The Vancouver Canucks are reportedly among the NHL clubs that have reached out regarding the availability of KHL star and San Jose Sharks prospect Sasha Chmelevski.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes first reported on Saturday morning that the Sharks have begun fielding calls on Chmelevski, who has spent the last two seasons with Ufa Salavat Yulayev in the KHL while also being on San Jose’s reserve list.
Chmelevski, 24, is a 6′ right-handed forward who appeared in 24 NHL games with the Sharks during the 2020–21 and 2021–22 regular seasons, racking up a total of 10 points (all assists). The Sharks originally selected Chmelevski in the sixth round (No. 185 overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
According to Vancouver hockey insider Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks have shown interest in acquiring Chmelevski’s NHL signing rights from the Sharks. Chmelevski and his camp have reportedly been granted permission by Sharks management to seek a trade in the NHL.
A star during his junior days with the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s, Chmelevski enjoyed further success upon turning pro with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda but received only marginal opportunities in the NHL with the Sharks. Since arriving in the KHL to start the 2022–23 season, Chmelevski has amassed 47 goals and 91 points in 116 career games with Ufa.
Chmelevski’s current KHL contract expires at the end of this current season, opening the door for him to make a return to North America. The Huntington Beach, California product has played for Team USA numerous times before in his career, including at the 2019 World Juniors and the 2021 World Championship.
Unsurprisingly, Chmelevski is represented by mega-agent Dan Milstein, who, among others, works with a host of notable players of Russian or Eastern European birth or background. Milstein already has five clients under contract with the Canucks: Nikita Zadorov, Andrei Kuzmenko, Ilya Mikheyev, Kirill Kudryavtsev, and Danila Klimovich.
The Canucks are slated to return to action on the road on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Buffalo Sabres at 1:00 p.m. PT.
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