Alexander Yelesin


Alexander Yelesin is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League.

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 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 second tier club, HC Ryazan of the Supreme Hockey League. Splitting the year between Ryazan and the MHL, he 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. He made his debut for Amur in the Kontinental Hockey League during the 2016–17 season. He was scoreless with 11 minutes time on ice in a 2-1 shootout victory of CSKA Moscow on 29 September 2016. As a defensive defenseman, Yelesin appeared in 22 games over the duration of the season, attributed with 1 assist.
On 16 May 2017, after a single season with Amur Khabarovsk, Yelesin was returned in a trade to Lokomotiv Yaroslavl.
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 with 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 a NHL career, signing a two-year, entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames on 11 May 2019.
On February 12, 2020, Yelesin made his NHL debut for the Calgary Flames in a game versus the Los Angeles Kings.

Career statistics

Awards and honours