Maple Leafs prospect check-in: How has Artur Akhtyamov fared through 5 months of 2025-26?
The thing about goalies in the NHL is you can never have too many of them, at least from a draft standpoint. For every first-round draft bust like Rick DiPietro or Mark Visentin, there’s an Igor Shesterkin or Ilya Sorokin to be had somewhere in the late rounds of the draft.
Akhtyamov split duties for most of last season as the 1B to Hildeby’s 1A, and with Hildeby being thrust into more NHL action than he got last year, Akhtyamov has gotten his feet wet as a starter in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Toronto Marlies in 2025-26. So far, it’s been a tale of two very similar seasons for the 24-year-old.
In 2024-25, Akhtyamov played 26 games for the Marlies, putting together a record of 11-8-4 to go along with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.81 and a save percentage (SV%) of .901 In 2025-26, he’s matched his games played as of February 9, with a better record of 16-7-3, a slightly worse GAA of 2.91, and a slightly better SV% of .902. On paper, this looks like a goaltender who hasn’t taken a huge leap of improvement in his second AHL season, but games played has to be taken into account here. He’s played more this year than he ever has in North America, and while the numbers might not jump off the page at you, it’s a good sign that he’s been able to keep his head above the water with an increased workload. He was also named an AHL all-star, which can only be a good thing for his confidence.
Overall, Akhtyamov is progressing according to plan. When you draft somebody out of a junior league overseas, the majority of the time it will be a patience project and one that will take a little more seasoning than your standard prospect. With the exception of Hildeby, who developed quicker than most people were expecting, Akhtyamov’s development pace has been pretty standard considering the position they drafted him and the position he plays.
At this point, the best thing he can do is keep his conditioning up and eventually play himself to a point where he forces Leafs brass to give him a shot. He appeared in one NHL game this year, stopping five of five shots in relief of Hildeby back in December, but he faces an uphill battle with Hildeby, Joseph Woll, and Anthony Stolarz all ahead of him on the depth chart. He may be forced to wait another year or two before he gets a proper shot in the NHL, so he should use the time to his advantage to hone his skills, and if (when) the Maple Leafs eventually make a decision about their NHL-capable goaltenders, a proper look in the big leagues will come sooner depending on how he’s able to build on his game in the minors.