Alexei Emelin

Alexei Vyacheslavovich Emelin (born 25 April 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman. He is currently an unrestricted free agent. He played parts of seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators. He also played for Lada Togliatti, Ak Bars Kazan, Avangard Omsk, Dinamo Minsk, and Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Alexei Emelin
Emelin during his time with the Canadiens on 2 January 2015
Born	(1986-04-25) 25 April 1986 (age 39) Tolyatti, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position	Defence
Catches	Left
Played for	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

Career

Before playing in the NHL, Emelin played three seasons with Lada Togliatti of the Russian Superleague (RSL) and four seasons with Ak Bars Kazan of the RSL/Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

He was drafted 84th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2004 NHL entry draft. On 17 May 2011, Emelin signed a one-year, two-way contract to join the Montreal Canadiens.^[1] On 9 October, Emelin made his NHL debut in a 5–1 win against the Winnipeg Jets.^[2] On 6 December, Emelin recorded his first NHL point, assisting on a Brian Gionta goal in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.^[3] On January 25, 2012, Emelin scored is first NHL goal in a 7-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings.^[4] On 30 June, Emelin signed a two-year extension to stay with the Canadiens.^[5] On 6 April 2013, Emelin's season ended after he suffered a torn ligament in his left knee when he landed awkwardly on the ice from a hit by Bruins forward Milan Lucic.^[6] On 31 October, Emelin signed a four-year contract extension to stay with the Canadiens.^[7]

On 21 June 2017, the Canadiens allowed Emelin to be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL expansion draft but he did not play a game for them.^[8] On 1 July, the Golden Knights traded Emelin to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick.^[9] He played 76 games with the Predators and scored one goal.

On 2 September 2018, Emelin returned to Russia after signing a three-year contract with Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).^[10] He played parts of four seasons with the team.

on 26 July 2022, Emelin signed a one-year contract to join Dinamo Minsk.^[11] He was selected to represent the team as their captain and played 38 games with them.