The TLN Maple Leafs prospect rankings were compiled by a panel of seven TLN writers, each ranking our top 20 prospects to form a consensus group ranking.
Rather than hard and fast limits on age or NHL games played to determine “prospect” eligibility, our group decided on a more nuanced approach to include any reasonably young player who is either under contract with the Leafs or on the club’s reserve list, who has not yet established himself as a full-time NHLer.
In prospect rankings such as these, it’s common for mid-late round draft picks to sink down the rankings with each passing year as new talent gets added to the system. That’s not the case for 2020 fourth round draft pick Artur Akhtyamov who jumps into the top 10 of this season’s TLN rankings after being 15th last season and unranked the year before.
A look at Akhtamov’s stats and it’s easy to see why he’s been climbing up the rankings, consistently posting excellent numbers in every league he plays in. After spending the past few seasons in Russia’s minor league and junior systems, Akhtyamov finally got a taste of some regular KHL action this past year posting a solid .921 save percentage across 17 games.
| Season | Team | League | GP | GAA | SVS% |
| 2019-2020 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 0 | – | – |
| Irbis Kazan | MHL | 46 | 1.80 | .931 | |
| 2020-2021 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 3 | 2.90 | .904 |
| Bars Kazan | VHL | 14 | 1.90 | .927 | |
| Irbis Kazan | MHL | 9 | 1.66 | .935 | |
| Russia U20 | WJC-20 | 1 | 1.00 | .944 | |
| 2021-2022 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 1 | 4.14 | .810 |
| Bars Kazan | VHL | 38 | 2.69 | .912 | |
| Irbis Kazan | MHL | 3 | 1.67 | .943 | |
| 2022-2023 | Neftyanik Almetievsk | VHL | 39 | 1.74 | .943 |
| 2023-2024 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 17 | 2.51 | .921 |
| Neftyanik Almetievsk | VHL | 19 | 2.00 | .927 |
Next season, Akhtyamov will be playing as part of the Maple Leafs organization with either the AHL’s Toronto Marlies or Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL. As we saw last season with Vyacheslav Peksa’s subpar ECHL performance, the transition to North America’s style can often be a jarring one for European goaltenders, especially with the smaller ice creating a more congested defensive zone leading to more deflections, dangerous rebounds, and unpredictable bounces.
There are a handful of positions across sports in which the best performances are the ones where you don’t notice anything happening, being an NHL netminder is right near the top of that list alongside offensive linemen and relief pitchers. That’s where Akhtyamov excels the most, he isn’t a flashy goaltender flailing his body across the net like the next Dominik Hask, rather his play is carried by a hockey IQ and superb positioning, always seeming to be in the right place at the right time to make the easy save. As someone who has watched a handful of Akhtyamov’s KHL games, part of what makes him such an exciting prospect is simply how boring he is to watch.
Akhtyamov has shown a great ability to read the play as it’s occurring, moving himself into shooting lanes and squaring up on the expected shooter often before the puck has even left their stick. His movements are often proactive in nature, rather than reacting to where the puck is, he tends to react to the positioning of the puck carrier and the passing options they have available, looking to put himself in a position that covers the largest number of high-danger shooting lanes available.
That’s not to say Akhtyamov solely relies on his positioning, as the 6’1 goaltender’s slightly smaller frame allows for some quick movements and low to the ice reflex saves when needed. In the below clip, watch as he puts everything mentioned above into effect during 2-on-2 drills at rookie camp earlier this summer.
https://x.com/Kyle_Cush/status/1809255137153528175
Before the puck even lands on the stick of the breakaway shooter, Akhtyamov is already squared up on him. Rather than waiting for a shot, our netminder makes a quick decision when the puck is moved to the backhand and drops down to the ice, managing to poke the puck out of the skater’s control during the transition back to the forehand. This quick decision making and reflex pokechecking allows Easton Cowan to scoop up the rebound and bring it down the ice for a goal on the counter attack.
Over the past decade or so, the Maple Leafs have clearly made it a priority to draft goaltenders with mid to late draft picks, and the strategy is one that makes a lot of sense. The position’s development is so unpredictable, that each goalie selected has a non-zero probability of being the NHL’s next star. The last three goaltenders to win the NHL’s Vezina trophy were selected in the fourth round or later, with each one being selected with a pick later than the 106th overall selection used to select Akhtyamov. (For those wondering, those goalies are Hellebuyck – 130th, Ullmark – 163rd, and Shesterkin – 118th.)
With Joseph Woll expected to be the Leafs starting netminder this coming season, their prioritization of drafting goals seems to be paying out its first dividends. This season we’ll find out if that trend continues as Akhtyamov begins the North American chapter of his hockey career. With Dennis Hildeby (another goaltender selected in the 4th round by Toronto) expected to be the Marlies starter for much of the AHL campaign, Akhtamov will likely split time in the ECHL alongside his good friend and fellow Russian netminder Vyacheslav Peksa.
It’ll be a first look at the promising goaltender for a lot of Leafs fans, and depending on how his time in the ECHL and/or AHL goes, this time next year we’ll find out if he’s continued his rapid climb up our prospect rankings and put himself in the conversation of one of the league’s most underrated young goaltenders.
(Statistics from EliteProspects.com)