Legkov Finds his Stride as he Settles into Danbury
FPHL Danbury Hat Tricks

Legkov Finds his Stride as he Settles into Danbury

Published on November 20, 2025 under Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL)
Danbury Hat Tricks News Release


The top scorer in the Federal Prospects Hockey League is just getting started - and Danbury's offense is following his lead.

The 20-year-old rookie Alexander Legkov enters the weekend leading the league in goals (10) and sits near the top in scoring with 12 assists and 22 points, producing at such a level that he's gone from a top-six forward on the Hat Tricks to one of the top forwards in the league.

"He does have the skills to be here," Danbury head coach John Bierchen said. "He's adjusted his game just enough, which has helped him score that many points."

The operative word - adjusted. Through the first four games, Legkov was held scoreless and the Hat Tricks were winless, a stretch where he showed flashes of tremendous speed and hands, but struggled to turn them into consistent scoring chances.

"Our team and I had a bad start to the season," Legkov said. "But I will be able to adapt to the league and to pro hockey."

It's safe to say he's been adapting. As Legkov's ice time has increased in his first season of professional hockey, so has his scoring output. He has a goal in six of the last seven games, four of them while playing on the Hat Tricks' top line.

"Now I have a lot of ice time, coaches trust me," Legkov said. "It's important for me to justify that trust, which is exactly what I do when I score goals."

Legkov is one of several new faces in Danbury, joining a roster that has seen constant changes under Bierchen. With the new players and shifting lines, he has gradually found his place on Danbury's first unit, skating alongside forwards Drew Welsch and Jordon Kromm.

"The speed he plays with and how deceptive he is with the puck, it's pretty fun to watch," Kromm said. "You know it's going to be getting to the net eventually."

The shift has created complementary hockey in Danbury. On the season, Kromm has cracked the top five in points (7) on the Hat Tricks with five goals and two assists in 10 games played. Even with his own production, the former University of Jamestown Jimmie can't help but find himself watching Legkov go to work.

"There was one goal where he came screaming down the wall, pulled up, went all the way across the ice and scored on his backhand," Kromm said. "I was more of a fan in that moment. Everybody was like, 'That was sick.'"

That speed has worked for Legkov on the Hat Tricks' top unit - being able to get around defenders and get the puck to the net. The speed was always there, but for Legkov, the adjustment came in using it effectively.

Danbury's Oct. 26 matchup against the Indiana Sentinels was a turning point.

"We were playing Indiana," Bierchen said. "He finally started to use his speed and not try to use his hands to create offense."

With a flick of the switch, Legkov had figured the league out with that simple change. Against the Sentinels, he finished with three goals and two assists for five points in the 9-1 win.

Producing results and winning games are things Legkov grew accustomed to with the Eastern Hockey League's New Jersey 87's. In 2022, Legkov's first season with the 87's, head coach Adam Houli saw the potential in the young forward's game.

"He was very raw in the sense of experience, but his skill set and mind was so apparently above a lot of players," Houli said. "You knew he was going to start to figure it out and put it together."

Last season, Legkov put it together. In 38 games played, he scored 31 goals and added 66 assists for 97 points. His regular-season stats helped him become an EHL First Team All-Star as well as EHL Forward of the Year honors.

"He was a guy that you obviously would build around and allow his creative juices to flow," Houli said.

By the playoffs, Houli watched as Legkov continued to be creative on the ice. In 11 playoff games, he tallied nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points, securing the Frozen Finals MVP award on top of an EHL championship.

Legkov's performance in Game 3 of the third round against the Providence Capitals stood out to coach Houli. With the chance to advance to the finals on the line, Legkov took it upon himself to make sure his team moved on.

"We ended up winning 3-2," Houli said. "[Legkov] literally just took over the game and had a hand in every one of those goals."

Houli's confidence in Legkov grew from performances like that, and the feeling was mutual on Legkov's side.

"Adam was very great coach. I really enjoyed it, playing with him," Legkov said. "I liked his system and the style of game."

Neither coach Houli nor Legkov shared what exactly the system was, but what has transferred to the professional game is Legkov's ability to scan the ice and choose his spots.

"He has the ability to just slow everything down subtly, and then just be able to explode out of that," Houli said. "I think that's what made him so hard to defend."

Along with his game now beginning to translate, Legkov's personality is being recognized in Danbury as well, one that was ever-so-present under Houli's team with the 87's.

"He's that guy that everybody loves. He's that guy because he can back it up with his game, Houli said. "Everyone likes being around him."

The same can be said about Legkov, or "Leggy" as his teammates call him in reference to his speed on the ice. He has fit right into Danbury's locker room.

"He brings a lightheartedness to the locker room, maybe not on purpose, but it always keeps the locker room light," Bierchen said. "And that's always a positive."

During the interview this week, after practice, teammates walked past, jokingly offering to translate for the Moskva, Russia native and calling him Connor McDavid in a playful impression. Legkov smiled through it all, saying he enjoys being around the group.

"He might not speak the greatest English, but he's a great guy," Kromm said. "He's always making sure he's ready to play and doing the right thing, impressive to see from a guy so young."

The Danbury Hat Tricks continue their sixth season in the Federal Prospects Hockey League on Friday, Nov. 21 (7:00 p.m.) in Binghamton, NY, and Saturday, Nov. 22 (7:00 p.m.) in Danbury with a home-and-home set against the Binghamton Black Bears. Saturday night's game at the Danbury Arena is Pucks, Paws & Pups Night as well as Scouts Night. Single-game tickets and partial season ticket packages are on sale and can be purchased in person at the Hat Tricks office located inside the Danbury Ice Arena at 1 Independence Way in Danbury, by calling (973-713-7547) or emailing (herm@danburyhattricks.com) the office, or online through Tixr. For the latest Hat Tricks news, visit www.danburyhattricks.com, follow the team on Facebook (www.facebook.com/danburyhattricks), Instagram (@danburyhattricks), X (@DanburyHatTrick), TikTok (@danburyhattricks), and YouTube (@DanburyHatTricks), and subscribe to the Hat Tricks' newsletter.

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Federal Prospects Hockey League Stories from November 20, 2025


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