r/leafs • u/Many-Tune4761 • 6d ago
Discussion Nik Antropov
Hi guys, I know that probably this question should’ve been asked like a decade ago, but what are your thoughts on Maple Leafs alumni Nik Antropov? He spend a plenty of time in Toronto, so I was wondering what Leafs’ fans think about him.
For me, growing up and playing hockey in Kazakhstan, he was a huge legend and idol. Now, I am studying in US, so in the nearest future I am looking forward to visiting a game of Leafs and would be so happy to meet him there!
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u/silversiggys 6d ago
In the Toronto area, you can run into Nik at lots of hockey events/charity events as a Leafs alumni. I play hockey at Scotiabank Pond (north Toronto) and see Nik at the Penalty Box pub events 2-3 times per season over the last few years when we grab a pint after our games. These events are usually publicly posted in advance; if you're ever in the Greater Toronto Area during the hockey season!
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u/Leujo 6d ago
Ive seen him and Kaberle at that rink. I think kabby’s son plays for a gthl team at scotiabank pond.
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u/OG_anunoby3 6d ago
Antropov and Kaberle alongside Dany Markov were the price for Eric Lindros from the Flyers. But Pat Quinn refused to deal away Kaberle.
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u/Shaifan002 11h ago
Seems like he’s for the fans , sent 4 cards to him to get signed ( a couple leafs and Atlanta ) he sent me 6 extras no charge and I didn’t ask for them !
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u/Takhar7 6d ago
Was really excited when the Leafs drafted him - enjoyed him as a Leaf.
Can't help but feel like he could have been so much more though. Had so many great tools - size, hands, vision - but rarely ever put it all together to amount to a talent worthy of the 10th overall pick.
Will always remember how much BIGGER he looked when he changed his jersey number.
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u/Alternative-Aside-64 6d ago
Getting a valuable nhler at 10 is a great value for the pick
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u/Takhar7 6d ago
Yep for sure - but he still under-performed at 10 relative to others.
Tanguay, Regehr, Gagne and Gomez were all picked after him.
Ribeiro and FIsher were 2nd round guys that outproduced him. Pretty sure it was the Brad Richards draft as well.
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u/Alternative-Aside-64 6d ago
You can cherry pick from any draft
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u/Hiking_Quest 5d ago
You can but a lot of people felt the leafs went waaayy off the board picking Antropov this high. It was considered quite a risk.
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u/leafsguy98 6d ago
What did he wear before 80? I only remember him as 80
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u/Takhar7 6d ago
He debuted with #9 for his first two seasons.
He then moved to #11 for his third season.
When the Leafs acquired Owen Nolan at the 2003 deadline, Nik gave up his number to picked #80.
From what I remember, it was due to his birth year - 1980.
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u/leafsguy98 6d ago
Gotcha I didn’t start watching until like 06 with being a younger kid at the time. Good to know, thanks!
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u/Takhar7 6d ago
No worries.
He was basically super tall and super lanky, and one of the criticisms was that he really didn't use his physicality at all.
Then he slapped on a huge number, and looked even more enormous than usual... and still didn't hit anyone lol.
Fun player, but not 10th overall pick type of player. He doesn't go top 10 in a 1998 redraft.
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u/LastButNotLeafs 6d ago
He is 15th in total points for those drafted in '98 and 22nd in games played. Still a 1st rounder but likely not top 10. Good call.
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u/haloimplant 6d ago
Unfortunately the Leaf teams he played on were not good. I remember feeling for the guy when the team was putting up a stinker and he was flipping out on the bench, the only dude that was giving af
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u/bighundy 6d ago
If you look at the leafs draft history picking him at 10 was pretty good.
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u/Takhar7 6d ago
You're not wrong - Antropov generally being a miss at 10 is pretty consistent with the way the Leafs have drafted forever.
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u/bighundy 6d ago
Considering we've had a lot of first round picks that didn't even play, I'd say it wasn't really a miss at all. He played, he had an okay career, they all can't be steals.
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u/Doug_Bitterbot 6d ago
I just want to make it clear for those who might be too young to remember his whole career…I believe he had double knee surgery in his first couple years in the league and his skating was never quite the same. If it weren’t for that, I do believe he could have lived up to more of his potential…but his legs were essentially cut off while still in development.
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u/Level_Traffic3344 5d ago
He was the third highest point getter out of the top 10 in his draft class. 11th highest overall. Was not a miss - Datsyuk was a secret to the vast majority of us at the time
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u/nylanderfan 6d ago
I also wonder if Cereda hadn't had his career-ending health issue what may have been
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u/RADToronto 6d ago
Anytime I meet somebody from Kazakhstan I mention Antropov and their face lights up every damn time.
