Leaf prospect continues to make a name for himself in the KHL with his undeniable skill

Nikita Grebyonkin registered 4 goals and 5 assists in 12 games for the month of January and thanks to his efforts, he has been named the KHL's rookie of the month. Grebyonkin began the season very slow with Metallurg Magnitogorsk playing in 7 games registering 0 points in very limited ice time. He was then loaned to Amur Khabarovsk where he has played in 38 games and registered 22 points playing a much more prominent role in their forward group.

A fifth round pick in 2022, the 6'2, 183lb winger is one of the bigger prospects selected by Kyle Dubas in recent years and although he was deemed a "long-term project" by many scouts, his development has taken off since joining Khabarovsk. He is scoring at the same pace that Artemi Panarin was during his aged 19 KHL season. I'm not saying he's going to be the next Panarin, but he could easily develop into a serviceable bottom-six forward the way we have seen the likes of Pierre Engvall and Pontus Holmberg do so.

Grebyonkin likely won't be seen in North America for a few seasons yet, but it may end up being sooner than later if he continues to perform the way he is this season.