Leafs goalie prospect coming to North America from Russia next season

The Toronto Maple Leafs are bringing in a new face to their goalie competition.

Today, the Toronto Sun‘s Terry Koshan got word from popular hockey agent Dan Milstein that goalie prospect Artur Akhtyamov will be coming to Toronto from Russia for next season, confirming an earlier report from HockeyNewsHub.

Agent Dan Milstein confirms @HockeyNewsHub report that #Leafs goalie prospect Artur Akhtyamov is coming to Toronto to continue career. Akhtyamov is scheduled to arrive at the Leafs' training facility next week.

— Terry Koshan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) June 26, 2024

Koshan added that the youngster will be arriving at Toronto’s training facility this week. It would make sense that he starts with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, as he’s heading into year two of an entry-level contract that expires in 2026 but will slide an extra year to 2027 due to his later arrival to North America.

Akhtyamov has pro experience, playing 17 games in the KHL this past season, going 6-7-1 with a 2.51 goals against average and .921 save percentage for Ak Bars Kazan. Meanwhile, In 19 games with Neftyanik Almetievskof the VHL, the young prospect put up a 2.00 GAA, a .927 save percentage, and a 10-5-4 record.

Toronto, meanwhile, needs a second goalie after it was reported that Joseph Woll is in the process of signing a three-year contract extension earlier this week. Both Ilya Samsonov and Martin Jones are slated to be free agents this summer.

Having suited up for the past two years for the Leafs, Samsonov put up a 23-7-8 record with a .890 save percentage in 2023-24. With a thin goalie free agent market, Samsonov could be back in Toronto, but don’t be surprised if he tests the waters himself. Meanwhile, Jones went 11-8-1 in 22 games with a goals against average of 2.87 and a save percentage of .902 for the Maple Leafs.

Free agency is just around the corner, officially opening on Monday, July 1.

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