Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden didn't know what to expect from Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Artur Akhtyamov ahead of his first season in North America.

However, after seven AHL games, Akhtyamov proved why the Maple Leafs made the right selection with the 106th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

The 23-year-old secured his second shutout, and sixth win in seven games, on Saturday in a 3-0 victory over the San Jose Barracuda. It was another game for the goaltender to show what his potential could be down the road.

Akhtyamov is up to a .935 save percentage to start his season, the best among rookie goaltenders in the AHL, and the fourth-best among all goaltenders in the league.

Gruden admitted on Saturday that he "didn't know what to expect" from Akhtyamov coming into his first professional season in North America, but he's off to a terrific start.

"I've heard the notes and the scouting reports, but you don't know until you get him in your locker room. And what I'm so impressed about is just his demeanor. No moment's too big for him," Gruden said.

"He's done a really nice job of acclimating himself to the traffic [in front of the net] and doing things that he needs to do, and then the defense are doing a really good job of cleaning up rebounds and stuff. It's good to see."

Several of the Marlies' top forwards, including Alex Steeves, Fraser Minten, Nikita Grebenkin, and Alex Nylander are all up with the Maple Leafs due to injuries to their best players.

However, Toronto's AHL squad is finding a way to stay afloat. They won their game on Saturday against San Jose and even defeated the back-to-back Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears on Wednesday in overtime.

Their depth is coming up strong, as is their goaltending.

But one stop from Akhtyamov on Saturday likely staved off any possible comeback from the Barracuda. One San Jose player had a wide-open net, however, the Russian goaltender was able to reach back and not allow the puck to go by him.

"That might be the save of the year," Marlies defenseman Topi Niemela said after the game. "It was unbelievable."

After several years of question marks in the position, it feels as though the Maple Leafs are developing strong goaltenders again. They've got Akhtyamov, and Dennis Hildeby, who won in his NHL debut earlier this season, plus a .910 save percentage through four AHL games.

There's depth in the position, which Toronto hasn't had much of in the past.

Related: 'He Reminded Me Of (Ilya) Sorokin': Why Maple Leafs Goaltending Prospect Artur Akhtyamov Has Been Hard To Beat In AHL With Marlies

Akhtyamov has played more games than any other goaltender with the Marlies this season, and it's clear why: He's taking advantage of every opportunity he's getting.

"He's had maybe some games where he's not been at his best, but he doesn't show any emotion, he just goes about his business and kind of has that next save mentality," said Gruden.

"It's a good quality to have as a goaltender, and as a player. He's doing a really nice job. He's still young, but man, he's not afraid of the moment, which is nice."