Kulemin is an instinctive, mobile skater who plays a well-rounded game. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round (No. 44) in the 2006 NHL Draft and arrived in the League knowing how to make an impact.

As a 20-year-old with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, Kulemin was the Russian Super League MVP in the 2006-07 season after scoring 27 goals and finishing with 39 points in 54 games. In the playoffs the 6-foot-1, 225-pound forward added 10 goals in 15 games to help Magnitogorsk win the RSL championship.

Kulemin remained in Russia for one more season before joining the Maple Leafs to start 2008-09. He made his NHL debut on opening night, Oct. 9, 2008, against the Detroit Red Wings and scored his first goal by getting the game-winner against Chris Osgood. Kulemin finished his rookie season with 15 goals, seven on the power play, and 31 points.

In 2010-11, his third season with Toronto, Kulemin played all 82 games for the first time and had 30 goals and 57 points. But he scored just 23 goals in the next three season, became a free agent and signed a four-year contract with the New York Islanders on July 2, 2014.

Kulemin regained his scoring touch in his first season with the Islanders; his 15 goals and 31 points in 2014-15 were his highest totals since 2010-11. He also tied for fifth in the League with three shorthanded goals.

On April 25, 2015, Kulemin scored his first Stanley Cup Playoff goal, the game-winner in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Washington Capitals. It was the Islanders' final game at Nassau Coliseum; they moved to Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the 2015-16 season.