Alexey Toropchenko
Yanni Gourde and Alexei Toropchenko.jpg
Toropchenko with the St. Louis Blues in 2022.
Born (1999-06-25) 25 June 1999
Moscow, Russia
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight 222 lb (101 kg; 15 st 12 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 St. Louis Blues
Kunlun Red Star
NHL Draft 113rd overall, 2017
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 2017–present

Alexey Leonidovich Toropchenko (Russian: Алексей Леонидович Торопченко; born 25 June 1999) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward for the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 113th overall by the Blues in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Junior

Toropchenko was an alternate captain for the HK MVD Balashikha in the Junior Hockey League (MHL) before being drafted fourth overall by the Guelph Storm for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in the 2017 CHL Import Draft.[1][2]

In his OHL debut on 22 September 2017, Toropchenko made his first OHL goal and assist in a 4–3 shootout loss against the Sarnia Sting.[3] Overall, he played 66 games with 17 goals and 22 assists in the 2017–18 OHL season. In his sophomore season, he played 62 games with 17 goals and 26 assists, helping the Storm win their fourth J. Ross Robertson Cup in the 2019 OHL playoffs.[4]

Professional

After being drafted 113rd overall by the St. Louis Blues in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Blues signed Toropchenko to a three-year entry-level contract on 13 December 2018.[5][6]

On 13 April 2018, Toropchenko made his professional debut with the Blues' then AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, in a 4–2 loss against the Texas Stars.[7] On 1 November 2019, he made his first professional goal in a 4–2 win against the Stars, ultimately playing 59 games with five goals and four assists in the 2019–20 AHL season.[1][8]

On 29 September 2020, the Blues assigned Toropchenko to the HC Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the 2020–21 KHL season, ultimately playing 45 games with seven goals and four assists. He made his KHL debut on 4 October 2020 in a 6–3 loss against Dynamo Moscow.[9] He scored his first KHL goal on 19 October 2020 in a 3–1 win against Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.[10] On 25 October 2020 in a game against CSKA Moscow, he scored the fastest goal in Kunlun Red Star history, scoring 34 seconds into the first period.[11][12]

He returned to the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, for the 2021–22 season.[13]

On 14 December 2021, after the Blues suffered a COVID-19 outbreak, Toropchenko made his NHL debut in a 4–1 win against the Dallas Stars.[14]

International play

Toropchenko represented Russia men's national under-18 ice hockey team at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships, winning a bronze medal in both tournaments.[2][15]

Personal life

His father, Leonid, was the 260th overall pick for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft and played 14 seasons of professional hockey in Russia and North America. He died of a heart attack in May 2017.[16]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 HK MVD Balashikha MHL 21 1 2 3 2 — — — — —
2016–17 HK MVD Balashikha MHL 45 19 12 31 50 — — — — —
2016–17 Dynamo Balashikha VHL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2017–18 Guelph Storm OHL 66 17 22 29 31 6 1 1 2 4
2018–19 Guelph Storm OHL 62 17 26 43 33 24 13 6 19 21
2019–20 San Antonio Rampage AHL 59 5 4 9 21 — — — — —
2020–21 Kunlun Red Star KHL 45 7 4 11 39 — — — — —
2021–22 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 42 10 10 20 24 — — — — —
2021–22 St. Louis Blues NHL 28 2 0 2 15 12 0 2 2 2
2022–23 St. Louis Blues NHL 69 10 9 19 12 — — — — —
2022–23 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 5 1 2 3 4 — — — — —
NHL totals 97 12 9 21 27 12 0 2 2 2

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2016 Russia IH18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 5 0 0 0 0
2017 Russia U18 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 2 2 2
Junior totals 12 0 2 2 2

References

  1. 1 2 "Alexei Toropchenko at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  2. 1 2 "Storm select Alexei Toropchenko fourth overall – Guelph Storm". Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  3. ↑ "Game log: Sarnia Sting – Guelph Storm, 22 September 2017". Archived from the original on 2017-09-26.
  4. ↑ "Toropchenko, Guelph win OHL Championship". NHL.com. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  5. ↑ "Guelph Storm's Alexei Toropchenko signs with St. Louis Blues - Guelph | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  6. ↑ "Toropchenko agrees to entry-level contract with Blues". NHL.com. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  7. ↑ "Game summary: Texas Stars – San Antonio Rampage, 13 April 2018". Archived from the original on 2021-11-12.
  8. ↑ "Game summary: Texas Stars – San Antonio Rampage, 1 November 2019". Archived from the original on 2021-11-12.
  9. ↑ "Game summary: Dynamo Msk - Kunlun RS : Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)". en.khl.ru. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  10. ↑ "Game summary: Kunlun RS - Torpedo : Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)". en.khl.ru. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  11. ↑ "Торопченко о самом быстром голе в истории "Куньлуня": "Приятно такое узнать. Буду стараться бить другие рекорды. Как клуба, так и КХЛ"". Sports.ru. 27 October 2020. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  12. ↑ "Game summary: Kunlun RS - CSKA : Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)". en.khl.ru. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  13. ↑ "Meet the 2021-22 Springfield Thunderbirds: Photos, bios for players, coaches". masslive. 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  14. ↑ Gordon, Jeff (14 December 2021). "Jeff Gordon: Blues build team strength while battling through injuries, illness". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  15. ↑ "The under 18 Russian national team roster for the Ivan Hlinka memorial tournament". en.fhr.ru. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  16. ↑ "From the Stands: Hard to not cheer for the Storm's Toropchenko – Guelph Storm". Retrieved 2021-11-12.
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