Alexey Toropchenko Explained

Alexey Toropchenko
Birth Date:25 June 1999
Birth Place:Moscow, Russia
Height Ft:6
Height In:6
Weight Lbs:222
Position:Right Wing
Shoots:Left
League:NHL
Team:St. Louis Blues
Prospect League:AHL
Former Teams:Kunlun Red Star
Draft:113th overall
Draft Year:2017
Draft Team:St. Louis Blues
Career Start:2017

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.[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.[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 seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2015–16HK MVD BalashikhaMHL211232
2016–17HK MVD BalashikhaMHL4519123150
2016–17Dynamo BalashikhaVHL10000
2017–18Guelph StormOHL661722293161124
2018–19Guelph StormOHL6217264333241361921
2019–20San Antonio RampageAHL5954921
2020–21Kunlun Red StarKHL45741139
2021–22Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL4210102024
2021–22St. Louis BluesNHL2820215120222
2022–23St. Louis BluesNHL691091912
2022–23Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL51234
2023–24St. Louis BluesNHL821472130
NHL totals17926164257120222

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2016RussiaIH1850000
2017RussiaU1870222
Junior totals120222

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Alexei Toropchenko at eliteprospects.com. 2021-11-12. www.eliteprospects.com. en.
  2. Web site: Storm select Alexei Toropchenko fourth overall – Guelph Storm. 2021-11-12. en-CA.
  3. Web site: Game log: Sarnia Sting – Guelph Storm, 22 September 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170926151038/http://ontariohockeyleague.com:80/gamecentre/22384/boxscore . 2017-09-26 .
  4. Web site: Toropchenko, Guelph win OHL Championship. 2021-11-12. NHL.com. en-US.
  5. Web site: Guelph Storm's Alexei Toropchenko signs with St. Louis Blues - Guelph Globalnews.ca. 2021-11-12. Global News. en-US.
  6. Web site: Toropchenko agrees to entry-level contract with Blues. 2021-11-12. NHL.com. en-US.
  7. Web site: Game summary: Texas Stars – San Antonio Rampage, 13 April 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211112011702/https://theahl.com/stats/game-center/1018213 . 2021-11-12 .
  8. Web site: Game summary: Texas Stars – San Antonio Rampage, 1 November 2019. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211112011704/https://theahl.com/stats/game-center/1019764 . 2021-11-12 .
  9. Web site: Game summary: Dynamo Msk - Kunlun RS : Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). 2021-11-12. en.khl.ru.
  10. Web site: Game summary: Kunlun RS - Torpedo : Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). 2021-11-12. en.khl.ru.
  11. Web site: Торопченко о самом быстром голе в истории "Куньлуня": "Приятно такое узнать. Буду стараться бить другие рекорды. Как клуба, так и КХЛ". 2021-11-12. Sports.ru. 27 October 2020 .
  12. Web site: Game summary: Kunlun RS - CSKA : Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). 2021-11-12. en.khl.ru.
  13. Web site: 2021-10-12. Meet the 2021-22 Springfield Thunderbirds: Photos, bios for players, coaches. 2021-11-12. masslive. en.
  14. Web site: Gordon. Jeff. 14 December 2021. Jeff Gordon: Blues build team strength while battling through injuries, illness. live. 14 December 2021. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. https://web.archive.org/web/20211215020428/https://www.stltoday.com/sports/subscriber/gordo-blues-build-team-strength-while-battling-through-injuries-illness/article_aa26b806-c934-5472-8e0d-d8ec72730eec.html . 2021-12-15 .
  15. Web site: The under 18 Russian national team roster for the Ivan Hlinka memorial tournament. 2021-11-12. en.fhr.ru.
  16. Web site: From the Stands: Hard to not cheer for the Storm's Toropchenko – Guelph Storm. 2021-11-12. en-CA.