After one season with Nizhnekamsk Neftekhimik of the Russian Super League, Mikhail Grabovski was drafted in the 5th round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. Grabovski would spend two more years in the Russian Super League, including one season with Dynamo Moscow, before making the move to North America. He would spend the majority of the 2006-07 season as one of the leading scorers on Montreal’s AHL affiliate in Hamilton but would get his first taste of NHL action midway through that season suiting up for three games. He was later returned to the Hamilton Bulldogs and was an important member of their 2007 Calder Cup Championship run. Due to Montreal’s abundance of centremen, Grabovski would split time between Hamilton and Montreal again the following season before an offseason trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He would quickly solidify himself as a permanent fixture in the Leafs lineup during the 2008-09 season amassing 20 goals and 48 points in his first season with the Blue & White and finished fourth in team scoring. Grabovski continued to produce offensively for the Leafs over the next four seasons, including a career best 29 goals and 29 assists in 2010-11, before signing with the Washington Capitals as a free agent prior to the 2013-14 season. After one productive season in Washington, he would sign a four year contract with the New York Islanders but injuries would keep him out of the lineup for sizeable portions of the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. On the international stage, Grabovski represented Belarus in the 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2014 World Championships. In all, Grabovski played in 534 career NHL regular season games, scoring 125 goals and adding 171 assists for 296 points.
