Ilya Mikheyev

BIOGRAPHY

Ilya Mikheyev was born October 10, 1994, in Omsk, Russia. He is a forward in the NHL.

2012 he started playing in the youth team Omskie Yastreby in the MHL. In 2013 he won the Kharlamov Cup with his team. In the 2013–14 season he started playing for Yermak Angarsk, the farm team of Avangard in the VHL. in the next seasons he also played for Sokol Krasnoyarsk and Saryarka Karagandy, that time farm teams of Avangard, in the VHL.  In the 2015–16 season he started playing for Avangard in the Kontinental Hockey League. He established quickly in the team. The 2017–18 season he finished as the top scorer of Avangard with 38 points.

In 62 games during the 2018–19 season, Mikheyev recorded 23 goals and 22 assists for 45 points to again finish as the club's top point scorer. In the post-season he helped Avangard reach the Gagarin Cup finals recording 11 points in 13 games.

On May 6, 2019, Mikheyev signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). On October 2, 2019, during the Maple Leafs' home opener, Mikheyev scored his first NHL goal and added an assist in a 5–3 victory over the Ottawa Senators. After his debut, he made a passing comment about how he loved soup, which eventually led to a partnership with the Campbell Soup Company.

On October 20, 2020, Mikheyev signed a 2-year, $3.29 million contract with the Maple Leafs, avoiding his salary arbitration hearing which had been set for the following day. It was also reported that Mikheyev willingly reduced his salary after a request from Leafs general manager Dubas, in order to ensure the team would remain under the salary cap.