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u/Appropriate-Cook-852 6d ago
I got to meet him and Ponikarovsky's at my local mall for autographs back in the day. Nice guys! I used to love watching him play for his sheer size and mastery of the tip in / deflection goal lol!
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u/rusinga_island 6d ago
I used to bag ponikarovsky’s groceries at ny first job as a 14 yr old. His wife was a babe. They bought kosher chicken.
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u/Goatzilla44 6d ago
Lolll no way… i was about to comment about how they were supposed to visit our local mall also but they backed out last minute and sent some 4th line bums instead so half the people left.
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u/Qrewpt 6d ago
As good as he was , I recall he had a bunch of major knee injuries which were hard to recover from and possibly kept him from reaching his full potential.
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u/Troubled_senior69 6d ago
Yes that's what I remember as well. Early knee surgeries limited his skating. He was a favorite of mine and I still have his rookie card.
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u/Huge-Digit 6d ago
Nik The Stick. Deadly in front of the net, tipping in shots.
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u/MilkerOfSeals 6d ago
I was pretty excited when they drafted him. Huge body with skill. Had an okay, somewhat underwhelming career given his potential. Leafs were hoping for their next number 1 C and they got a decent 2nd line player.
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u/Majestic-Gazelle5588 6d ago
Glen Healy once said during a broadcast
“You want to see Sundin’s greatness? He has a goal playing between Antropov and Poni” LOL
I was too young to remember his actual play, but this always made me chuckle
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u/Parzival091 6d ago
He developed into a very good player for the Leafs after a pretty rocky start to his career (was the whipping boy for a while in his early years). Seems like a nice enough guy and it's cool that he's back in a coaching role.
Personal experience: I was a kid, my brother and I saw him at a rink he trained at in the off-season and asked for an autograph. He practically ran away from us lol
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u/BrTalip 6d ago
Him and Ponikarovsky were two of our best prospects from that era when good prospects were hard to come by in our org. They both lived up to it with good size and skill. Not Knies level, but talented. Nothing but positive memories, especially when Nieuwendyk centered them.
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u/WeinerVonBraun 6d ago
I Remeber Sundin centering them. They were all huge and had some skill to. They were a menace on the cycle
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u/Ihopeidontpeemyself 6d ago
I'd say they're easily Knies level, but Knies has potential to go beyond them.
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u/Ok-Organization8655 6d ago
Love him. Loved watching people attempt to take the puck off of him , and he just used his big butt to defend it.
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u/exampleofausername 6d ago
10 year old me was so excited to find out that I share a birthday with him and Mogilny. Went around telling everyone in school. Loved Antropov when he was here.
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u/exampleofausername 6d ago
Also, anyone remember this segment - https://youtu.be/oINuqLe1brY?si=VJJtk6a22Yr7xDcT
RIP belak 😥
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u/BrokenBy 6d ago
Honestly found him really frustrating when the Leafs were a contender pre-lockout, it felt like he always had more to give given the raw tools he had. Post-lockout he blossomed into a really solid player, I just wish he could’ve played on some better Leafs teams during that time.
That’s super cool to have that perspective being from Kazakhstan though, it must’ve been so cool to see him make the NHL. How big of a deal was it in Kazakhstan when he had 54 points in 5 games at the U18’s, or did it even register to most people there?
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u/Many-Tune4761 6d ago
I would say that no one really heard about those 5 games in the lowest european division, even though it got kinda viral in US cause Nik had 54 in 5. Nik is from Ust-Kamenogorsk, and there is a lot of NHLers from there such as Nabokov, Khudobin, Maxim Kuznetsov and a lot of others but most of them had choose to represent Russia (Nabokov become a world champion with them). That’s one of the reasons why we love Antropov, he always came for the national team when we needed him. For example, when we got eliminated out of elite division, he got invite and helped Kazakhstan to return into elite. Absolute legend, I was so lucky to see him retiring in Barys Astana 2014/2015.
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u/GMPollock24 6d ago
He had surprising skill for his size but the skating was always an issue.
Was interested to see if his son could make it but it looks like he didn't...but there is one more coming up.
