Nikita Grebenkin's first showing in front of the Toronto crowd was one to remember.
The 2022 fifth-round pick by the Maple Leafs entered training camp with lots to prove, coming over from Russia after a massive season from the KHL. And he did everything he could to get the fans on his side on Sunday night against the Ottawa Senators.
He didn't register a shot on net and was on the ice for a goal against, but he did drop the gloves in the third period with former Marlies forward Adam Gaudette to try and light a spark for his teammates.
Grebenkin even tried to hype the fans with his celebration after the fight.
"I didn't know that he was a fighter, so that was interesting to see and he did a great job," William Nylander, who scored the game-tying goal which forced overtime said. "He for sure got the crowd going, and the team going."
Grebenkin's fight got the attention of many on Toronto's bench. When the 21-year-old returned to the bench after sitting in the penalty box for five minutes, he received a fist bump from head coach Craig Berube.
The message: Great job.
"He's a young kid. I think he's showing us a lot in camp here, with his strength, size, ability, and he's trying to impress."
There aren't many fighters on the Maple Leafs, and you'd have to go pretty far down the lineup to find one. But once you did, your finger was likely on Ryan Reaves' name.
The veteran forward also dropped the gloves on Sunday, fighting Donovan Sebrango, after the Senators forward delivered a hit on Reaves, which he didn't like. However, following the game, he was more excited to talk about Grebenkin's fight than his own.
"I just loved that. New heavy (weight) in town, I love to see that," Reaves said with a massive grin. "It's good to see kids get involved like that. It's a full team thing."
The 37-year-old enforcer admitted he had "no idea" Grebenkin had that type of game in him.
"The Russians tend to be strong, though," he said.
It's only one pre-season game — and we're only five days into Maple Leafs training camp — but clearly, Grebenkin will be a player to watch out for. He appears to be quickly gaining the love of his teammates, and the fans, by doing what he does best.
"I don't think anyone expected [the fight], but yeah, he did a great job. Obviously, a young guy trying to earn his spot on the team, and I think it doesn't go unnoticed, right?" Chris Tanev said on Sunday evening.
"It's a great job by him to try to get us going when we need a little spark for sure. And Revo as well. Great job by him in the second to get us going a bit."
Toronto has a lot of decisions to make ahead of their season opener in Montreal on Oct. 11. And with five more games on the pre-season schedule, there'll be a bit more time for Grebenkin to prove he's NHL-ready.
But already, the Russian forward is dazzling a lot of people.
