Artur Akhtyamov

August 2022 – With a goaltending logjam in the Kazan system, Akhtyamov has been loaned to Neftyanik Almetievsk in the VHL. He can still be recalled by Kazan’s KHL club, but if he is assigned to the VHL, he will be playing for Neftyanik for the 2022-23 season. The loan means a clearer path to playing time for not only Akhtyamov but fellow Leafs prospect and Kazan netminder Vyacheslav Peksa who will be vying for starts with Kazan’s VHL club this coming season. Nick Richard

May 2022 – Akhtyamov made the jump to full-time duty in the VHL in 2021-22 after splitting time between Kazan’s VHL and MHL squads a year ago. He got off to a bit of a rocky start but his numbers were respectable when all was said and done, finishing with a 2.69 GAA and .912 SV% in 38 games. After his club was eliminated from the VHL playoffs, Akhtyamov was sent back down to the junior level and was handed the starting job despite a stellar season from fellow Leafs prospect Vyacheslav Peksa for the MHL club. It didn’t go well for him and he surrendered the net back to Peksa following two disappointing outings in the MHL playoffs. As it stands, there is some uncertainty regarding the status of Kazan’s VHL affiliate heading into next season and with that, some uncertainty regarding where Akhtyamov will spend the 2022-23 campaign. He should be able to compete for playing time in the KHL but Peksa could be nipping at his heels. Nick Richard

January 2021 – As expected, Akhtyamov didn’t see much action for Team Russia at the 2021 WJC tournament. Still, he allowed just 1 goal against in his single game played (against Austria) and there was no chance of Askarov losing the crease so it’s hard to have anything bad to say about the experience. Hayden Soboleski

December 2020 – Akhtyamov has been named to Team Russia’s preliminary WJC roster. He is unlikely to see any action behind superstar Askarov but this is still a nice reward for the young goalie who has shown well in the KHL, VHL, and MHL so far in 2020-21. He needs to become a more technical student and rely less on his reactionary athleticism, but saves are saves. Hayden Soboleski

October 2020 – The Maple Leafs have drafted Akhtyamov in the 4th round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The soon-to-be 19-year-old was left off many scouting reports but was a player of interest for those that included him. With the prerequisite size for a goalie, he put up outstanding numbers in the MHL and has strated strong playing games for Kazan of both the MHL and VHL so far in 2020-21.  His agent represents a number of Maple Leafs players and prospects so its safe to say the Leafs have more intel than the average scout at this point in time. Like all goalies, consider him a long-term investment until he sees starts in the KHL – trying to anticipate goalie progression is a surefire way to make a fool of yourself. Hayden Soboleski