Galchenyuk on his way to Pittsburgh

Alex Galchenyuk is a forward for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6-foot, 198-pound forward was born in Milwaukee but is of Russian decent -- his father, Alexander, spent five of his 22 professional seasons playing in the U.S. Alex was the first pick of the 2010 OHL draft, and last season had 31 goals and 52 assists in 68 games. He had 2 goals and an assist in five games for Team USA at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, and returned to take part in the 2011 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp in August. Despite suffering a major knee injury that nearly ended his season before it really began, Galchenyuk has maintained a monthly blog for NHL.com that will chronicle his season leading up to the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Hello everybody!

I've been having the craziest and most exciting couple of weeks in my life. I have to admit the schedule wasn't as tough as during the Combine, but there were still some places I needed to be.

Right after the combine I had to do a little combine in Toronto for the Maple Leafs, then I flew home to Sarnia for a little bit and after that my next stop was Montreal. I was there for two days and we did some stuff on and off the ice. Overall, a great trip. I've never been in Montreal and to see the city and then the rink, locker rooms and everything was pretty exciting.

Right now I'm very excited, of course. I've been dreaming of this moment since I was a little kid. It means everything to me, a new step in the direction of achieving my goal, and I can't be happier.

Today, my family and I are leaving for Pittsburgh. We are really excited. June 22 will be a fun day for all of us.

Follow Alex Galchenyuk on Twitter: @AGally94