Leafs prospect presented with an excellent opportunity to find success
The Leafs came away from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft with a total of 5 new prospects, including Fraser Minten, Nick Moldenhauer, Dennis Hildeby, Brandon Lisowsky and Nikita Grebyonkin - with the latter being one of the more intriguing picks.
The 19-year-old lit the MHL on fire last season, notching 64 points in 58 regular season games, followed by 13 points in just 9 playoff games, setting him up nicely for an increased role for his KHL club this year. The problem? Metallurg Magnitogorsk is a powerhouse team and there just didn't seem to be any roster spots open for the youngster. Well, that's about to change. Nikita Grebyonkin has been loaned to KHL Amur Khabarovsk for the remainder of the KHL season.
In 4 games with Yuzhny in the VHL he registered 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points and in one game with Stalnye in the MHL he added 3 assists. At 6'3 and 185 pounds, the 2022 fifth round pick should have plenty of opportunity in his development this season as Amur is last in the KHL and struggles to score goals. An excellent playmaker like Grebyonkin could be just what the doctor ordered for Amur.
The Leafs should be happy with this move as well, given that Grebyonkin is at the point where he is too good for the VHL and MHL and his development would become stagnant playing against lesser competition. With this move, Grebyonkin will see a sharp increase in his usage against better competition.
