Alex Galchenyuk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alex Galchenyuk |
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Galchenyuk with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019
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| Born | February 12, 1994 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
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| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| KHL team Former teams |
Amur Khabarovsk Montreal Canadiens Arizona Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins Minnesota Wild Ottawa Senators Toronto Maple Leafs Colorado Avalanche SKA Saint Petersburg |
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| National team |  United States |
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| NHL Draft | 3rd overall, 2012 Montreal Canadiens |
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| Playing career | 2012–present | ||
Alexander "Alex" Galchenyuk (born February 12, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey player. He plays as a center for Amur Khabarovsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The Montreal Canadiens picked him third overall in the 2012 NHL entry draft. Alex has also played for several other teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). These include the Arizona Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Avalanche.
Alex Galchenyuk has Belarusian family roots. However, he was born in the United States. He has proudly represented the United States in international hockey games.
Contents
Alex Galchenyuk's Hockey Journey
Early Days in Hockey
Alex Galchenyuk played his last year of minor hockey with the U16 Chicago Young Americans. He quickly became a star player. He scored 44 goals and made 43 assists, showing his amazing talent. His coach, Bruno Bragagnolo, said getting a player like Alex was like winning the lottery!
Because of his great performance, the Sarnia Sting picked him first in the 2010 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection Draft. He was also chosen 25th overall in the 2011 Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Junior Draft by Atlant Moscow Oblast.
In his first season with the Sarnia Sting, Alex scored 31 goals and 52 assists, totaling 83 points. This earned him a spot on the OHL 1st All-Rookie team. The next year, he missed most of the season due to a knee injury. Despite this, the Montreal Canadiens still picked him third in the 2012 NHL entry draft.
On July 23, 2012, Alex signed a three-year contract with the Canadiens. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, he played for Sarnia in the OHL. He was even the team captain in his final season there. He played incredibly well, scoring 27 goals and 34 assists in just 33 games.
Playing in the NHL
Montreal Canadiens: His First NHL Team
Alex Galchenyuk joined the Canadiens for the 2012–13 season opener. This was on January 19, 2013, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was the youngest player to play a full season with the Canadiens since 1984.
He scored his first NHL goal on January 22, 2013. It was against Scott Clemmensen of the Florida Panthers. He tipped in a shot from Brandon Prust. His rookie teammate Brendan Gallagher also got his first NHL point on that play. Alex finished the season playing all 48 games. He had 9 goals, 18 assists, and 27 points. He also had a great plus-minus rating of +14. He played mostly on the left wing of the third line. He was among the top ten rookies in scoring, helping the Canadiens have a strong season.
During the 2013–14 season, Alex missed six weeks because of a broken hand. He still finished the season with 13 goals and 31 points in 65 games.
Alex scored his first career hat-trick on December 16, 2014, against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 2014–15 season was also his first time scoring 20 goals. He reached that mark in 80 games.
On July 30, 2015, Alex signed a new two-year contract with the Canadiens. In the 2015–16 season, he tied with captain Max Pacioretty for the team lead with 30 goals. Alex finished second in team scoring with 56 points.
On July 5, 2017, Alex signed another three-year contract with the Canadiens. In the 2017–18 season, his sixth with the team, he scored 51 points.
Playing for the Arizona Coyotes
On June 15, 2018, the Canadiens traded Alex to the Arizona Coyotes. In return, they received Max Domi.
In his first season with the Coyotes, Alex played in 72 games. He scored 19 goals and made 22 assists.
Time with the Pittsburgh Penguins
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On June 29, 2019, Alex was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He went with Pierre-Olivier Joseph in a trade for Phil Kessel and other players. He got a lower-body injury early in the 2019–20 season. He played 45 games for the Penguins, scoring 5 goals and 17 points.
Joining the Minnesota Wild
On February 10, 2020, Alex was traded again. He went to the Minnesota Wild along with Calen Addison and a draft pick. The Wild sent Jason Zucker to the Penguins.
