Topic: Anton Volchenkov

Anton Alekseyevich Volchenkov (Russian: Антон Алексеевич Волченков; born February 25, 1982), also known as the "A-train" and the "Russian Bear", is a Russian ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League.

He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 1st round as the 21st overall selection in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. In 2002, he came back to North America and played the entire season with Ottawa. He is known for his fearless attitude towards other players and the puck, and is generally considered to be amongst the toughest players in the league. In his early days playing in Europe, he played goaltender; however, his coach instructed him to play defence, which may help explain why he led the NHL in blocked shots in 2006–07 by a large margin. He is consistently amongst the top shot blockers and hitters.

Since his first stint in Ottawa, he has become a regular in the Senators' starting line-up. As a "stay-at-home" defenceman, he is known primarily for his blocked shots and massive hits. He also played in the 2006 Olympic Games for the Russian national ice hockey team and is now considered to be among Ottawa's top two defenders, along with Chris Phillips.