Leafs ink Russian prospect to ELC, announce he's on his way to Toronto
It was reported earlier that Leafs prospect, Dmitry Ovchinnikov had his KHL contract terminated. Now, the Leafs 2020 5th round pick has signed a three year entry level contract with the Leafs. The contract begins this season and Ovchinnikov will report to the Toronto Marlies upon the approval of his Canadian work permits.
In 22 games in the MHL (Russian junior league) this season, Ovchinnikov has 29 points. Unfortunately when he's played in KHL games, he fell victim to what many young players do - as he found himself dressing but getting limited to no ice time for Novosibirsk Sibir.
Ovchinnikov is the first of what the Leafs hope is many of their top prospects in Europe to make the jump over to North America. If all goes well with his work permits, the 19-year-old will be joining the Marlies in the near future.
The most intriguing aspect of the 19-year-old's game is that it is abundantly clear that he is too good for the Russian minor league. If the KHL placed more importance in developing these young players and allowing them KHL experience, there's no question that Ovchinnikov would have been a full-time KHLer this season.
One interesting detail about the skilled forward is that his 29 points lead his MHL team, and while his team's 2nd-leading scorer is only 3 points behind Ovchinnikov with 26, Ovchinnikov has played 30 fewer games.
The best thing about having Ovchinnikov in North America is that the Leafs will be able to work more closely with him to develop his overall game while he's still young. I don't think I'm alone in being excited to see what this kid can do on the smaller ice surface. Very intriguing prospect.
