Artur Akhtyamov grinned slyly as he pulled out his phone to show off a photo he’s proud of. And if you’re a Toronto Maple Leafs fan in the know, you’d probably smile too.
Just days before the 22-year-old goalie completed one of the most impressive AHL debuts in recent Marlies history, stopping 37-of-38 shots in his first win, Akhtyamov completed a different kind of challenge: A 693-piece detailed in-scale Lego set of Ayrton Senna’s 1988 McLaren race car.
Akhtyamov pulls his hands together to mimic how he slowly assembled the smallest of pieces for four hours.
“It’s good for my brain,” Akhtyamov said of Lego with his boyish charm. “Psychology, you know? It’s very relaxing.”
Sound familiar?
Joseph Woll also developed a Lego obsession in his rise to become a Leafs goalie, purchasing 6,785-piece Star Wars Lego set that he himself would meticulously complete over his first NHL season.
And now, Akhtyamov hopes to follow in Woll’s footsteps by becoming the next Leafs goalie to first show his stuff in the AHL. Akhtyamov got to where he is today by following the same approach he did throughout his years developing far out of view in Russia.
“Gamers game,” Marlies teammate Zach Solow said of Akhtyamov. “He shows up, and he wins.”
A near-perfect AHL debut for Artur Akhtyamov on Sunday against San Diego. He made 37 saves on 38 shots in a 4-1 win and was named the game’s first star.#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/Dfm4wyHDpz
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) October 14, 2024
Akhtyamov shoots a quizzical look when asked why he wanted to become a goalie.
“(Sergei) Bobrovsky, (Andrei) Vasilevskiy,” he replied as if the answer was obvious.
Russia’s history of developing the best goalies in the world is a storied one. And from an early age, Akhtyamov was a student of that history.
“We all want to work,” Akhtyamov said of why Russian goalies are some of the best in the world.
He was born and raised in Kazan, a city that’s closer to Kazakhstan than Moscow. The options for young Akhtyamov were simple: Play hockey, and work at it every single day.
Akhtyamov’s father is a dentist and his mother, armed with a degree in psychology, tended to their home. Akhtyamov’s parents remain a source of inspiration for him.
“My parents told me if I work hard I will have a good future,” Akhtyamov said.
That work ethic began to pay off as Akhtyamov rose through the ranks of his local team Ak Bars Kazan. In Russia, professional teams have junior academy-style teams down to young ages, so players develop close to home and are not drafted. No 17-year-old in Russia’s junior league, the MHL, came close to logging more games than Akhtyamov’s 54 games in 2018-19. And he stood out with a .921 save percentage.
It was a sign for the future. Some goalies feature prominent athleticism, able to recover from poor positioning with highlight-reel saves. Others are built like high-rise condominiums, swallowing up the net with their size.
Yet with Akhtyamov, the Leafs began tracking his progression for a simple reason: Wherever he goes, he just stops pucks.
Yes, his positioning is strong and he uses his smarts to make up for a (slight) lack of size at 6-foot-2, 170 pounds. But by his draft year, it was clear that his ability to face a high volume of shots and just, uh, not let a lot by him would be what propelled him. His save percentage improved to .931 in 2019-20 while again playing heavy minutes and making saves in different fashions.
Come the 2020 NHL Draft, Akhtyamov wasn’t ranked by NHL Central Scouting among international goalies. He waited anxiously in his home with his parents during the virtual draft. It was a rare moment when the normally reserved Akhtyamov was uncomfortable. The Leafs took something of a swing, at least according to those aforementioned rankings, and made him the ninth goalie selected in the draft.
“My favourite moment in my life,” Akhtyamov beams of being picked in the fourth round by the Leafs.
And life came at Akhtyamov fast after being drafted. He played in three levels the following season: He kept his head above water in his first three KHL games, was dominant in his rookie VHL (Russia’s minor league) campaign before returning to the MHL for Irbis Kazan’s stretch run. There, he faced his lowest moment. His face turns when discussing Game 4 of the MHL semifinals. After pitching a .920 save percentage through the first three losses but getting little run support, he was again tasked with keeping his team’s chances alive in Game 4.
Things went about as poorly as possible for Akhtyamov. He allowed seven goals on 44 shots including one in overtime to see his season end unceremoniously. Quietly, he worried his career was going to be derailed as quickly as it began.
“A bad moment in my life,” Akhtyamov said.
He sought the advice of his mom, who leaned on her education to remind him that the sun will still come up the next day.
