Rising Star Dmitri Kuleshov is a player to watch out for as he continues his hockey development in the Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) and overseas in years to come.

Position: Forward

AIHL Team: Sydney Ice Dogs

Hometown: Sydney, NSW, AUS

Bio

Dmitri Kuleshov has just completed his second season in the AIHL with the Sydney Ice Dogs. Despite being only 19 and relatively green in the league Dmitri has proven himself to be a future AIHL star who is getting better and better.

In his relatively short career before joining the Ice Dogs, Dmitri started with the Sydney Sabres in the AJIHL and Sydney Strong in the East Coast Super League (ECSL).

To hone his skills quickly, Kuleshov took up opportunities to play overseas in Sweden with Viggbyholms IK and in America with Minnesota Loons and Great Falls Americans.

Dmitri’s first breakthrough at senior Australian level came with the Coast in the now-defunct Pacific Hockey League (PHL).

On the international scene, Kuleshov was called up to the Australia U20s in 2022.

His performances with Coast and the Australia U20s caught the eye of AIHL team Sydney Ice Dogs, who added Kuleshov to their roster for the 2023 season.

Dmitri made his AIHL debut on 15 April 2023 against the Sydney Bears. The Ice Dogs lost the game, but Kuleshov scored his first AIHL goal in the third period. He finished his rookie season with 35 points, the fourth highest in the scoring charts for the Ice Dogs that season.

At the 2023 U20 Worlds Division 3, Dmitri helped the Australian team win gold and secure promotion. He top-scored with an insane 29 points (17 goals and 12 assists) in 6 games.

In 2024, Kuleshov improved on his rookie season, becoming a key figure of the Ice Dogs attack. Dmitri finished third in the Dogs scoring charts with 39 points. He scored 22 goals, breaking the 20-goal mark for the first time. Skaters Network rewarded his efforts with back-to-back Player of the Week awards in Rounds four and five.

What’s ahead

Dmitri and his younger brother Ivan Kuleshov are both currently playing for an Under 20’s team in Finland this off-season. Its great seeing the two of them sticking together as they develop their games further in Europe.

AIHL fans rejoice, Dmitri plans on returning to the AIHL in 2025 to continue his domestic career. If he continues this upward trajectory, it should be a great 2025 season full of highlight reel moments.

Rising Star Series

This player profile, Rising Star Dmitri Kuleshov, is the second of our Rising Star series for the AIHL. Please visit our Young Hype section for more player profiles in the series.