After a solid 2017-18 campaign, Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nikolai Chebykin is on to his fourth KHL team in three years.
It’s been a tumultuous ride for Nikolai Chebykin since being selected in the seventh round back in 2016 by the Toronto Maple Leafs. With KHL free agency open, the big winger has signed a two-year contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, his third KHL team in three years.
Drafted out of the Dynamo Moscow system, Chebykin proved in the 2016-17 season that he was ready for the jump to pro. He tore up the MHL, the Russian junior league, with 17 goals and 27 points in 17 games.
He struggled at the higher levels, however, only scoring eight points in 24 games in the VHL, the KHL equivalent of the AHL. Chebykin also got his first taste of the top flight, appearing in eight games with Dynamo Moscow.
It was a solid start for a seventh-round selection in his first year in the Leafs organization, especially after a nine-point performance in Dynamo Balashikha’s 15 game playoff run. Chebykin was going to head into the 2017-18 year battling for minutes in the VHL, looking to earn another call to the KHL.
A Summer of Uncertainty
Then came the good, old, KHL financial shenanigans. Dynamo Moscow had amassed a debt of $33 million USD, with the team refusing to pay the debts, blaming them on former CEO Andrei Safronov. This then began to affect the players, as they had not been paid in three months by the time the KHL held a board meeting to address the situation.
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The disciplinary committee ruled all 42 players under contract to be free agents due to Dynamo’s failure to meet contractual obligations, leaving Nikolai Chebykin without a team under two months away from the start of the 2017-18 KHL season.
After attending Maple Leafs development camp, and discussing potential options coming overseas, Chebykin signed with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg. The VHL affiliate of powerhouse SKA St. Petersburg, Chebykin appeared in just three games for the club before being sent down to the MHL.
Chebykin wasn’t content being back in the junior league that he had dominated for two consecutive seasons. As such, the two parties negotiated a contract termination, making Chebykin a free agent once again. He subsequently signed with Dynamo St. Petersburg of the VHL, the affiliate for Vityaz Podolsk.
The 2017-18 Season and Chebykin’s Future
He finished out the 2017-18 year strong, scoring 18 points in 32 games in the regular season and 12 points in 20 games in the postseason.
Now with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Chebykin needs to find the next level in 2018-19. He turns 21 in August, and time is running out for him to become a legit NHL prospect. Chebykin will need to earn time in the KHL, but also succeed in those minutes.
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After last summer’s debacle, he’s now in a solidified situation. With an off-season clear of uncertainty to train and get ready for the season, Nikolai Chebykin should be a prospect to keep an eye on in 2018-19.