Toronto Maple Leafs forward prospect Nikita Grebyonkin has officially joined the team after his KHL season ended. He won't play for the team this season, but he is still in the news as he has changed the way his name is spelled.
Toronto Maple Leafs reporter Kyle Cushman was the first to note the name change when it was announced that he would be wearing number 71 with the Leafs. In the picture, the nameplate clearly reads, "GREBENKIN" when it would traditionally be spelled, "GREBYONKIN."
Some fans were confused by this, but Kyle explained the change in an easy to digest manner. Essentially, the Russian language uses a different alphabet and it is not always easy to make a direct one-to-one translation for certain words, especially names. As such, some Russian players chose to change the way their name is spelled when they come to North America, as a way of making it easier for native English speakers to pronounce their names correctly.
The Leafs just recently signed Grebenkin to a three-year, entry-level contract after his season with Metallurg in the KHL came to an end. The 21-year-old winger put up 19 goals and 41 points in 67 regular season games, followed up by 3 goals and 6 points in 23 playoff matches. He figures to slot into the Leafs bottom six next season. Not a bad development arc for a 5th round draft pick just two years ago.