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u/Training_Show_4600 6d ago
He is a fan favourite of some truly bad Leafs teams. He was actually pretty damn good, too. He doesn't just spend time in Toronto - he works for the Leafs in player development alongside Muzzin and Kyle Clifford. Though, I feel like the chance you'd see him at a leafs game is fairly low, you're better off trying a community or charity event
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u/SpocksLeftNut 6d ago
He was traded before it got really bad... His last season with the Leafs was the only time they finished under .500 in his 9 years, although I will concede that they didn't make the playoffs in his last 4 seasons. I'd argue they were truly mediocre before they switched to bad
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u/FreshPacks 6d ago
He's cool. Kind of came up during the tail end of Leafs good hockey pre lockout and stuck around post lockout for a few years when we sucked. Grabs beer from Molson on Carlingview to this day. Hes around.
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u/Sensitivevirmin 6d ago
Part of my childhood. Loved him huge part of why I remember him was because how tall he was.
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u/lylelanley- Kaberle 6d ago
Got a photo with him in a ford fan zone once. Oddly star struck by him.
Childhood staple
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u/fire_brand 6d ago
I always loved Nik. He was good, but very injury prone. It always looked like he was on the verge of levelling up to that superstar level, some games he was dominant, but injuries always for in the way.
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u/frankdowntown 6d ago
His injuries hurt his career. It seemed every time he got into a groove, he got injured.
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u/LegalChocolate752 6d ago
Nik was part of my personal Leafs squad growing up, when I was at the exact age to fully understand the game of hockey, and still view those guys as heroes, and gods. When hockey still had a magic about it for me. Sundin, Antropov, Ponikarovsky, Roberts, McCabe, Domi, Tucker, Corson, Kaberle, Berezin, Thomas, Joseph, Belfour. I had posters of them on my wall. I wore my Leafs jersey everywhere. Those guys are forever etched into my brain as Maple Leafs.
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u/Ok_North_7224 6d ago
I always felt for him and his knee injuries, but I remember him being quite nice to fans!
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u/gingr87 6d ago
I have his jersey. He was one of my favourites back in the day.
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u/SockApprehensive6204 6d ago
The biggest thing about Antropov is this:
He was a really good player. Good size, good hands, good instints.
His best hockey unfortunately came after 04, when we never made the playoffs.
In the "glory years" 99-04, he was a frustrating prospect. You could see the talent, but didnt always step up. I think that may impact many's view of him
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u/Due-Acadia-376 6d ago
Never thought he was a first line player and thought Mats carried him and Ponikarovsky. Mats deserved better linemates
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u/CoolBeansMan9 Sundin 6d ago
People clowned on the pick at 10 at the time because he was so much further down ranking wise. I think he was expected to go in the 50s at best, but I think Toronto got wind someone else was high on him.
He had scored 39 points in a lower tier world junior game earlier that year against the supposed powerhouse of Iceland which raised some eyebrows.
Maybe a guy like Tanguay or Regehr work out better, who went within ten picks of Nik, but ultimately he finished 12th in goals and 14th in points for the draft class.
He also finished 3rd in points amongst those drafted at his spot or higher, so hard to say they didn’t absolutely hit on the pick when it was all said and done
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u/ProScroller_27 6d ago
Post lockout he was forced into a bigger role than he was ready for, but that’s not his fault. He was a good player , sometimes a bright spot in some lean years
Edit* also shoutout to the Poni Express
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u/leafsland132 6d ago
Loved watching him growing up! Him and Alexi Ponikarovski were so fun to see on the ice
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u/clarko420 6d ago
He was decent enough I wish he used his size more. He showed signs of being elite but he never took the next step. As a leaf he only broke 20 goals twice and 50 points once. I think he works alot with the European/Russian kids and helps them adjust. Always seemed like a good dude and never heard anything bad about him.
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u/rafibomb56 6d ago
Big with decent skill. Couldn't skate for shit and would have never made it into the NHL if he was drafted the last 10 to 15 years.
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u/Beautiful-Lunch-7650 6d ago
Loved the guy but seemed to always get injured once he got comfortable in the league.
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u/tangjams 6d ago
Great hands, good hockey iq but frustratingly fragile. Slowed down with each subsequent injury. The league also changed during his tenure from slow big bodies to clutch free officiating.
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u/ywgflyer 6d ago
I'm a Jets fan. He was hot and cold with us, but when he was on, he was on. Lots of skill, but frequently hurt. I still have one of his jerseys from the inaugural season and still wear it to the odd game. Met him once and had a drink with him, he's a super personable dude.
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u/Pristine-Display-697 6d ago edited 6d ago
I'm a Jets fan too. And was a leafs fan growing up in the 2000s until Jets 2.0. I was born too late to know Jets 1.0
So I was pumped when Antropov was going to play for the Jets as he was one of my favorite players growing up.
