Nik Antropov was was drafted tenth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. When Owen Nolan joined the Maple Leafs in March 2003, Antropov changed his number from #11 (Nolan’s number for the San Jose Sharks) to #80, the year of his birth. In 2003–04, Leaf coach Pat Quinn formed a line with Joe Nieuwendyk, Alexei Ponikarovsky, and Antropov. This line was dubbed the “Skyline” because of the players’ height. On July 2, 2009, Antropov signed a four-year deal with the Atlanta Thrashers as a free agent. His first year with the Atlanta Thrashers was his most successful scoring 24 goals and 43 assists. Following the team’s relocation to Winnipeg in the summer of 2011, Antropov had the honor of scoring the first goal of the new Winnipeg Jets on October 9, 2011 against the Montreal Canadiens.