Leafs Prospects – Semyon Der-Argushintsev

The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL (Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Matthew Knies), but the club under former GM Kyle Dubas and current GM Brad Treliving had different ideas of what kind of prospects they wanted to populate the organization with. There has been a slow weeding out process of the smaller Dubas prospects in favor of predominantly larger forwards and defenseman that fit the traits that Treliving is looking for

As we’ve done on a yearly basis, we are ranking the club’s top prospects over the upcoming weeks based on their progress in either the NCAA, CHL, Europe, ECHL, or AHL, and their potential to make the Leafs roster and make a contribution in the future.

Players are eligible for the list if they have not played more than 40 NHL games and are 25 years old or younger:

Prospect List

#40 – Matthew Hlacar – F (Kitchener – OHL)

#39 – Rylan Fellinger – D (Flint – OHL)

#38 – Blake Smith – D (Flint – OHL, Toronto – AHL)

#37 – Braeden Kressler – C (Cincinnati – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)

#36 – Harry Nansi – C (Owen Sound – OHL)

#35 – Landon Sim – RW (London – OHL)

#34 – John Prokop – D (Union College – NCAA, Toronto – AHL)

#33 – Seymon Kizimov – RW (Yekaterinburg Automobilist – KHL, Uchaly Gornyak – VHL)

#32 – Matthew Barbolini – F (Toronto – AHL)

#31 – John Fusco – D (Dartmouth – NCAA)

#30 – Semyon Der-Argushintsev  – C (Chelyabinsk Traktor – KHL)

Former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas selected the youngest player available in the 2018 NHL Draft in Semyon Der-Argushintsev after the Russian center scored 51 points (12 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes.

Known for his playmaking, stick handling, and hockey IQ, SDA signed an entry-level contract during the Leafs 2019 training camp before being sent back to the OHL. Not gifted with great speed, the Moscow native got taller and put on some muscle, but took a step back in his third OHL season, dropping slightly to 46 points in 62 games and scoring only six goals.

With the OHL shut down during the COVID pandemic, the Leafs found a spot for the young forward in the KHL with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo, where he posted six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 17 games. SDA only played six AHL games upon his return to North America, but had four assists with the Marlies. In his first full season with the Leafs affiliate, SDA had 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 51 games, but finished with a team-worst -12 plus/minus rating.

Things seemed to progress slightly in his second full AHL season, as he posted similar stats (12 goals, 28 assists in 50 games), and he got his first taste in the NHL, playing one game in December against the Dallas Stars. He received a qualifying offer from Toronto after the expiration of his ELC, but he chose to return to the KHL to play with Traktor Chelyabinsk.

In his first full KHL season, the 23-year-old scored 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) in 53 games and 10 points in 13 playoff games for Traktor. Last season, the 24-year-old center seemed to regress slightly, with 30 points (13 goals, 17 assists) in 59 games. 

SDA’s NHL rights are still under Leafs control, but with him playing another year in Russia, the potential of him returning to North America is in question. If he sees a path getting to the NHL with the Leafs or any other club, Toronto retains his rights in perpetuity, so he remains an asset that they can trade or bring back if he shows progress over the next few seasons in Russia.