EHL Champion seamlessly transitions to the FPHL
WALL, NJ — Just over a year ago, Alexander Legkov made his return to the New Jersey 87’s for his second stint with the team, marking the beginning of the most impressive offensive season by a player in the Eastern Hockey League’s 13-year history.
A native of Moskva, Russia, Legkov recorded 97 points to set a single-season EHL record. He finished the year with 31 goals and 66 assists, including 12 games with four or more points. He was named EHL forward of the year and led the 87’s to a championship.
In his first season out of junior hockey, Legkov is playing with the Danbury Hat Tricks of the Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL), and has quickly made his mark in semi-professional hockey with seven points (4g, 3a) in his first six games.
What’s almost as remarkable as Legkov’s nascent hockey career was his decision to return to the EHL. In the 2022-2023 EHL season, Legkov arrived in New Jersey and put up 14 points (6g, 8a) in 18 regular-season games.
The 87’s were knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Philadelphia Little Flyers, and Legkov would go on to play in the North American Hockey League the following season. In 30 games with the Johnstown Tomahawks, Legkov recorded four goals and six assists for 10 points.
As the 2024-25 season rolled around, Legkov would not return to Johnstown, and instead of returning to his home country, he reached out to 87’s owner and head coach at the time, Adam Houli, to return to the team.
Prior to Legkov’s return, the 87’s were 2-6-0, off to their worst start since joining the EHL in 2018. They only scored 21 goals through eight games, including a poor showing in the October showcase where the team was shut out twice and mustered a single goal in their final game.
As Houli recounts, Legkov’s return was like flipping a switch.
“When I knew (Legkov) was going to be returning to the 87’s, I was very excited and I knew he was going to be an X factor in everything we did. I knew he had trusted our staff and trusted his time in New Jersey and he just wanted to get playing,” Houli said. “I was even more excited when he landed, and the boys picked him up and let me know he was ready to go. The second he walked in the locker room, you could just feel our team mentality changed, and we felt much more confident.”
Legkov’s first game back with the 87’s was October 23, a 5-2 home win over the Pennsylvania Huntsmen. Pennsylvania scored two minutes into the game, but Legkov tied it up with a power-play goal, and it opened the floodgates as four different players scored en route to the win.
The 87’s had another distinguished player returning to the team in Landon Adams. As a result, Houli formed a top line of Legkov and Adams on the wings with Aidan Elbrecht at center, and the trio quickly became the most dangerous line in the league. From there, the 87’s won 14 of its next 15 games and closed out the calendar year with 2-0-1 performance at the December showcase, including a 3-2 shootout win over the New Hampshire Avalanche.
That momentum continued for the remainder of the regular season, and the 87’s finished with a record of 33-12-1 while scoring 207 goals as a team. It was the first time the team hit 30 wins since the 2021-22 season and the first time they scored 200 or more goals since the 2019-20 campaign.
Houli spoke about Legkov’s imprint with the rest of the team and how he led the team by example.
“The impact he leaves with the boys is just how much he loves the game of hockey. He would live in a rink if he could, he takes full advantage of anytime he can get on the ice in the weight room and anything that has to do with hockey. He is completely infatuated with the game and his personal discipline is unmatched. I think he allows other guys to see what it takes to get to the next level and the level of commitment needed,” he said.
Houli continued, “Obviously, with the language barrier, he couldn’t be as vocal as he wanted, but he was able to lead with his gameplay. He was able to understand the ebbs and flows of the game and knew when he had to be dominant. If he made a mistake, he knew he had to recover from it, and that was really impressive to watch.”
As the season progressed, there was a chance that Legkov could reach the single-season EHL record for points, previously held by Joey Savel of the Little Flyers with 96 points in the 2017-18 season.
Not only did Legkov show no signs of slowing down, he somehow managed to find a new gear late in the season. From late February into March, he recorded four points in four consecutive games. He managed to break the record in the final game of the regular season when he recorded two goals and two assists against the East Coast Wizards.
In the postseason, Lekgov continued to thrive where he recorded 22 points (9g, 13a) in 11 games. His biggest performance came in Game 3 in the Regional Finals against the Providence Capitals, where he recorded two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win, sending the 87’s to the Frozen Finals.
Legkov recorded one point in the Frozen Finals against the Avalanche, scoring a power-play goal in Game 1. Though he was held off the scoresheet in Games 2 and 3, his presence was undeniable throughout the series as the 87’s won its second EHL title, and was named Frozen Finals MVP for his stellar postseason performance.
In addition to his single-season EHL points record, Legkov re-wrote the record book for the 87’s. In his two seasons with the team, Legkov is second all-time in points by an 87’s skater (111), second in assists (74) and fifth in goals (37), all in just 56 regular-season games.
This season, Legkov has made an immediate impact with the Danbury Hat Tricks; his seven points through six games is tied for first on the team. He’s also playing alongside a former 87 from last season and countryman, Artur Kharisov.
Houli, who played for Danbury when they were known as the Whalers, spoke about Legkov taking that next step and playing in the FPHL.
“I’m super excited to see him succeed in Danbury, it’s a place that I held close to my heart as well. That city will fall in love with him, and I can’t wait to watch his career continue to flourish.”
To view a list of EHL professional alumni, click here.