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Alex Galchenyuk
Alex Galchenyuk 2017
Born (1994-02-12)February 12, 1994,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Height
Weight
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Left
NHL team Montreal Canadiens
Ntl. team Flag of the United States United States of America
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 2012
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2012–present

Alexander Alexandrovich "Alex" Galchenyuk (born February 12, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted third overall by the Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft following two years with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Of Belarusian descent, Galchenyuk has represented the United States on the international stage, including at the IIHF World U20 Championship and the Ice Hockey World Championships, winning gold and bronze medals, respectively.

Playing career[]

Minor and junior[]

Galchenyuk played his final year of minor hockey with the U16 Chicago Young Americans and quickly became a star player, tallying 44 goals and 43 assists, leading coach Bruno Bragagnolo to refer to winning a lottery ticket as "the odds of having another kid like Alex play for you."[1] His performance led to him being drafted number one in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection Draft by the Sarnia Sting.[2]

Galchenyuk was also selected 25th overall in the 2011 KHL Junior Draft by Atlant Moscow Oblast, which caused his father, Alexander Galchenyuk, to express his displeasure in Alex not being drafted in the first round by the KHL's Belarusian team, Dinamo Minsk.

In his first season with the Sting, Galchenyuk tallied 31 goals and 52 assists for a total of 83 points, which led to him being selected to the OHL 1st All-Rookie team alongside teammate Nail Yakupov. The following year he missed all but two regular-season games and six playoff games with a knee injury.[3] He was selected third in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens.

On July 23, 2012, Galchenyuk signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Canadiens.[4] During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he played for Sarnia in the OHL, where he served as captain of the team during his final season for the Sting[5] and where he dominated by recording 27 goals and 34 assists in 33 games.[6]

Professional[]

Galchenyuk made the Canadiens roster for the season opener, a 2–1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 19, 2013.[7] He was the youngest player to play a full season with the Montreal Canadiens since 1984.[8]He scored his first NHL goal on January 22, 2013, against Scott Clemmensen of the Florida Panthers, tipping in a shot from Brandon Prust; rookie teammate Brendan Gallagher also recorded his first NHL point, an assist.[9] Galchenyuk finished the season playing in all 48 games with nine goals, 18 assists for 27 points and a plus-minus rating of +14, playing primarily on the left wing of the third line.[10][11] He finished in the top ten in all three offensive categories among rookies, and was sixth overall in rookie points scoring, helping propel a resurgent Canadiens team to the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.[12]

Galchenyuk 2012-13

Galchenyuk with the Canadiens in the 2012-13 season.

He scored his first career hat-trick on December 16, 2014, playing against the Carolina Hurricanes.[13]

On July 30, 2015 the Canadiens and Galchenyuk agreed to terms on a 2-year contract extension, worth $5.6 million.

Personal life[]

Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to former Soviet and Belarusian hockey player Alexander Galchenyuk, and a Belarusian mother. He has an older sister, Anna. Galchenyuk's father was a member of the International Hockey League (IHL)'s Milwaukee Admirals at the time of his birth.[14] They moved to Europe when Galchenyuk was four, following his father's hockey career in Germany, Italy and Russia. They eventually settled in Russia, where the younger Galchenyuk began his hockey career before moving back to North America when he was 15, first to Chicago, Illinois, and then to Sarnia, Ontario, where Alex Galchenyuk, Sr. coaches.

Galchenyuk speaks three languages: Russian, Italian and English.[3]

Career statistics[]

Regular season and playoffs[]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2009–10 Chicago Young Americans MWEHL 38 44 43 87 56
2010–11 Sarnia Sting OHL 68 31 52 83 52
2011–12 Sarnia Sting OHL 2 0 0 0 0 6 2 2 4 4
2012–13 Sarnia Sting OHL 33 27 34 61 22
2012–13 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 9 18 27 20 5 1 2 3 0
2013–14 Montreal Canadiens NHL 65 13 18 31 26 5 2 1 3 2
2014–15 Montreal Canadiens NHL 80 20 26 46 39 12 1 3 4 10
2015–16 Montreal Canadiens NHL 82 30 26 56 20
2016-17 Montreal Canadiens NHL 61 17 27 44 24 6 0 3 3 4
NHL totals 336 89 115 204 129 28 4 9 13 16
Medal record
Competitor for the Flag of the United States United States
Ice hockey
IIHF World U20 Championship
Gold 2013 Russia
World Championships
Bronze 2013 Stockholm/Helsinki

International[]

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2013 United States WJC Gold medal icon 7 2 6 8 4
2013 United States WC Bronze medal icon 4 2 0 2 0
Junior totals 7 2 6 8 4
Senior totals 4 2 0 2 0

Awards and honors[]

Award Year
Jack Ferguson Award[15] (OHL) 2010
Molson Cup (Montreal Canadiens')[16] 2016
  • MWEHL's Top Scorer with 87 points during the 2009–2010 season[17]
  • 1st All-Rookie Team (OHL) for the 2010–11 OHL season

References[]

  1. Prodigy on skates. Chicago Sun Times, featured at the Chicago Young Americans Web site. Retrieved on October 10, 2011.
  2. "Sarnia Sting take U.S. forward Galchenyuk first overall in OHL priority draft", The Toronto Star, May 1, 2010. Retrieved on October 10, 2011. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 Alex Galchenyuk tired of KHL speculation, injury questions; ready for NHL impact.
  4. Galchenyuk signs entry level deal.
  5. Alex Galchenyuk Named Sting Captain. Retrieved on April 14, 2015.
  6. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0008402013.html
  7. ROOKIES GALLAGHER, GALCHENYUK MAKE HABS OPENING ROSTER. TSN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved on April 14, 2015.
  8. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/rookies-galchenyuk-gallagher-to-start-season-with-habs/article7511937/
  9. Florida Panthers at Montréal Canadiens - 01/22/2013. NHL.com. Retrieved on April 14, 2015.
  10. Alex Galchenyuk. NHL.com. Retrieved on April 14, 2015.
  11. Andrew Berkshire. 2013 Habs Half Season Review - Alex Galchenyuk. Eyes On The Prize. Retrieved on April 14, 2015.
  12. 2012–2013 – Regular Season – Skater – Summary – Points. National Hockey League. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved on October 11, 2013.
  13. Galchenyuk nets first-career hat trick as Canadiens defeat Hurricanes. TSN. Retrieved on April 14, 2015.
  14. Alexander Galchenyuk: It's a nonsense that my son is drafted by Atlant and not by Dynamo Minsk.
  15. Sarnia Sting Announce Alex Galchenyuk As First Overall Pick In The 2010 OHL Priority Selection. Retrieved on April 14, 2015.
  16. Alex Galchenyuk named the Canadiens' 2015-16 Molson Cup Player of the Year. Retrieved on April 12, 2016.
  17. Elite Prospects

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Nathan Beaulieu
Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick
2012
Succeeded by
Michael McCarron
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