A Stop with the Ottawa Senators
On October 28, 2020, Alex signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators. He scored a goal in his first game with the Senators on January 19, 2021. This was in a 4–3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He played in 8 of the Senators' first 15 games.
Skating with the Toronto Maple Leafs
On February 13, 2021, Alex was traded from the Senators to the Carolina Hurricanes. The very next day, the Hurricanes put him on waivers. After clearing waivers, he was sent to the Chicago Wolves in the AHL. However, before he could join them, he was traded again!
On the same day, February 15, 2021, the Hurricanes traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This trade involved Yegor Korshkov and David Warsofsky. At first, people thought this was just a small trade for depth. Alex played for the Maple Leafs' AHL team, the Toronto Marlies, and scored 8 points in 6 games.
He was then called up to the Maple Leafs and made his debut on March 19. He played on a line with William Nylander and John Tavares. He stayed in the NHL for the rest of the season. He impressed fans and the team staff. The Maple Leafs' general manager, Kyle Dubas, even said Alex's success changed their plans for the trade deadline. He finished the season with 12 points in 26 games for the Maple Leafs. He helped them win their division. In the playoffs, Alex had four points in six games. However, the Maple Leafs lost in the first round to his old team, the Montreal Canadiens.
Back with the Arizona Coyotes
On September 21, 2021, Alex signed a tryout contract with the Coyotes. This meant he was returning to Arizona after being traded away in 2019. On October 5, he signed a one-year contract with the Coyotes. In the 2020–21 season, Alex played as a top forward for the Coyotes. He scored 6 goals and made 15 assists, totaling 21 points in 60 games.
Playing for the Colorado Avalanche
After his contract with the Coyotes ended, Alex was a free agent. He joined the Colorado Avalanche's training camp on a tryout contract on September 20, 2022. He got injured in his first preseason game and was released from his tryout.
Alex stayed with the Avalanche organization while recovering. He signed an AHL contract to play for their affiliate team, the Colorado Eagles, on November 10, 2022. He scored 7 points in 7 games with the Eagles. Because of this, he signed a one-year contract with the Avalanche on November 28, 2022. He made his debut with the Avalanche the next day. After playing four games without scoring, Alex was sent back to the Eagles.
Moving to the KHL
On June 24, 2023, the Avalanche traded Alex to the Nashville Predators. However, the Predators did not sign him, making him a free agent. On July 1, 2023, he signed a one-year contract to return to the Coyotes organization.
On July 13, his contract with the Coyotes ended. With no NHL interest, Alex decided to play hockey overseas. He signed a two-year contract with SKA Saint Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) on August 25, 2023. In the 2023–24 season, he scored 16 goals and 42 points in 61 regular season games. He also helped SKA reach the second round of the playoffs, scoring 5 points in 9 games.
Alex decided not to continue with the second year of his contract with SKA. On May 17, 2024, he signed a one-year deal with another Russian team, Amur Khabarovsk.
Personal Life
Alex Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His father, Alexander Galchenyuk, was a hockey player for the Soviet Union and Belarus. His mother is also Belarusian. Alex has an older sister named Anna. When Alex was born, his father was playing for the Milwaukee Admirals in the International Hockey League.
When Alex was four, his family moved to Europe. They followed his father's hockey career in Germany, Italy, and Russia. They eventually settled in Russia, where Alex started playing hockey. When he was 15, they moved back to North America. They lived in Chicago, Illinois, and then in Sarnia, Ontario, where his father coaches.
Alex can speak Russian, Italian, and English fluently.
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 | ||
| 2017–18 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 82 | 19 | 32 | 51 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 72 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 45 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 26 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 60 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 42 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 2022–23 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | SKA Saint Petersburg | KHL | 61 | 16 | 26 | 42 | 42 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 654 | 146 | 208 | 354 | 257 | 38 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 24 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing the  United States |
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| 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 |  |
7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2013 | United States | WC |  |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | United States | WC | 4th | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 14 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| OHL | ||
| Jack Ferguson Award | 2010 | |
| All-Rookie Team | 2011 | |
| Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Molson Cup | 2016 | |
