The Boston Bruins brought in a new addition last week, claiming Vladislav Kolyachonok off of waivers from the Dallas Stars. The 24-year-old was quickly brought into the fold, claimed on Tuesday, Dec. 16 and leading the team in stretches during practice the next day.
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As the Bruins continue to work on getting healthy again, bringing in another defenseman shores up the blue line and gives the team more options and depth. This is also another opportunity for Kolyachonok to have a fresh start and hopefully get some momentum going for his own, young NHL career.
Road to the NHL Draft
Kolyachonok was born on May 26, 2001 in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. He played juniors for Dinamo Minsk club and the Belarus national team. Like many European players, he made the leap to play in North America the season leading up to his draft year. He originally joined the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), but was picked up by the Flint Firebirds when he was waived after one game.
In the 2018-19 season, he recorded four goals and 29 points in 53 games for the Firebirds. At the end of the 2018-19 season, he was named to the OHL All-Rookie First Team. He additionally captained team Belarus at the U18 World Juniors where he had a goal and five points in five games and was named one of the top three players on the team.
His terrific rookie season in the OHL got him a decent amount of attention leading up to the 2019 NHL Draft. TSN rated him the 39th best prospect at the draft and he was praised for his offensive play. His size, 6-foot-2 was also often noted in scouting reports though he needed to fill out more. He was further praised for his speed and agility, while needing more consistency in his game.
At the 2019 Draft, Kolyachonok was selected in the second round at pick number 52 by the Florida Panthers. The pick was originally held by the Pittsburgh Penguins but was part of a trade that sent Nick Bjustad and Jared McCann to Pittsburgh in exchange for Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, and two other picks in the fourth-round.
Bouncing Around the League
After his draft, Kolyachonok spent another season with the Firebirds, wearing the ‘A’ and registering 12 goals and 33 points in 53 games, continuing his success at generating offense from the blue line. The following season, 2020-21, during Covid, he returned to Dinamo Minsk for 46 games in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He later returned to North America and appearing in 10 games for the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL).
At the end of the 2020-21 season, Kolyachonok was recalled to the Panthers for the playoffs, but did not appear in any games. Later in the summer, he was traded along with Anton Stralman and a 2024 second-round pick to the Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Mammoth) in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round pick. The following season, 2021-22, he made his NHL debut, appearing in 32 games and registering one goal and three assists. He also played in 33 games for the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL where he had two goals and 14 points.
In the following two seasons, Kolyachonok only appeared in seven NHL games, primarily playing with the Roadrunners in the AHL. in 2024-25, he made the transition with the franchise to Utah, signing a new, two-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $775,000. He appeared in 23 games for the Mammoth before he was waived on Feb. 8, 2025.
Since the start of the 2025 calendar year, Kolyachonok has been on four different NHL rosters. Following being waived by Utah in February, he was picked up by the Penguins, the team that originally held the pick used to select him in the 2019 Draft. He appeared in 12 games for them and registered two assists. During the 2025 offseason, he was traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Matt Dumba and a 2028 second-round draft pick.
Kolyachonok started the 2025-26 season in the AHL with the Texas Stars for 10 games, but was called up to Dallas on Nov. 18. He played in 11 games for the franchise, scoring one goal and two assists in that time, before he was waived on Dec. 15, and quickly picked up by the Bruins.
What he Brings to Boston
Depth has been a question for the Bruins all season, particularly as they have dealt with a flurry of injuries in the first half of 2025-26, and most likely, this will not be the last addition they make this season. Kolyachonok is a low risk, potentially high reward pick up. Boston currently has four defensemen on the injury report, including starter Henri Jokiharju, who has been out with an undisclosed injury since Nov. 29. Jordan Harris, the team’s seventh defenseman from the opening night roster, will be out through the middle of January after an ankle injury put him on long-term injured reserve on Nov. 17. AHL call ups Michael Callahan and Jonathan Aspirot have both gone out with lower body injuries this month. The team is desperate for more defensive depth.
Currently, Victor Soderstrom, Kolyachonok’s fellow 2019 draft pick and former teammate from the Coyotes and Roadrunners, is playing on the third defensive pairing with Mason Lohrei. The addition of Kolyachonok gives them another option if things don’t work out with Soderstrom or if the injury curse continues and another defenseman goes down.
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In his NHL career so far, Kolyachonok has not been able to produce offensively at the same clip he did in juniors. A change of scenery and hopefully some stability after being on the roster of four different franchises in one calendar year could do him well. He played decently with Dallas this season, and was waived more due to a surplus of capable blueliners for the Stars than necessarily bad play on his part.
Even without the points, there are underlying positive metrics with Kolyachonok that illustrate strong puck-moving abilities while being defensively responsible, both areas that the Bruins could use more assistance with. During his time with the Stars, Dallas outscored opponents 5 – 2 when he was on the ice.
There is a strong chance he’ll see playing time at some point in the 2025-26 season for the Bruins. The question will be whether or not he is able to effectively take advantage of his opportunity and make a solid case for himself to finally become a more regular NHL defenseman.
