Update on Leafs prospect Rodion Amirov and former Marlie Josh Ho-Sang

A social media post from the Salavat Yulaev Instagram account on Saturday shows some footage from his first practice with the team. Amirov was skating and stick handling with his teammates, which is definitely encouraging and shows that the young prospect is indeed working his way towards an eventual return. However, he's not likely to play on the trip.

On the other hand, former Toronto Marlie Josh Ho-Sang will make his debut on the second line. For Ho-Sang, this is the start of a new chapter and hopefully it goes well for the 26-year-old Toronto native. Ho-Sang had a solid year last season with the Marlies posting 35 points in 47 games.

Ho-Sang joined the Leafs last summer on a PTO, but after not having success turning his PTO into an NHL contract, Ho-Sang displayed a much better attitude than he has in the past, actually appearing eager to sign an AHL deal with the Leafs' AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. Ho-Sang's play earned him a spot with Team Canada at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Ho-Sang signed a deal with Salavat Yulaev earlier this year in hopes of a strong season in the KHL catching the eye of NHL GMs. He is, no doubt, looking at a possible NHL return in 2023.