Alex Galchenyuk

Alexander Alexandrovich Galchenyuk (born February 12, 1994) is a Belarusian-American professional ice hockey player for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). After two years playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Sarnia Sting, he was drafted third overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

For his father, the retired Belarusian ice hockey player, see Alexander Galchenyuk.

Alex Galchenyuk
Galchenyuk with the Montreal Canadiens in 2015
Born (1994-02-12) February 12, 1994
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Minnesota Wild
Montreal Canadiens
Arizona Coyotes
Pittsburgh Penguins
National team  United States
NHL Draft 3rd overall, 2012
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2012–present

Of Russian and Belarusian descent, Galchenyuk has represented the United States internationally, 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 recorded 31 goals and 52 assists for 83 total 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]

Galchenyuk during his rookie season in 2013

Professional

Montreal Canadiens

Galchenyuk made the Canadiens roster for the 2012–13 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 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 9 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 with the Canadiens during the 2012–13 season.

During the 2013–14 season, Galchenyuk missed six weeks due to a broken hand.[13] He'd finish the season with 13 goals and 31 points in 65 games.

Galchenyuk scored his first career hat-trick on December 16, 2014, against the Carolina Hurricanes.[14] The 2014–15 season also marked Galchenyuk's first 20-goal campaign, as he tallied that amount in 80 games.

On July 30, 2015, Galchenyuk (as a restricted free agent) signed a two-year, $5.6 million contract extension with the Canadiens.[15] The following season, Galchenyuk tied captain Max Pacioretty with 30 goals to lead the team. Galchenyuk finished second in team scoring (behind Pacioretty) with 56 points.

On July 5, 2017, Galchenyuk signed a three-year, $14.7 million contract extension with the Canadiens.[16] In the following 2017–18 campaign, Galchenyuk produced 51 points in his sixth season with the Canadiens.

Arizona Coyotes

On June 15, 2018, Galchenyuk was traded by the Canadiens to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Max Domi.[17]

In his first and only season as a member of the Coyotes, Galchenyuk played in 72 games, with 19 goals and 22 assists.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On June 29, 2019, Galchenyuk was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins along with Pierre-Olivier Joseph in exchange for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks, and a fourth-round pick in 2021.[18] He suffered a lower-body injury early in the 2019–20 season and was placed on injured reserve on October 9, 2019.[19] Galchenyuk returned to make 45 appearances with the Penguins, struggling to match his previous career offensive output in recording 5 goals and 17 points.

Minnesota Wild

On February 10, 2020, Galchenyuk, prospect Calen Addison, and Pittsburgh's first round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft were traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Jason Zucker.[20]

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.[21] The family 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 serves as the Chairman of Galchenyuk Business Enterprises, GBE, as well as the Galchenyuk Agency.

Galchenyuk is an active philanthropist, receiving a Medal of Honor of the National Assembly by the Quebec Government for his efforts in 2015.

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 3844438756 —————
2010–11 Sarnia Sting OHL 6831528352 —————
2011–12 Sarnia Sting OHL 20000 62244
2012–13 Sarnia Sting OHL 3327346122 —————
2012–13 Montreal Canadiens NHL 489182720 51230
2013–14 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6513183126 52132
2014–15 Montreal Canadiens NHL 8020264639 1213410
2015–16 Montreal Canadiens NHL 8230265620 —————
2016–17 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6117274424 60334
2017–18 Montreal Canadiens NHL 8219325122 —————
2018–19 Arizona Coyotes NHL 7219224134 —————
2019–20 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 455121710 —————
2019–20 Minnesota Wild NHL 143476 40004
NHL totals 549135185320201 32491320
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Ice hockey
IIHF World U20 Championship
2013 Russia
World Championships
2013 Stockholm/Helsinki

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

Awards and honors
Award Year
OHL
Jack Ferguson Award 2010 [22]
All-Rookie Team 2011
Montreal Canadiens
Molson Cup 2016 [23]
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References
  1. "Prodigy on skates". Chicago Sun Times, featured at the Chicago Young Americans Web site. May 3, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  2. "Sarnia Sting take U.S. forward Galchenyuk first overall in OHL priority draft". The Toronto Star. May 1, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  3. "Alex Galchenyuk tired of KHL speculation, injury questions; ready for NHL impact".
  4. "Galchenyuk signs entry level deal". July 24, 2012.
  5. "Alex Galchenyuk Named Sting Captain". Retrieved 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 April 14, 2015.
  8. "Rookies Galchenyuk, Gallagher to start season with Habs". The Globe and Mail. February 3, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
  9. "Florida Panthers at Montréal Canadiens - 01/22/2013". NHL.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  10. "Alex Galchenyuk". NHL.com. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  11. Andrew Berkshire (March 29, 2013). "2013 Habs Half Season Review - Alex Galchenyuk". Eyes On The Prize. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  12. "2012–2013 – Regular Season – Skater – Summary – Points". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
  13. Harrison, Doug. "Alex Galchenyuk to miss 6 weeks with broken hand". CBC.ca. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  14. "Galchenyuk nets first-career hat trick as Canadiens defeat Hurricanes". TSN. December 17, 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  15. "Canadiens, Galchenyuk agree to two-year deal". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  16. "Canadiens re-sign Alex Galchenyuk to 3-year, $14.7M deal". CBC. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  17. "Canadiens acquire Domi from Coyotes for Galchenyuk". The Sports Network. June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  18. Staff, TSN ca (June 29, 2019). "Pittsburgh Penguins trade Phil Kessel to Arizona Coyotes Alex Galchenyuk - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  19. Vensel, Matt (October 9, 2019). "Another Penguins forward, Alex Galchenyuk, placed on injured reserve". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  20. "Wild acquires Alex Galchenyuk and Calen Addison from Penguins". Minnesota Wild. February 10, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  21. "Alexander Galchenyuk: It's a nonsense that my son is drafted by Atlant and not by Dynamo Minsk".
  22. "Sarnia Sting Announce Alex Galchenyuk As First Overall Pick In The 2010 OHL Priority Selection". April 30, 2010. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  23. "Alex Galchenyuk named the Canadiens' 2015-16 Molson Cup Player of the Year". Retrieved April 12, 2016.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Nathan Beaulieu		 Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick
2012		 Succeeded by
Michael McCarron
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