Alexei Emelin
Alexei Vyacheslavovich Emelin (Russian: Алексей Вячеславович Емелин; born 25 April 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for HC Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Emelin was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round, 84th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
| Alexei Emelin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Emelin with the Montreal Canadiens in 2015 | |||
| Born |
25 April 1986 Tolyatti, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| KHL team Former teams |
Free agent Lada Togliatti Ak Bars Kazan Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators Avangard Omsk Dinamo Minsk Spartak Moscow | ||
| National team |
 Russia | ||
| NHL Draft |
84th overall, 2004 Montreal Canadiens | ||
| Playing career | 2003–present | ||
Playing career
Early career
Emelin spent a large portion of his career with Lada Togliatti in the Russian Superleague (RSL) before signing with Ak Bars Kazan. He was also a member of Russia's under-18 and under-20 national squads, and has also become a regular member of the senior national team, skating for both in EuroTour and the World Championships.
In a Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) game in 2009, Emelin sustained a face injury during a fight with Alexander Svitov; an orbital bone shattered and had to be rebuilt with metal plate. He has tried to avoid getting into fights ever since the incident.[1][2]
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Montreal Canadiens
On 17 May 2011, Emelin signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Montreal Canadiens for the 2011–12 season.[3] He played his first regular season NHL game on 9 October, in a 5–1 victory against the Winnipeg Jets. In addition, he scored his first regular season NHL point, an assist, on 6 December, in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. On 25 January 2012, he scored his first NHL goal against the Detroit Red Wings.
On 30 June 2012, Emelin signed a two-year extension up until the end of the 2013–14 season.[4]
During the lockout shortened 2012–13 season, Emelin established himself as a key member of the Canadiens' defensive core, often playing with fellow countryman Andrei Markov.[5] He scored three goals and 12 points in 38 games for the Canadiens and finished with a plus-minus rating of +2. His season, however, was derailed by an injury during a game against the Boston Bruins on 6 April 2013, when Emelin collided with Bruins forward Milan Lucic, falling awkwardly and tearing a ligament in his left knee.[6] As a result, Emelin missed the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. On 31 October 2013, he signed a four-year contract extension with Montreal, lasting through the 2017–18 season.
Nashville Predators
After his sixth season with the Canadiens, Emelin was left exposed at the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. He was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights on 21 June 2017.[7] On 1 July 2017, the Golden Knights traded Emelin to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Vegas retained approximately $1.2 million USD of Emelin's salary in the trade.[8] Emelin skated in 76 games with the Predators in his lone season with the club, as well as 10 postseason games.
Avangard Omsk
On 2 September 2018, Emelin returned as a free agent to the KHL, signing a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk.[9]
Dinamo Minsk and Spartak Moscow
After four seasons with Avangard Omsk, Emelin left as a free agent and extended his career in the KHL after signing a one-year contract with Belarusian club, HC Dinamo Minsk, on 26 July 2022.[10] Selected as team captain for Dinamo Minsk in the lead up to the 2022–23 season, Emelin as a regular on the blueline made 38 appearances and registered 9 assists.
On 19 December 2022, Emelin left Dinamo and transferred to HC Spartak Moscow for the remainder of the season.[11]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | Lada–2 Togliatti | RUS.3 | 31 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Lada–2 Togliatti | RUS.3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | CSK VVS Samara | RUS.2 | 53 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 198 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | ||
| 2004–05 | Lada Togliatti | RSL | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 | Lada–2 Togliatti | RUS.3 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Lada Togliatti | RSL | 44 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 131 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 47 | ||
| 2006–07 | Lada Togliatti | RSL | 43 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 74 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 56 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 123 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 2008–09 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 51 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 58 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 46 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 50 | 22 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 24 | ||
| 2010–11 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 52 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 117 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 67 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 24 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 38 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 59 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 59 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 68 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 59 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | ||
| 2015–16 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 72 | 0 | 12 | 12 | 71 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 76 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 71 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 76 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 40 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Avangard Omsk | KHL | 48 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 20 | ||
| 2019–20 | Avangard Omsk | KHL | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | Avangard Omsk | KHL | 59 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 73 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Avangard Omsk | KHL | 43 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 35 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 2022–23 | Dinamo Minsk | KHL | 38 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Spartak Moscow | KHL | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| RSL totals | 155 | 8 | 17 | 25 | 352 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 63 | ||||
| KHL totals | 398 | 27 | 80 | 107 | 447 | 88 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 74 | ||||
| NHL totals | 456 | 15 | 66 | 81 | 363 | 39 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 16 | ||||
International
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| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Russia | WJC18 |  |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | |
| 2005 | Russia | WJC |  |
6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 2006 | Russia | WJC | |
6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 39 | |
| 2007 | Russia | WC |  |
9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Russia | WC | |
9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 33 | |
| 2011 | Russia | WC | 4th | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | |
| 2012 | Russia | WC | |
9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2014 | Russia | OG | 5th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 2016 | Russia | WC | |
10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 25 | |
| 2016 | Russia | WCH | 4th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 18 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 57 | ||||
| Senior totals | 44 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 105 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| KHL | ||
| Gagarin Cup (Ak Bars Kazan) | 2009, 2010 | |
| All-Star Game | 2013 | |
| Gagarin Cup (Avangard Omsk) | 2021 | [12] |
References
- "Emelin the Canadiens' mystery man". Montreal Gazette. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- "Lightning's Ryan Malone on attacking Habs' Emelin: "It's not old school hockey, it's pretty much hockey"". Tampa Bay Times. 28 February 2012. Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
- "Canadiens sign Emelin to a one-year contract". Montreal Canadiens. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- "Habs ink Alexei Emelin to a 2-year deal". Montreal Canadiens. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- "Canadiens v Rangers: No changes to defense pairings". habseyesontheprize.com. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- "Canadiens lose Emelin for season to knee injury". National Hockey League. 6 April 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
- "Canadiens lose Alexei Emelin to Las Vegas in NHL Expansion Draft". Montreal Gazette. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- "Predators acquire defenseman Alexei Emelin from Golden Knights". The Tennessean. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
- "Защитник Алексей Емелин - в "Авангарде"!". www.hawk.ru (in Russian). 2 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
- Kontinental Hockey League (26 July 2022). "Alexei Emelin continues career in Minsk". Twitter. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- "Alexei Emelin will continue his career with Spartak" (in Russian). HC Spartak Moscow. 19 December 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- "Avangard is crowned 2021 Gagarin Cup Champions" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database