Future Watch: Ilya Mikheyev Rookie Hockey Cards, Maple LeafsFuture Watch: Ilya Mikheyev Rookie Hockey Cards, Maple Leafs Ilya Mikheyev was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs last May. He’d been playing over in Russia and at the age of 25, he was going to give the NHL a try.

After working his way up through the Russian junior system, this winger started to play in the KHL in 2015-16. This talented player scored eight goals and had 18 points for Avangard Omsk.

In 2016-17, he had 12 goals and 21 points plus five points in the playoffs. There was an improvement.

2017-18 was his breakout year; while playing for the Russian National Team in the World Championships, he had three goals and four points in eight games. That followed up a stellar season that included 19 goals and 19 assists in 54 games.

2018-19 was his best and his last in the KHL. The 6-2 forward potted 23 goals with 22 helpers plus an additional 11 points in 13 playoff games. He was a First-Team selection on the KHL All-Star team.

Collectors can find his Young Guns rookie card in 2019-20 Upper Deck Series 1 Hockey. His other rookies are in Black Diamond and Artifacts as well as future releases.

Going into training camp, there was a fair amount of spotlight on this new player in Toronto. You can’t sneak on to the Leafs roster. They are the center of the hockey universe.

After a solid preseason, Mikheyev made the Leafs opening night roster. Many were hoping but weren’t expecting these kinds of results on an already offensively talented team.

Check out a nice breakaway goal against the Caps:

In his first 32 games, the Russian scored four goals and 17 points in a bottom-six role and no power play time. His two-way game has been a revelation and he will get better and better as the season rolls on. The Leafs will almost certainly sign him again for next season and beyond. Collectors should keep an eye on him.

Future Watch: Ilya Mikheyev Rookie Hockey Cards, Maple Leafs – Stats

NHL Standard career statistics
Scoring Goals Assists Shots Ice Time
Season Age Tm Lg GP G A PTS +/- PIM EV PP SH GW EV PP SH S S% TSA TOI ATOI FOW FOL FO% BLK HIT TK GV Awards
2019-20 25 TOR NHL 32 4 13 17 5 4 4 0 0 0 13 0 0 76 5.3 133 509 15:55 2 1 66.7 11 15 16 10
Career 1 yr NHL 32 4 13 17 5 4 4 0 0 0 13 0 0 76 5.3 133 509 15:55 2 1 66.7 11 15 16 10
Provided by Hockey-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 12/11/2019.

Future Watch: Ilya Mikheyev Rookie Hockey Cards, Maple Leafs – More Resources

Future Watch: Ilya Mikheyev Rookie Hockey Cards, Maple Leafs – Image Gallery

Check out more Future Watch profiles featuring 2019-20 NHL Rookies below:

For more from Russ Cohen, follow him on Twitter @sportsology.

Russ Cohen is the author of several top-selling sports related books.

Baseball’s Best Rookies
Numbers Don’t Lie: Mets: The Biggest Numbers in Mets History
100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters
100 Things Rangers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die
“Strike Three!” – A Player’s Journey through the Infamous Baseball Strike of 1994
The Winter Classic: The NHL’s Savior
The Philadelphia Flyers: Images of Sports
Pioneers of Baseball

 

 

 

Russ Cohen

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