Mikhail Grabovski (born January 31, 1984 in Potsdam, East Germany; now Potsdam, Germany), moved to Belarus at the age of 2 and is a Belarusian ice hockey player. He was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, 150th overall and now plays for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mikhail played his first NHL game on January 6, 2007 against the New York Rangers. Mikhail played three games in the NHL before being sent back down to Montreal’s AHL affiliate, the Hamilton Bulldogs. He failed to record a point in any of those games but impressed fans with his speed and his agility.
Grabovski started the 2007-2008 season with the Canadiens, recording his first NHL point in an October 20, 2007 game against the Buffalo Sabres and his first goal two days later against the Boston Bruins. Since the month of October, he has seen limited action with Montreal. After a March 6, 2008 game in Phoenix for which he was a healthy scratch, Grabovski, apparently frustrated by his exclusion from the lineup, flew to Los Angeles ahead of the rest of the team to speak with his agent, creating controversy in Montreal.
He has represented Belarus in international play. He scored 4 goals in one game (against tournament hosts Austria) in the 2005 Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships.
Mikhail was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 3, 2008 in exchange for the draft rights to Greg Pateryn and a 2010 2nd round pick.
History
In 200304 played for Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the RSL, where he was fifth on the team in scoring. Also played for Team Belarus in the World Champhionships Division 1A. Before that he played in Belarus for the HC Younst Minsk club and the U-20 and U-18 in 2002-03 and 2001-02.
2005-06: Grabovsky was impressive in his performance this past year with Moscow Dynamo and has shown that he’s ready to make the jump overseas.
2006-07: His first season playing in North America, Grabovski was quick to acclimate, despite suffering a pre-season shoulder injury that delayed his regular season debut. His performance in Hamilton (AHL) was strong enough to earn a look in Montreal, and he instantly grabbed attention with his dynamic rushes and offensive prowess during his brief 3 game stay mid-season.
Acquired from Montreal for Greg Pateryn and draft picks in 2008.
Talent Analysis
The talented young forward is an overage player, but proved quite capable on the surprising Neftkhimik (Nizhnekamsk) squad, which was the Super League’s overachiever all season long. A smooth skater with good speed, Grabovski leads the rush and made a significant contribution on offense.
Scouting Report
Top six forward.
Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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2003-04 Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik Russi 44 6 11 17 28 5 0 0 0 4
2004-05 Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik Russi 60 16 20 36 34 3 2 0 2 2
2005-06 Moscow Dynamo Russi 48 10 18 28 28 4 0 0 0 4
2006-07 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 66 17 37 54 34 20 4 7 11 21
2006-07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 24 3 6 9 8 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 12 8 12 20 6 -- -- -- -- --
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NHL Totals 27 3 6 9 8