Igor Ozhiganov

Playing career

Ozhiganov began his professional career within the CSKA Moscow organization, making his KHL debut during the 2010–11 season with two games for CSKA. After establishing himself in the KHL with CSKA, Amur Khabarovsk, and Sibir Novosibirsk, he met with Toronto Maple Leafs management Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello in August 2017, despite being undrafted. He played the 2017–18 season with CSKA, recording 9 points in 42 games, before signing a one-year entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on 17 May 2018. Ozhiganov made the opening night roster for the 2018–19 season and scored his first NHL goal on 26 November against the Boston Bruins in a 4–2 home win. He was a regular on the blueline in the first half of the season but later fell out of favour with head coach Mike Babcock, sitting as a healthy scratch for 12 of the final 19 games and all seven playoff contests against the Bruins, finishing with 7 points in 53 games. On 1 May 2019, his KHL rights were traded by CSKA to Ak Bars Kazan for Jiri Sekac. As an impending free agent, Ozhiganov left the Maple Leafs on 17 May 2019 by signing a two-year contract to return to the KHL with Ak Bars, reuniting him with former CSKA head coach Dmitri Kvartalnov. In the 2019–20 season, he made 19 appearances with Ak Bars, posting 8 points before being traded to SKA Saint Petersburg in exchange for Roman Rukavishnikov and Viktor Tikhonov on 7 November 2019. After four seasons with SKA, Ozhiganov was traded one year into his initial four-year contract extension with Saint Petersburg to HC Dynamo Moscow for financial compensation on 17 July 2023.