the Cyclones, Astašenko was surprisingly drafted by Tampa Bay and went on to play 23 regular games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Lightning as well as playing for the IHL's Detroit Vipers and Long Beach Ice Dogs. He later played in the American Hockey League for the Springfield Falcons and the Lowell Lock Monsters.

Europe

He would return to Europe in 2003, with stops at Finland's SM-liiga with Ilves and HPK, back in Russia with Khimik Voskresensk, the Slovak Extraliga with HC Slovan Bratislava, Ritten Sport of Italy's Serie A and the United Kingdom's Elite Ice Hockey League for the Belfast Giants as well as brief spells in his native Latvia and the lower leagues in Finland.

International play

Astašenko played for the Latvian national team in the Ice Hockey World Championships in 2001 and 2006, as well as the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.[3]

Personal life

In 2003, Astašenko was arrested for possession of Heroin in the United States, effectively ending his North American career. After suffering from various addictions, Astašenko died on 20 November 2012.[4][5]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993-94 Riga Pardaugava Russia 4 0 0 0 10 — — — — —
1994-95 Riga Pardaugava Russia 25 0 0 0 24 — — — — —
1995-96 CSKA Moscow Russia 26 0 1 1 10 — — — — —
1996-97 HC CSKA Moscow Russia 41 0 0 0 48 2 0 1 1 4
1997-98 HC CSKA Moscow Russia 25 1 3 4 6 — — — — —
1997-98 HC CSKA Moscow Rus-1 3 0 0 0 4 — — — — —
1998-99 Cincinnati Cyclones IHL 74 3 11 14 166 3 0 2 2 6
1998-99 Dayton Bombers ECHL 2 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
1999-00 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 8 0 1 1 4 — — — — —
1999-00 Detroit Vipers IHL 51 1 10 11 86 — — — — —
1999-00 Long Beach Ice Dogs IHL 14 0 3 3 10 — — — — —
2000-01 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 15 1 1 2 4 — — — — —
2000-01 Detroit Vipers IHL 51 6 10 16 58 — — — — —
2001-02 Springfield Falcons AHL 11 0 2 2 15 — — — — —
2001-02 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 37 2 8 10 39 5 1 1 2 2
2002-03 Lowell Lock Monsters AHL 47 6 11 17 60 — — — — —
2003-04 Ilves Tampere SM-Liiga 23 2 2 4 60 5 0 1 1 8
2005-06 Voskresensk Khimik Rus-1 2 0 1 1 6 — — — — —
2005-06 HPK Hameenlinna SM-Liiga 28 2 4 6 112 12 0 1 1 49
2006-07 Bratislava Slovan Slovak 11 0 1 1 59 — — — — —
2007-08 Ritten Renon Italy-A 25 1 14 15 70 — — — — —
2007-08 Ritten Renon Italy-A 31 8 26 34 90 — — — — —
2007-08 Belfast Giants EIHL 14 0 5 5 13 — — — — —
NHL totals 23 1 2 3 8 — — — — —
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References
  1. "Kaspars Astašenko". SR/Olympics. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  2. "Kaspars Astasenko dies suddenly". rus.delfi.lv (in Latvian). 22 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  3. "Kaspars Astashenko hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  4. LETA (22 November 2012). "Hockey player Kaspars Astašenk dead" (in Latvian). Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  5. "Former Latvian Hockey player dies, at 37". lenta.ru. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
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