“My mom was really supportive,” he said. “She just said, ‘It’s all good. There will be other games.’”
And there have been: Over the two seasons after his playoff loss, only two VHL goalies made more saves than Akhtyamov. He got back to basics with strong technical play and continually stopping pucks in an unspectacular manner.
#LeafsForever prospect Artur Akhtyamov with a 36 save shutout today. He’s up to a .946 sv% with 4 shutouts in 23 games, tied for first in the league. In his last 9 games, his worst game was a .927 sv% — he is the platonic ideal of “dialed in” right now. pic.twitter.com/bmFrtBEeFe
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) December 11, 2022
It was in the VHL playoffs that Akhtyamov proved he could elevate his game when it mattered. Through 21 playoff games, no goalie made more stops than Akhtyamov. His .932 playoff save percentage was enough to win VHL playoff MVP en route to a league championship.
Akhtyamov emerged as another Russian goalie of potential. Even though it’s not uncommon for Russian-born players to stay on their side of the pond and enjoy the comforts of home, Akhtyamov has maintained the same goal from when he was a child.
“It’s my dream to play (in North America),” he said of moving to Toronto to begin his AHL career. “All my life I’ve been training and playing because I want to play here.”
Artur Akhtyamov earned his first career KHL shutout today in a 3-0 win against Admiral Vladivostok. Stopped all 35 shots he faced. He’s saved 81 of 82 shots in the past two games.
Totals (KHL): 8 GP, 4-2-1, .940 SV%, 1.99 GAA pic.twitter.com/STqYXIlStR
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) October 10, 2023
Akhtyamov’s selection by the Leafs was long overdue. The Leafs had failed to stock their goaltending pipeline in the previous two drafts, nabbing just one goalie, Zachary Bouthillier, in the seventh round in 2018. Bouthillier is no longer with the organization. Injuries forced the goalie they picked in 2017, Ian Scott, out of hockey.
Picking a goalie in 2020 with a consistent CV built on stopping pucks could turn out to be a pivotal move from the Leafs staff. Akhtyamov’s impressive AHL debut and equally impressive rise through Russia is a reminder that the Leafs’ goaltending pipeline has more potential than it has had in a generation. Woll, Dennis Hildeby and Akhtyamov were all drafted by the Leafs and are 26 or under.
Leafs management appears to be moving away from relying on athleticism and unpredictable movements in past goalies such as Ilya Samsonov. Instead, the drama-free, strong technical ability of goalies like Anthony Stolarz, Woll and perhaps down the road, Akhtyamov too, is preferred.
“He is a very technical goalie,” Hildeby said of Akhtyamov. “He reads the game well with great patience. The way he moves, he’s so smooth and quick.”
Time is on Akhtyamov’s side. Akhtyamov now sits comfortably at No. 5 in the organization’s goalie depth chart. He’ll remain the backup behind either Matt Murray or Hildeby with the Marlies all season. Next season should feature more of the same: AHL time with increased starts mixed in. His desire to improve is fierce.
“I didn’t like my game,” he said, perhaps strangely, of his incredible AHL debut. “It was a good result. But there were things I did wrong.”
In the short term, Akhtyamov will try to improve his stance positioning and stick play. What will determine any possible NHL future is how much quicker he can play in a league that, he already admitted, features a faster pace of play than he’s used to. His glove hand seems to already function at an NHL level. Learning to make up for a small-ish frame and play bigger in goal at the NHL level will be crucial for any future progress.
It’s all fine by Akhtyamov. As long as he’s putting in the work.
“I’m just a hockey player,” he said, shrugging, after being asked his goals for this season. “Just train and…I just want to play.”
And, he admits, watch the game, too. He was glued to his television this summer as one of his heroes, Bobrovsky, won his first Stanley Cup. The Florida Panthers became the third Cup-winning team in last five seasons with a Russian starter.
Akhtyamov wants to follow in their footsteps, too.
“My dream is to win the Stanley Cup,” he said.
There is a playfulness to Akhtyamov that balances the earnestness and measured approach in his personality. Akhtyamov’s English skills are better than he gives himself credit for, too.
“When you’re a goaltender (the language barrier) is a little easier because the one thing, regardless of language, is for goalies to just stop the puck,” Marlies coach John Gruden said.
That’s what he’s been doing throughout his entire career. And if his AHL debut is any indication, that’s what he’s set on doing from here on in, too.
“(Akhtyamov) looked really comfortable in that game,” Gruden said, “and hopefully he continues to grow.”
(Photo: David Kirouac / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
