MONTREAL – Veteran head coach Bruno Bragagnolo will always remember hearing about – and seeing – Alex Galchenyuk for the first time.
“I got a call from a friend of mine, Gerry Fraser, who was down in Florida back in 2009. The Galchenyuks were there along with two other Russian players, and one day Gerry saw Alex running and working out on the beach. He went up to Alex’s dad, and the two of them started talking. Mr. Galchenyuk mentioned that Alex eventually wanted to play in the OHL. Gerry told him about the program we had going with the Chicago Young Americans [in the Midwest Elite Hockey League], and recommended that he give me a call.