Flyers’ Prospect Grebenkin on NHL Pressure, Toronto Trade & Earning His Spot

For the young Russian, being part of the Maple Leafs system was also a chance to play alongside players like Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. “For the first two or three weeks, I was in shock at how high their level was—their preparation, their practices. Everyone there is incredibly strong and fit. But after a while, I got used to it and started enjoying it. I did get one shift on the power play with them, but we gave up a goal,” he says with a laugh. “We were playing against Florida. I was out there with Marner, Nylander, Rielly, and Tavares. We won the faceoff and immediately gave up a goal—not exactly a fun moment. But I’m glad I got to play on the same team with those guys. I understand now how prepared they are and how hard they work. It was a great learning experience for me.” Being on the same team as Matthews also meant a chance to observe his shot. “He constantly works on it,” Grebenkin explains. “Before and after each practice. It’s not just talent, it’s the result of continuous effort and repetition.”

Playing in Toronto and Pressure

But playing in Toronto also means a lot of pressure, as it has always been thought among the players and fans. “The pressure is huge,” the forward confirms. “Hockey is broadcast on every radio and TV channel—they’re always talking about the team. It’s a big club for the city and for the country, so everyone watches and supports the Leafs. A lot of people are positive about you at first, but that can change quickly. It’s a daily grind. You might play one good game and one bad game, and the talk about you shifts immediately. You have to be mentally ready for that. It can be tough to adjust, but with hard work and commitment, it gets better.”

Many people definitely remember Grebenkin’s joke in an interview, where he said the famous phrase: ‘Forecheck, backcheck, paycheck.’ He remembers that as well. “If that had happened on an American team, it wouldn’t have caused such a stir. But in Toronto, they replayed it on TV for a whole week. A lot of people recognized me on the street and brought it up. It was a bit unusual for me. In Russia, people recognize me because of hockey — over there, it was because of that interview. It’s truly a big city and a serious hockey country.”

After his time in Toronto, Grebenkin was then moved to Philadelphia in a trade that saw him and a first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft moved in exchange for forward Scott Laughton and the Flyers’ fourth-round pick in 2025 and sixth-round pick in 2027. It was very different there for the Russian forward. “After Toronto, when I got traded to Philadelphia, I played for the farm team in Allentown, which has a population of around 100,000. It was tough moving from a huge city to a small town like that,” he admits. “In Toronto, Artur Akhtiamov and I, along with the other Russian guys, would drive an hour and a half just to get to a Russian banya. In Allentown, everything is within ten minutes. It felt odd. I lived in Magnitogorsk, where a 20-minute drive was considered a lot. Then I got used to Toronto, where an hour on the road is normal. And suddenly, I was back in a small city again.”

Before moving to North America, Grebenkin lined up for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), the former team of NHL legend Evgeni Malkin and several other high-profile players, including Nikolai Kulemin and Colorado Avalanche prospect Ilya Nabokov. He helped the team lift its third Gagarin Cup in 2024. He’s still following the team. “That’s my home club,” he says. “I always cheer for them and hope they do well. I have a lot of friends and people I know there, so I want them to win as much as possible.”

While much smaller, Magnitogorsk is also a city where hockey is of paramount importance. The atmosphere is similar in the two places, Grebenkin says. “Toronto gets 20,000 fans a night. Our arena in Magnitka is smaller, but the fans are very similar. A lot of people from the steel plant come to games — they love hockey. Everyone knows Magnitogorsk is a hockey town. The team is something personal for the locals. And in Magnitogorsk, people are honest: if they say the team is playing poorly, it probably is. Same in Toronto — people are passionate about the game.”

While in Toronto, Grebenkin had the chance to skate in seven NHL games. The forward was impressed with what he saw. “The NHL is the best league in the world. Every line is stacked — absolute beasts! People in Russia don’t fully realize how strong those players are. Our league is good, too, but the NHL is just a bit faster, more skilled, and tougher. It’s a completely different kind of hockey, you can’t even compare. Over there, it’s all about forechecking — dump the puck in and chase. In Russia, we like to play with passes. That’s my kind of hockey. I love the creativity, the beautiful plays. In the NHL, everything is full throttle. I personally prefer how Metallurg or Severstal plays.”

Despite that, and the first moment, he enjoyed every bit of his time in North America, and has already identified areas of improvement. “The first month I was in shock, honestly. But then I started improving in those areas. They showed me how to play the right way. It was a valuable experience.” And with this experience, Grebenkin may get to the 2025-26 campaign with more chances to make in the NHL with the Flyers.