When Ilya Samsonov became the third rookie goaltender in NHL history to earn wins in 11 straight games

Ilya Samsonov is a professional ice hockey goalie with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League. He was born in Russia on February 22, 1997, and has earned a reputation as an ice hockey goaltender following his draft season.

In February 2020, Samsonov's performance was exemplary as he won 11 straight games for the Washington Capitals and joined several elite companies. He made 25 saves in a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Center.

The 22-year-old joined George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens and Ross Brooks of the Boston Bruins (14-0-0 in 1973–1974) as the only rookie goalies in NHL history to win 11 straight games (11-0-0 in 1926-27).

Samsonov is 10-0-0 away from home, putting him closer to equalling Brent Johnson for the most road victories at the start of an NHL career. He is 16-2-1 overall with 2.11 goals against an average of 0.925 save percentage and one shutout this season. With the St. Louis Blues from February 26, 1999, to January 13, 2001, Johnson had an 11-0-0 record.

Samsonov is also only the fourth goalkeeper in league history to have 16 victories in his first 20 contests. He has participated in 7 NHL seasons so far and can still be considered a young player. Achieving such a feat was quite remarkable.

Ilya Samsonov's career playing for Russia and his contract

Samsonov, a native of Russia, has competed for his nation in various junior international competitions. At the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, when he helped the Russian men's national under-18 ice hockey team earn a bronze medal, he made his international debut.

Ilya Samsonov represented Russia at the 2015 IIHF World U18 Championships, finishing fifth overall and missing out on a medal. Despite this, he was named the best goaltender in the competition.

Afterward, Samsonov won a silver medal at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships to win his first World Junior title.

Samsonov represented Russia at the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which was his final year of junior eligibility.

On July 13, 2022, Ilya Samsonov decided to sign a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent from the Washington Capitals for the 2022–23 season.

After Matt Murray suffered an injury two games into the 2022–23 season, he was promoted to the team's starting goaltender for at least the next four weeks. Samsonov was hired with the expectation that he would be the second goalie to hold his position beside Murray.