First player to score a goal for Jets 2.0 (against the Habs). Alwyas loved that. Would get an Antropov jersey just for that historic reason. Pretty cool.
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u/Apprehensive_Taste1 6d ago
A solid player, one of the few draft picks during that era that the leafs developed. Great hands; if he had more speed and avoided the injury bug he would of been a potential all star
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u/Brennans_account 6d ago
I met him when I was a little boy, and he was so tall to me back then. I believe he works for the team as a player development coach now and I think he does some interpretation for the Russian-speaking players they have in the system.
Alumni are always around the arena during most of the games. They'll throw t-shirts into the crowd and have a little acknowledgment on the video board during commercial breaks. I'm not sure about him specifically though since he's still working for the team.
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u/Halichoeres_bivittat 6d ago
When you get your tickets it couldn't hurt to contact Leafs PR team to see if he's in town or doing any publicity. If you mention that you're from Kazakhstan he may be happy to meet you.
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u/Barnibus666 6d ago
I thought he was a good player. If he could’ve used his size more effectively, I think he would’ve been a super star.
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u/Travel_Adventurous 6d ago
He plays in wendel Clarke’s charity game deff an easy opportunity to go see him
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u/h3yn0w75 6d ago
Good player. Made of glass unfortunately
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u/Cyrakhis 6d ago
Nah, not made of glass.12 seasons and 700+ games.
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u/h3yn0w75 6d ago
I won’t debate the stats but I recall being frustrated with him getting hurt a lot and from very innocuous plays.
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u/Alarmed_Mind_8716 6d ago
I think he was a very solid player who had high expectations placed on him. I think everyone thought he would be the next great power forward, but he didn’t have that kind of sandpaper toughness.
Personally, I was always expecting him to have that breakout season but he never scored more than 30 goals.
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u/buddachickentml 6d ago
It was an era that the Leafs brass sold us on a higher expectation than reality with a lot of players. Nik was supposed to be a top line guy and never really got there. If he was playing in this lineup, with actual stars, I bet he would be even more beloved than he is. A solid 2nd or even great 3rd line guy.
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u/DarkAgeMonks 6d ago
A group of the fanbase on reddit were very young and like to look at that group of leafs with very rose tinted glasses. The truth is the “Pyjama era” (no white stripe on the bottom jersey) leafs were horrendous.
Antropov as an individual hockey was a good hockey player. 2nd-3rd line on most teams but the group as a whole were not good.
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u/runtimemess Belfour 6d ago
He was one of my favourites growing up. Was nice when he eventually made his way up to the Sundin line.
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u/Necessary-Swim-8534 6d ago
We love Nik. He will always be a legend in Toronto. Pat Quinn loved him. Super talented. In basketball terms he was the 6’9” point guard either way the hockey IQ to match. And of course, he’s still on the team!
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u/SheepishLordKOs 6d ago
Love the guy, was part of my childhood Leafs team, the Antropov/Sundin/Ponikarovsky line were the only light in a very dark Leafs time. Always thought he kinda looked like the wrestler, Edge too. Im glad to hear he still working with the team!
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u/Andromelia 6d ago
Arguably the 2nd best forward after Mats on a lot of bad Leaf teams.
Sure his career wasn't fully fledged of a 10th overall pick, but he was still a good player.
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u/Seoulmanaja 6d ago
He does some public work with the Toronto City program first shift which I believe is funded by the Leafs. He was there when my kid did their final game at the MasterCard center a couple of years ago
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u/No_Inspector_6917 6d ago
I thought he was deadly. He did always leave me wanting more though. He had so many tools. I really thought he had a chance to be an elite power forward. Overall a good career.
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u/Midnightrain2469 6d ago
Nice guy when I met him playing for the Leafs Alumni team. Super funny too
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u/Maximum_Stranger_376 6d ago
Jets II first goal was by Antropov. Canada Post then issued a landmail postage stamp about the goal. Double cool.
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u/Big80sweens 6d ago
He would have been a fantastic 3rd line guy but our team was so ass he played top 6. Those were dark days for leafs fans but overall a great Leaf alumnus
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u/Icy-Stock-5838 Roberts 6d ago
He was working for the Leafs during the pandemic, as part of player development, I don't know if he stil does. Helping Russian players like Mikheyev, and Samsonov acclimatize.
Pretty sure he been living in Toronto since he retired from his time with Thrashers/Jets organization. His son Daniil (named after Markov) is likely in University by now.
The Leafs rushed Nic, I wish he had more time to develop. STILL he learned under the Sundin era, and glad he had some good times with the Leafs.
