The No. 3 selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft, Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, where his father, Alexander Galchenyuk, was playing in the American Hockey League. The family would move back to Europe when Alex was 4 and live in Germany, Italy and Russia.
Alexander Galchenyuk, who played internationally for the Soviet Union and Belarus, was serving as an assistant coach with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League when Alex began his junior career there. Alex had 31 goals and 83 points in his first season, drawing notice from NHL teams.
The No. 3 selection by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2012 NHL Draft, Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, where his father, Alexander Galchenyuk, was playing in the American Hockey League. The family would move back to Europe when Alex was 4 and live in Germany, Italy and Russia.
Alexander Galchenyuk, who played internationally for the Soviet Union and Belarus, was serving as an assistant coach with Sarnia of the Ontario Hockey League when Alex began his junior career there. Alex had 31 goals and 83 points in his first season, drawing notice from NHL teams.
A knee injury limited him to eight games, including playoffs, in his second season, but the Canadiens were undeterred and drafted Galchenyuk that summer.
Healthy again for 2012-13, he was putting up big numbers for Sarnia and had helped the United States win gold at the World Junior Championship when the NHL resumed play after a lockout. Galchenyuk joined the Canadiens and had nine goals and 27 points as a rookie, playing all 48 games of the abbreviated season.
In 2014-15, his third season, he reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in the NHL. His two goals at home in the 2015-16 finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning gave him 30 for the season.
At 22 years and 57 days old, he became the third youngest player in Canadiens history to reach that mark. Bernie Geoffrion and Stephane Richer were the others.
After six seasons with the Canadiens, Galchenyuk was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on June 15, 2018. He had 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on June 29, 2019, and was traded again, this time to the Minnesota Wild, on Feb. 10, 2020.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- OHL All-Rookie Team (2011)
- Traded to Arizona by Montreal for Max Domi, June 15, 2018.
- Traded to Pittsburgh by Arizona with Pierre-Olivier Joseph for Phil Kessel, Dane Birks and a 4th-round pick in 2021 NHL Draft, June 29, 2019.
- Traded to Minnesota by Pittsburgh with Calen Addison and Pittsburgh's 1st-round pick in 2020 or 2021 NHL Draft for Jason Zucker, February 10, 2020.
