In a trade announced Tuesday between KHL Eastern Conference teams Salavat Yulaev Ufa and Ak Bars Kazan, two ex-NHL players are changing addresses. American center Alexander Chmelevski, 26, is heading to Kazan and Canadian defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk, 28, is heading the other way.

Chmelevski is in his fourth KHL season while it’s Kalynuk’s first.

“Chmelevski is one of the best centers in the KHL, possessing a unique set of qualities,” Kazan GM Marat Valiullin said about his team’s newest acquisition. “He can play on the power play, win faceoffs, lead rushes and finish plays himself. He's fully adapted to the league, speaks excellent Russian, and will quickly fit into any system.”

Born in Huntington Beach, Cal., Chmelevski played junior hockey for the Sarnia Sting and Ottawa 67’s of the OHL. He was chosen in the sixth round, 185th overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and recorded 10 points in 26 NHL games with the Sharks before heading overseas in 2022.

Internationally, Chmelevski has represented the USA at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship and at the 2021 World Championship.

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“We wish Wyatt Kalynuk the best of luck,” Valiullin said about the player he traded away. “He’s a good player that we were interested in, but the market dictates its own terms.”

Kalynuk was born in Brandon, Man. and played three seasons at the University of Wisconsin, captaining the team his last season. In that same 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Kalynuk was taken in the seventh round, 196th overall by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Kalynuk was a member of several NHL organizations but only played in the show with the Chicago Blackhawks, recording nine points in 26 games over two seasons.

Alexander Barabanov returns to the KHL Russian winger Alexander Barabanov has signed a two-year contract with Ak Bars Kazan,

The KHL season has already begun and both players played some games with their previous clubs before the trade. Chmelevski had three points in six games for Ufa, while Kalynuk had no points in two games for Kazan.

Kazan’s roster includes ex-NHLers Dmitrij Jaškin, Alexander Barabanov (a former San Jose teammate of Chmelevski), Alexei Marchenko and Grigori Denisenko, as well as Mitchell Miller, the one-time Arizona Coyotes draft pick who was convicted of assaulting and bullying a classmate.

Other than Kalynuk, the only ex-NHLer on Ufa’s roster is Canadian Jack Rodewald. Ufa had reigning KHL MVP and scoring champion Josh Leivo under contract long-term before terminating the deal in August.

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