Alexander Yelesin

Alexander Yelesin
Born (1996-02-07) 7 February 1996 (age 28)
Yaroslavl, Russia
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 192 lb (87 kg; 13 st 10 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
KHL team
Former teams		 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Amur Khabarovsk
Calgary Flames
National team  Russia
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2016–present

Alexander Mikhailovich Yelesin (Russian: Александр Михайлович Елесин; born 7 February 1996) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Playing career

Yelesin played as a youth within the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl program, joining the club to play at the under-16 level. He progressed his development, playing with a junior affiliate, Loko Yaroslavl, in the MHL. He scored 15 points in 63 games over three seasons with Loko, culminating in a championship title in 2015–16.

He made his professional debut during the 2015–16 season, playing with the second-tier club, HC Ryazan of the Supreme Hockey League (VHL). He split the year between Ryazan and the MHL and finished with 5 points in 22 games in the VHL.

On 1 July 2016, Yelesin was traded by Lokomotiv to Amur Khabarovsk in exchange for financial compensation.[1] He made his debut for Amur in the Kontinental Hockey League during the 2016–17 season. He was scoreless with 11 minutes on ice in a 2-1 shootout victory of CSKA Moscow on 29 September 2016.[2] As a defensive defenseman, Yelesin appeared in 22 games for the season, attributed with one assist.

On 16 May 2017, after a single season with Amur Khabarovsk, Yelesin was returned in a trade to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.[3]

In his second season with Lokomotiv in 2018–19, having established his role within the blueline, Yelesin's defensive abilities were noticed as he was selected to represent Lokomotiv at the 2019 KHL All-Star Game. In his first full season, Yelesin contributed 4 goals and 10 points in 55 regular season games. He was scoreless in 10 post-season games as Lokomotiv reached the Western Conference Semi-finals.

Undrafted and out of contract with Lokomotiv, Yelesin opted to pursue an NHL career, signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames on 11 May 2019.[4] In the following 2019–20 season, Yelesin made his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames against the Los Angeles Kings on 12 February 2020. He featured in 4 games, with the Flames going scoreless.

After the conclusion of his contract with the Flames, having primarily played with AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat, Yelesin left as an impending restricted free agent to return to former Russian club Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL on a one-year contract on 17 June 2021.[5]

International play

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing  ROC
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2022 Beijing

On 23 January 2022, Yelesin was named to the roster to represent Russian Olympic Committee athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[6]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Loko Yaroslavl RUS U17 33 7 9 16 54 — — — — —
2013–14 Loko Yaroslavl MHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2013–14 Loko Junior Yaroslavl MHL B 17 2 1 3 16 16 0 0 0 8
2014–15 Loko Yaroslavl MHL 37 3 4 7 56 3 0 1 1 2
2014–15 Loko Junior Yaroslavl MHL B 19 2 2 4 28 8 0 3 3 12
2015–16 Loko Yaroslavl MHL 21 2 5 7 26 10 0 1 1 18
2015–16 HC Ryazan VHL 22 1 4 5 18 11 1 0 1 15
2016–17 Amurskie Tigry MHL 2 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
2016–17 Amur Khabarovsk KHL 22 0 1 1 8 — — — — —
2016–17 Sokol Krasnoyarsk VHL — — — — — 4 0 1 1 0
2017–18 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 32 4 4 8 48 9 1 0 1 11
2017–18 HC Ryazan VHL 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2018–19 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 55 4 6 10 47 10 0 0 0 10
2019–20 Stockton Heat AHL 38 1 4 5 21 — — — — —
2019–20 Calgary Flames NHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2020–21 Stockton Heat AHL 28 2 5 7 18 — — — — —
2021–22 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 40 1 3 4 27 4 0 0 0 6
2022–23 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 65 4 17 21 27 11 2 0 2 4
2023–24 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 66 1 9 10 34 20 3 4 7 11
KHL totals 280 14 40 54 191 54 6 4 10 42
NHL totals 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2022 ROC OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 0 0 0 2
Senior totals 6 0 0 0 2

Awards and honours

Award Year
MHL
Kharlamov Cup (Loko Yaroslavl) 2016
KHL
All-Star Game 2019

References

  1. ^ "Alexander Yelesin the newcomer in Amur" (in Russian). Amur Khabarovsk. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Amur clinch shootout win over CSKA" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  3. ^ "16 May transfers" (in Russian). Kontinental Hockey League. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Flames sign defenseman Alexander Yelesin". Calgary Flames. 11 May 2019. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  5. ^ "Alexander Yelesin returns to Lokomotiv" (in Russian). Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  6. ^ "ROC targets repeat gold". International Ice Hockey Federation. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.