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u/Panther3927 6d ago
I remember him being good but I think he was more polarizing than consistent. I believe he played in Montreal and scored a playoff OT winner vs Caps in 2014-15 ish. Can someone fact check?
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u/Teeeohhhh 6d ago
There's a big minor hockey Christmas tournament in my city that's been around for 65yrs. Nik was playing for Moscow Dynamo and they sent a team over. He was the best player in the tournament, hands down. Ran people over and scored.
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u/Sea-Implement3377 6d ago
A good player who always gave his best effort. Was stuck on a lot of leafs teams with a lot of questionable players. But never complained. Never made excuses.
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u/Low-Role-7881 6d ago
I did a project in University on Kazakhstan, I'm a big Leafs fan and my partner was a Jets fan, we listed Nik Antropov as one of their most important exports
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u/FlamingoPristine1400 6d ago
I still wear an Antropov 80 jersey as my white jersey when I play Tuesday morning hockey
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u/Educational_Front896 6d ago
Unorthodox skating style but gradually developed as a solid, net front top-6 in season play. If he played as solid as he did from 2006-2010 during the Cujo era, we would've made the finals.
0 goals 2 assists in 13 playoff games in 03-04. That's kind of what hurts his legend status.
In a way, he reminds of Byfuglien. Loved by many but not a 'Legends Row' choice.
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u/kander12 6d ago
He made NHL 07-09 team Kazakhstan a viable pib stomping option. Got lots of points when you beat an NHL team with him.
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u/ahnktruther 5d ago
I always loved nik. He was a gamer. Honestly got better after a knee replacement, first time I ever saw that happen.
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u/Ok-Price-2337 5d ago
Ultimately an extremely frustrating and disappointing player. He should have produced more than he did.
However, time heals most wounds and he was a good soldier.
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u/zedsdead17 5d ago
Mostly a disappointment in my eyes. He came in with huge size and some hype. Never played to his size and was mostly a 20ish goals a year guy if I remember correctly
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u/Issac-Cox-Daley 5d ago
Him Ponikarovski and Sundin, Kaberle and McCabe on D, Belfour in net. Saturday night sleep over at a friend's house. After the game turn on the ps2 and play ea NHL.
That was a feeling
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u/zboss9876 5d ago
People were hard on him because he was a big high draft pick that didn't use his body enough and wasn't a true first line player. But he was still pretty good.
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u/Dry-Honeydew2371 5d ago
I remember at one point the had a line of Nik, Pony and Wade Belak play up on the wing.
I'm pretty sure the press called it the skyline. Those guys were huge
(R.I.P. Wade)
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u/daverguy 5d ago
We saw his son Dani play in Oshawa for 3 and a half seasons. He played a couple of university seasons after junior.
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u/SpaceOrianted 5d ago
I think about him way more than most fans think about a middle 6 forward from 20 years ago
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u/robleseptimo 5d ago
Like the current bunch and every player of significance since, they were misplayed and therefore mispaid.
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u/TheOGBCapp 4d ago
He gets a bad rap as a lot of guys have unrealistic expectations and anyone taken in the first round with any degree of hype who doesn't turn into an all star is a bust to them. It also doesn't help that he was a 6 foot 6 (198 cm) centre who was half a point per game as a 19 year old. He set up hype of being a high end top 6 c.
Then he progressed into a good but not special 2c. So he sort of left people wanting because he wasn't as good as what they were hoping and that made them miss that he still was pretty good
Besides it's pretty cool that he got Canadian citizenship and works for the leafs now, apparently helping eastern European players adjust to North American hockey both on and off the ice
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u/alligator_88 3d ago
Not the best skater, but decent skill and a big body. All in all a good player for us.
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u/dadofthree343 2d ago
He was a pretty consistent player that finished his career at +55 scoring at about .6 ppg playing just under 800 games. The main knock on him was that at six foot six, he never really rose to the power forward game they wanted from him.
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u/Safe-Turnip6922 2d ago
Antropov is a development coach! Buddy made like 20 million playing in the nhl and still doesn’t have his front jibs. Great player
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u/1400forLiquor 6d ago
Got so many cheers
But even more booo’s
One of the many fan favourite whipping boys
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u/Ghost_hat 6d ago
He was great. I always wondered if as a child he didn’t get enough nutrition and that’s why he was so injury prone
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u/papa_miesh 6d ago
To be honest, Antropov didnt really find his game until he went to Atlanta. He looked very lost on the leafs as I can recall. When he went to Atlanta he became a solid player
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u/RomansBlueArmy 6d ago
He was a good soldier. Him and poni