Artyom Valerievich Zub Bio
Artyom Valerievich Zub is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. Zub made his professional debut with Amur Khabarovsk in the Kontinental Hockey League during the 2014–15 season and has since developed into a steady, defensively reliable NHL regular and an international medalist, including a 2018 Olympic gold.
Early Life and Background
Artyom Valerievich Zub was born on 3 October 1995 in Khabarovsk, Russia. He came through the local hockey system and played youth hockey with Amurskie Tigry Khabarovsk, the junior affiliate of Amur Khabarovsk, where he learned the fundamentals that would carry him into the professional ranks.
Zub progressed through the Khabarovsk development pipeline and established himself as a reliable junior defenceman before making the step up to senior professional competition. His physical profile—listed at 188 cm and 90 kg—and right-handed shot have been defining attributes since his early years in the Amur organization.
Path to Hockey
Zub advanced from Amurskie Tigry to the Amur Khabarovsk senior team, debuting in the Kontinental Hockey League in the 2014–15 season. His breakout to consistent KHL minutes came the following season, when he split time between the junior and senior clubs while earning recognition such as a rookie-of-the-month nod in October of 2015.
Strong performances in the KHL attracted attention from top Russian clubs and, later, from the National Hockey League. A midseason trade in December 2016 moved Zub to SKA Saint Petersburg, where he joined an established roster and gained postseason experience that would prove valuable in his later transition to the NHL.
Artyom Valerievich Zub Career
Early Career (2011–2015)
Zub’s organized career traces to 2011 in the Russian junior systems, rising through Amurskie Tigry before earning his KHL debut with Amur Khabarovsk in 2014–15. In his first senior appearances he focused on adapting to the professional pace, appearing in seven KHL games in his debut season and registering a first assist while gaining exposure to top-level competition.
During the 2015–16 season Zub established a more regular role, appearing in 55 KHL games and recording seven points. That season provided the experience and consistency that set up his trade to SKA Saint Petersburg the following year and laid the foundation for his role as a dependable two-way blueliner.
SKA Saint Petersburg Breakthrough (2016–2020)
Traded to SKA Saint Petersburg on 1 December 2016, Zub became part of one of the KHL’s leading clubs and immediately took on a regular role on the SKA blueline. He contributed through the 2016–17 campaign and was part of the SKA roster that captured the Gagarin Cup that postseason, giving him his first major team championship at the professional level.
Over subsequent seasons with SKA, Zub continued to develop his offensive and defensive tools. He recorded steady playoff minutes during deep SKA runs to conference finals in 2017–18 and 2018–19 and set career highs in the 2019–20 season with 13 goals and 22 points in 57 games, cementing his readiness for the NHL stage.
Ottawa Senators Era (2020–Present)
Zub signed with the Ottawa Senators as an undrafted free agent on 1 May 2020, joining the NHL on a one-year entry-level contract. He made his Senators debut on 31 January 2021 and registered his first NHL point in that game. His first NHL goal came on 15 February 2021 in a 6–5 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto.
Quickly earning a top-pairing role alongside Thomas Chabot, Zub established himself as a reliable defensive presence and a steady partner in minutes and matchups. He signed a two-year extension with Ottawa in May 2021 and later a four-year extension in December 2022, reflecting the club’s commitment to him as a core defensive piece.
Driving Style and Strengths
Zub plays with size and a right-handed shot, favoring a defensive-first approach that emphasizes gap control, stick work, and positional reliability. He is valued by coaches for steadying defensive minutes against top opponents, blocking shots, and delivering clean exits to transition the play. His pairing with high-minute partners has highlighted his ability to absorb difficult assignments and provide composure under pressure.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key milestones in Zub’s career include his contribution to SKA Saint Petersburg’s Gagarin Cup victory, his NHL debut and first goal for the Ottawa Senators, and international success with Russia, most notably the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Several seasons with injury interruptions also marked his tenure with Ottawa, through which he returned to maintain a regular role.
Artyom Valerievich Zub Career Wins
Zub’s professional career includes team championship success in Russia and medal-winning international play. He was a member of the SKA Saint Petersburg roster that captured the Gagarin Cup, and he won Olympic gold as part of the Olympic Athletes from Russia in 2018. He also earned bronze medals with Russia at the 2017 and 2019 IIHF World Championships.
KHL and Club Highlights
With SKA Saint Petersburg, Zub delivered dependable regular-season and playoff performances, culminating in a Gagarin Cup victory early in his SKA tenure. His 2019–20 KHL campaign produced career-high offensive totals, with 13 goals and 22 points in 57 games, underlining his value in both defensive and offensive phases.
Other Wins & Perfromances
On the international stage Zub helped Russia to bronze medals at the 2017 and 2019 IIHF World Championships and was part of the Olympic Athletes from Russia squad that won gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Those results remain among the most prominent achievements of his national-team career.
Artyom Valerievich Zub Family
Family Background and Hockey Lineage
Zub was born and raised in Khabarovsk, where he emerged through the local hockey development system with Amurskie Tigry and Amur Khabarovsk. Public records and available profiles document his place of birth and early development, but details about his family and parents are not publicly listed in verified sources.
Personal Life
Zub keeps his personal life private; available verified information does not list a spouse or children. His public profile centers on his professional career and international play rather than personal details.
2025 Season Performance
The 2024–25 season reflected Zub’s importance to Ottawa’s defensive structure despite a series of injuries that interrupted his availability. Early in the season he suffered a concussion and later a broken foot after blocking a shot, misses that underlined his role as a shot-blocking, defensive specialist. He returned in January and completed the regular season with two goals and 13 points in 56 games, helping the Senators reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
In the 2025 playoffs Ottawa faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the opening round and were eliminated in six games. Zub appeared in the series and registered one assist. His season demonstrated both his value when healthy and the impact of injuries on team depth, with the Senators relying on his top-pairing minutes when available.
Looking beyond 2025, Zub remains a contracted Ottawa Senators defenceman and a key part of the club’s right-shot defensive depth. His blend of size, positional play, and experience at both the club and international levels positions him as a core defensive piece as the Senators pursue stability and postseason progress.