Alexei Melnichuk

Alexei Andreyvich Melnichuk (; born 29 June 1998) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

Playing career Melnichuk played professionally in his native Russia, with SKA Saint Petersburg and Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) before signing as an undrafted free agent to an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks in May 2020.

During his maiden North American season in the 2020–21 campaign, he made his NHL debut with the Sharks appearing in relief on 11 February 2021, in a 6–2 defeat to the Los Angeles Kings. He was handed his first start on 8 May 2021, in a 4–5 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes.

In the following season, Melnichuk continued in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda. As the starting goaltender, Melnichuk collected 10 wins through 31 regular-season games. At the NHL trade deadline, Melnichuk was dealt by the Sharks to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Antoine Morand on 21 March 2022. He was immediately reassigned to the Lightning's ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears.

After completing the season with the Solar Bears, Melnichuk's KHL rights were traded by SKA Saint Petersburg to HC Sochi on 6 May 2022. Opting to halt his North American career, Melnichuk was later signed by Sochi to a two-year contract on 11 May 2022.

During the 2022–23 season, Melnichuk made 8 appearances with Sochi before he was initially loaned to Traktor Chelyabinsk for the remainder of the season on 21 October 2022. After two months with Traktor, Melnichuk was again on the move and signed a two-way contract with Avangard Omsk on 21 December 2022.

Melnichuk made just two appearances with Avangard Omsk before his rights were traded in the off-season in a return to his former club, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, on 20 July 2023. He was promptly signed to a one-year contract for the 2023–24 season. Before making an appearance with Torpedo, Melnichuk left the club following an injury and moved to fellow KHL outfit, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, on 28 December 2023.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2015–16 SKA-Varyagi MHLB 9 5 3 1 545 24 0 2.64 .891 — — — — — — — — 2015–16 SKA-1946 MHL 15 5 3 1 642 24 1 2.24 .915 3 0 3 158 8 0 3.04 .892 2016–17 SKA-1946 MHL 17 10 5 2 1035 39 2 2.26 .924 1 0 1 62 3 0 2.92 .889 2016–17 SKA-Neva VHL 17 15 1 1 1029 28 5 1.63 .932 — — — — — — — — 2017–18 SKA-1946 MHL 3 3 0 0 180 7 0 2.34 .873 1 0 1 45 4 0 5.30 .778 2017–18 SKA-Neva VHL 19 16 3 0 1076 30 4 1.67 .934 8 4 1 389 12 0 1.85 .937 2017–18 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 2 1 0 0 67 3 0 2.68 .900 — — — — — — — — 2018–19 SKA-Neva VHL 30 20 6 2 1697 49 2 1.73 .924 9 6 3 547 10 3 1.10 .963 2018–19 SKA-1946 MHL 1 1 0 0 60 0 1 0.00 1.000 2 1 1 119 3 0 1.51 .938 2019–20 SKA Saint Petersburg KHL 16 8 5 1 892 25 4 1.68 .930 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 SKA-Neva VHL 8 7 1 0 461 15 2 1.95 .925 10 5 4 556 20 2 2.16 .937 2020–21 Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod KHL 14 6 6 2 851 38 0 2.68 .912 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 San Jose Barracuda AHL 17 7 7 3 1003 58 0 3.47 .868 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 San Jose Sharks NHL 3 0 1 1 131 11 0 5.05 .864 — — — — — — — — 2021–22 San Jose Barracuda AHL 31 10 14 2 1651 108 0 3.92 .867 — — — — — — — — 2021–22 Orlando Solar Bears ECHL 6 2 1 2 276 14 0 3.04 .895 — — — — — — — — 2022–23 HC Sochi KHL 8 1 4 0 372 16 0 2.58 .922 — — — — — — — — 2022–23 Traktor Chelyabinsk KHL 4 0 2 0 105 10 0 5.70 .750 — — — — — — — — 2022–23 Omskie Krylia VHL 4 0 2 0 120 11 0 5.49 .817 — — — — — — — — 2022–23 Avangard Omsk KHL 2 0 1 0 60 3 0 3.00 .857 — — — — — — — — 2023–24 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 4 2 1 0 195 4 1 1.23 .938 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 27 15 8 2 1526 48 4 1.89 .918 — — — — — — — —KHL totals 77 33 27 5 4,069 147 9 2.17 .915 — — — — — — — —NHL totals 3 0 1 1 131 11 0 5.05 .864 — — — — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2018 Russia WJC 5th 1 0 0 0 40 4 0 6.00 .750Junior totals 1 0 0 0 40 4 0 6.00 .750

Awards and honors Award Year KHL Gagarin Cup champion 2025