With the 152nd overall pick in the NHL draft, the Maple Leafs have selected 6’2, 174-pound winger Alexander Plesovskikh of Mamonty Yugry (MHL).
Plesovskikh is one of the youngest players in the draft as an August 2006 birthday, so he is not even 18 years old yet. Elite Prospects lists him at 6’2, 174 lbs. in their draft guide, compared to 6’0 online, so Plesovskikh may have had a recent growth spurt (quite possible for a player that young). He’s a right-shooting left winger and a native of Tyumen, Russia, having spent the last two seasons playing with Mamonty Yugry.
Plesovskikh has scored at a pretty similar clip the last two seasons, notching 15 points in 36 games in 2022-23 and 17 points in 33 games in 2023-24. Each season, he posted a very even distribution of goals to assists, so nothing stands out in terms of a pass vs. shooting tendency.
Additionally, Plesovskikh has added one assist in 11 playoff games split between the two years. He got a small taste of pro action in the VHL (Russia’s men’s minor league beneath the KHL) this year, playing just two games (no points). That’s a league you could logically expect Plesovskikh to play more time in next season.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide describes Plesovskikh as a north-south player who uses his solid size to his advantage:
HE UTILIZES HIS SIZE AND RANGE TO HIS ADVANTAGE, DOMINATING BATTLES, SUFFOCATING BREAKOUTS, AND QUICKLY SHIFTING FROM GETTING THE PUCK TO DISTRIBUTING IT,
His physicality and passing get higher marks than his skating and puck skills, and it is unclear if Plesovskikh has the offensive upside to make it in the NHL. His best games in the MHL this season were said to have come on the fourth line, and so based on the profile, if Plesovskikh were to reach the Maple Leafs, it would likely be as a forechecking, bottom-six contributor — which, in fairness, is not unexpected or unusual when picking in the fifth round. You merely hope that the player ever plays NHL games, and at least in Plesovskikh’s case, his young age suggests a longer development curve ahead.
Alexander Plesovskikh pre-draft rankings:
- Ranked #95 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (EU Skaters)
