Top prospects who have caught the attention of scouts overseas
Drafted prospects
Rodion Amirov -- Toronto Maple Leafs
If Rodion Amirov was a relative unknown to Maple Leafs fans before the 2020 NHL Draft, they should be familiar with his name by now.
The 15th-overall pick has continued to open eyes this season, putting up six points in 19 games with the KHL’s Salavat Yulaev Ufa and he’s fresh off a starring role for Russia at the Karjala Cup. Amirov scored in all three games and helped Russia -- which sent its U20 squad to face pro-laden Finland, Sweden and the Czech Republic teams as a tuneup for the world juniors, claim gold. The left-winger was named best forward at the tournament for his performance.
Pechonkin says Amirov’s full complement of skills were on display at the event: He’s deceptive, he has a great hockey IQ, the vision to find open teammates, strong puck skills and a quick wrist shot.
“He has just about everything in his game -- he's a really smart player and his [biggest] weapon is his shot and accuracy. He's a really dangerous player around the net,” he said.