Man of the Week: Nathan Todd

KHL.ru’s weekly column goes on with Nathan Todd. Ak Bars’ forward is having a strong season this year as well, after being one of the best with Salavat Yulaev last term. He started the season with Spartak, and in Kazan, he rejoined forces with his partner in Ufa, Alexander Chmelevsky. Most recently, he was awarded Forward of the Week honors after a striking week with Ak Bars.

Ak Bars’ Nathan Todd had a striking week, claiming Best Forward honors for the second time in his career after a strong three-game stretch in that stretch. He racked up five points, with three goals, and two assists, and finished with a plus-four differential. Todd sealed Thursday’s 4:2 victory over Lada with the game-winning goal, and he also chipped in physically, recording one hit and two blocked shots. The Kazan side is currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference, with Todd’s production and strong 200-foot play key as Ak Bars tries to catch up Avangard in second place, with only two points separating the two sides. When the two sides last met, on Feb. 19, Todd assisted Nikita Lyamkin’s game-winning goal. The Canadian forward is currently one of the most critical players for the Kazan side.

Early years

Nathan Todd was born in Kemptville, Ontario, on Dec. 02, 1995. He started playing at home, and had his minor hockey career in the juniors with local teams such as the Kemptville Panthers and the Rideau St. Lawrence Kings AA programs, before moving up to the Upper Canada Cyclones AAA level. His performance in the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) with the Brockville Braves — most notably a 60-game season with 38 goals and 41 assists for 79 points in 2013-2014 — was particularly remarkable.

Todd’s breakout at the next level came in the OHL with the Ottawa 67’s, who selected him in the fifth round, 90th overall in the 2014 Priority Selection. Over two seasons in Ottawa, he established himself as a reliable scorer and two-way contributor. In 2014-2015, he posted 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points in 63 games, followed by 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points in 53 games in 2015-2016, also chipping in in the playoffs with a combined 14 points in 11 games. Despite not receiving major OHL trophies, those totals placed him among his team’s leaders and underscored his readiness to climb up to the pro ranks.

Ranking up

Upon graduating from junior, Todd began navigating the North American pro ranks. He made his AHL debut with the Binghamton Senators in 2015-2016, appearing in seven games, before moving on in the ECHL and U Sports circuit. With the Brampton Beast of the ECHL, he found a real offensive stride, particularly in 2018-2019, when he scored 30 goals and 30 assists for 60 points in 71 games as AHL franchises started to give attention to him.

Back in the AHL full-time from 2019 onward, Todd became a constant scorer. With the Manitoba Moose in 2020-2021, he tallied 12 goals and 20 assists for 32 points in 36 games, performances that earned him a spot on the AHL Canadian Division All-Star Team by season’s end. His consistency continued with the Springfield Thunderbirds — 10 goals and 13 assists for 23 points in 49 games in 2021-2022, and 8 goals and 6 assists for 14 points in 16 games in the next season — before leading the scoring race for the San Jose Barracuda in 2023-2024 with 19 goals and 36 assists for 55 points in 69 games – one more than Daniil Gushchin. His high AHL output highlighted a player with a chance to get on a breakthrough, though a true NHL opportunity didn’t materialize.

Move to the KHL

All this brought Todd to the KHL in 2024-2025, where he signed with Salavat Yulaev and immediately justified the move. In his first full KHL season he played 68 regular-season games, recording 14 goals and 38 assists for 52 points, a dominant showing for a newcomer. He showed very good chemistry with other Ufa international players, including Alexander Chmelevsky. However, he didn’t renew ties with Salavat Yulaev at the end of the season.

The 2025-2026 season began with him playing for Spartak, where Todd continued to produce at a strong clip — through 44 games before the trade deadline he had 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points, solidifying his reputation as a top scorer in the league. Despite being a great success for the Red-and-Whites, however, his move off Moscow was finalized in a deal that saw Brendan Biro head to Spartak.

He chimed in well right away in Kazan, where he found back his old partner Alexander Chmelevsky. With the playoffs approaching, that partnership may be critical for Ak Bars’ offensive plays, and help the team going on a deep playoff round after losing in the second round to Dynamo Moscow last season.