Originally drafted in the fourth round by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020, goaltender Artur Akhtyamov took a step forward in the 2025-26 season.

The Russian 24-year-old showed poise and promise, backstopping the AHL’s Toronto Marlies through nearly half their games and earning his first starts in the NHL. Amidst a chaotic year in between the pipes for Toronto, Akhtyamov continued his steady growth and capitalized on the opportunities he was given to the best of his abilities.

Toronto’s NHL season may be over, but Akhtyamov continues to take to the ice with the Marlies as they fight for the Calder Cup. Here’s a look back at how he fared through the regular season this year.

Continuing to split the net with Dennis Hildeby, Akhtyamov started the season with the Marlies once again. With Hildeby often up with the Maple Leafs, who were dealing with injuries in the crease, Akhtyamov took on the lion’s share of starts for their AHL affiliate. In February, Akhtyamov represented the Marlies at the AHL All-Star Classic, stopping all five shooters he faced in the breakaway relay. Overall, in 37 AHL games, Akhtyamov earned a strong 21-12-4 record, with a .904 SV%, 2.88 GAA, and one shutout.

Akhtyamov made his Maple Leafs debut on December 13th, entering halfway through the third period in relief of Dennis Hildeby against the Edmonton Oilers. Through 10:32 played, Akhtyamov turned away the five shots he faced as Toronto fell 6-3.

In April, Akhtyamov finally earned his first start as a Maple Leaf, but his teammates didn’t make things easy for him. He faced 24 shots in the first period alone, allowing two goals against, while Toronto fired just 3 shots the other way. Things didn’t improve from there, but Akhtyamov still managed to turn away 39 of 44 shots in the 5-3 loss. His second start came days later, in a back-and-forth 6-5 loss to the Dallas Stars where he faced 32 shots. Of course, these performances are hardly anything to analyze too deeply, given the blue line playing in front of him at that point of the season, with the Leafs already eliminated.

As stated above, all of Akhtyamov’s NHL numbers to this point can be taken with a grain of salt, considering the very small sample size, and the fact that bulk of his minutes came at the very end of the year. That being said, there is cause for optimism in his numbers.

Along with Hildeby, Akhtyamov was one of only two Leafs goalies to post a positive figure in the first three categories stated above. Coming in at the tail end of one of Toronto’s worst defensive seasons in years, he still managed to perform above the team average and showcase his potential for down the line.