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Artur Akhtyamov appears on The Athletic’s top 20 goalie prospect rankings

Photo credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

By Michael Coyle

Jul 16, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 16, 2026, 07:36 EDT

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The Toronto Maple Leafs feel like they have been searching for a franchise goalie for years, and all of a sudden, the club may have two within their organization.

On July 1, the Maple Leafs signed Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $21 million contract, but one of the stories of the season was the play of Artur Akhtyamov.

On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler ranked the top 20 goalie prospects who are already a part of NHL organizations, and after a strong 2025-26 season, Akhtaymov found himself placed at number 19.

The rankings were broken into four tiers: 1, 2-9, 10-16, 17-20. In order to qualify for the list, the goalie must be under the age of 25 and not fully established with his NHL team.

Akhtyamov reaffirmed his legitimacy again last season, backstopping the Marlies to a Calder Cup as playoffs MVP. He’s quick in his net, his positioning is sound and aggressive, and he rarely gets beat high glove or high blocker despite that small-ish frame because he has good hands and he stays on his feet long enough to make shoulder saves up high. He’s also sneaky-competitive and keeps a lot of second and third chances in front of him. He’s not young anymore, but he’s now positioned as the Leafs’ No. 3; he’ll get games this year, and after another strong year in the AHL, he’s expected to take that next step and become a No. 2 or tandem goalie in the next year or two.

In 37 games with the Toronto Marlies this season, Akhtyamov went 21-12-4 with a 2.88 goals-against average and a 0.904 save percentage. The 24-year-old split much of the regular season with former Maple Leaf Dennis Hildeby, but his play earned him a spot during the 2026 AHL All-Star Game.

The former fourth-round selection during the 2020 NHL Draft earned himself a call-up to the NHL for his strong play and made his debut on December 13 in relief of Hildeby during a 6-3 loss against the Edmonton Oilers. Akhtyamov stopped all five shots he faced and was given the opportunity to make his first NHL start on April 9 against the New York Islanders.

In three NHL games, Akhtyamov went 0-2-0 with a 4.76 GAA and a 0.877 SV% but really flashed his brilliance during the Marlies’ playoff run. In 22 playoff games, Akhtyamov went 15-7-0 with a 2.22 GAA and a 0.923 SV%. Akhtyamov picked up two shutouts and won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as Most Valuable Player during the Marlies’ Calder Cup victory.

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