Mikhail Igoravich Stefanovich (; born 27 November 1989) is a Belarusian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player currently playing for Shakhter Soligorsk of the

Belarusian Extraliga The Belarusian Extraleague, abbreviated BHL, also known as the BETERA Extraleague for sponsorship reasons, or known as the Belarusian Open Championship, (), officially formed in 2006, is the top ice hockey league in Belarus. In its past, it has s ...

(BXL). He was drafted by the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

in the fourth round of the

2008 NHL Entry Draft The 2008 NHL entry draft was the 46th entry draft for the National Hockey League. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. The Senators were originally awarded the 2005 NHL entry draft ...

, and was the 2nd overall pick in the

2009 KHL Junior Draft The 2009 KHL Junior Draft was the first draft (sports), entry draft held by the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), taking place on June 1, 2009. Twenty-three teams would take part in the draft, selecting ice hockey players from around the world aged ...

. He played 60 games in the

Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; ) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs based in Russia (20), Belarus (1), Kazakhstan (1), and China (1) for a total of 23 clubs. It was considered in ...

with Dinamo Minsk between 2010 and 2020. Internationally Stefanovich has played for the Belarusian national team at five

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

Playing career

Stefanovich's career started out in his home country of

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

, spending just over two seasons in Belarus' tier two hockey league – half a season with HC Dinamo-2 Minsk, and just over one and a half seasons with HC Homiel-2. After playing just three games with HC Homiel-2 in the 2006–07 tier two season, HC Homiel of the

called him up. He finished the rest of the season with Homiel. Following the season, Stefanovich was selected 54th overall in the 2007 CHL Import Draft by the

Quebec Remparts The Quebec Remparts () are a Canadian junior ice hockey based in Quebec City, Quebec. The team plays in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), and is named after the Ramparts of Quebec City (). There have been two franchises name ...

. Upon arriving in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, Stefanovich made the Remparts roster. Halfway through his inaugural QMJHL season, Stefanovich was selected to play in the CHL Top Prospects Game and, following the conclusion of the season, received the

Mike Bossy Trophy The Michael Bossy Trophy ('' French:Trophée Michael Bossy'') is awarded annually to the player in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) judged to be the best professional prospect. The award is named after former New York Islanders fo ...

, which is awarded to the QMJHL player judged to be the best professional prospect. On 1 June 2009, Stefanovich was selected second overall in the

HC Dinamo Minsk Hockey Club Dinamo Minsk or HC Dinamo Minsk (; , ''Dynama-Minsk'') is a professional ice hockey club based in Minsk, Belarus. It is a member of the Tarasov Division in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Dinamo has qualified for the KHL playof ...

. Two days later, on 3 June, he was signed to an entry-level contract by the Maple Leafs. On 19 September 2009, Stefanovich was assigned to the

Toronto Marlies The Toronto Marlies are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a member of the North Division of the Eastern Conference. The Marlies are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, a c ...

, the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs, and shortly after demoted back to junior. On 15 September 2010, the Maple Leafs announced that Stefanovich would be part of the team's 63-player training camp roster, however, eight days later, the team assigned him to the Toronto Marlies. Stefanovich was named to the Marlies' opening day roster on 8 October, but was reassigned to the

Reading Royals The Reading Royals are a professional ice hockey team that currently plays in the ECHL. The team participates in the North Division of the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals play their home games at the Santander Arena located in downtown R ...

on 14 October 2010. On 18 October, Stefanovich was recalled to the Marlies. After playing only 2 games with the Marlies, he was again reassigned to the Royals on 22 November 2010. Stefanovich was loaned out to HC Dinamo Minsk of the KHL on 27 November 2010. On 13 January 2011, Stefanovich's NHL rights were traded by the Maple Leafs to the

Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...

for Fabian Brunnstrom. During his second season in the Russian second tier league, the VHL, with

Dizel Penza Dizel Penza is an ice hockey team in Penza Penza (, ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Penza Oblast, Russia. It is located on the Sura (river), Sura River, southeast of Moscow. As of the ...

, Stefanovich was provisionally suspended on 20 November for failing an anti- doping test. He played no further part in the season with Dizel and on 27 April 2015, was given a two-year ban backdated to 10 November, for the doping violation. On 26 August 2015, he returned to North American and signed a one-year ECHL contract with the Rapid City Rush.

International play

Stefanovich has played in the three World Juniors. He also participated at the

2010 IIHF World Championship The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannh ...

as a member of the

Belarus men's national ice hockey team The Belarusian men's national ice hockey team (; ) is the national ice hockey team that represents Belarus. The team is controlled by the Belarusian Ice Hockey Association. Belarus was ranked 14th in the world by the IIHF as of the 2021 World R ...

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards

QMJHL The Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL; , LHJMQ), formerly the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The league includes teams in Quebec ...

Rookie Player of the Month (September 2007) * RDS Rookie Excellence Award (QMJHL) (Mid-season) (2007–08) *

– 2007–08 (Top QMJHL Professional Prospect)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stefanovich, Mikhail 1989 births Living people Belarusian ice hockey right wingers Dizel Penza players HC Dinamo Minsk players 21st-century Belarusian sportsmen HK Gomel players HK Neman Grodno players HC Lada Togliatti players HC Shakhtyor Soligorsk players Ice hockey people from Minsk Quebec Remparts players Rapid City Rush players Reading Royals players Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks Toronto Marlies players Toros Neftekamsk players Yunost Minsk players