With their last of three fifth-round picks, the Toronto Maple Leafs have taken Timofei Obvinstev 157th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The first goalie taken by the Leafs, Obvinstsev stand at 6’4″ and played last season in the MHL.
Timofei Obvinstev player profile
A late bloomer, Obvinstev played his first big chunk of games in the MHL last season and excelled.
Before last season, he had little game experience and struggled pretty hard in the MHL and VHL. But the Leafs clearly saw a lot of growth in 2023–24, and went a bit off the board to select the netminder.
| Season | Team | League | GP | W-L-T | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Krasnaya Armiya Moskva | MHL | 5 | 2–2–0 | 3.83 | .856 |
| 2023–24 | Krasnaya Armiya Moskva | MHL | 16 | 7–7–0 | 2.96 | .921 |
Analyzing the pick
The Leafs have found success with Russian goalies recently, and trust their scouts to find hidden gems in net late in the draft.
With Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby, and Artur Akhtyamov, the Leafs have a good goaltending prospect pool, and hopefully Obvinstev joins the club.
What’s next for Timofei Obvinstev
Obvinstev will play next year in the MHL, but will look to push to the KHL in the next couple of years. He has the size to play in the pros, but will need to prove himself capable for more than 16 games next year if he wants a shot at making the top Russian league.
