Alex Galchenyuk

Alexander Alexandrovich Galchenyuk (Belarusian: Аляксандр Аляксандравіч Гальчанюк) (born February 12, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey center for Amur Khabarovsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He was selected third overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL entry draft. Galchenyuk has also previously played for the Arizona Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Colorado Avalanche.

Galchenyuk is of Belarusian descent, but was born in the United States and has represented the United States internationally. As of 2025 he has also acquired citizenship of the Russian Federation.

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". His performance led to him being drafted number one in the 2010 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Priority Selection Draft by the Sarnia Sting.

Galchenyuk was also selected 25th overall in the 2011 Kontinental Hockey League (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 Belarusian KHL 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. 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. 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 and where he dominated by recording 27 goals and 34 assists in 33 games.

Galchenyuk made the Canadiens roster for the 2012–13 season opener, a 2–1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 19, 2013. 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, 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. 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. 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.

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