Tolchinsky, 18, played the 2012-13 season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), notching 26 goals and 25 assists (51 points), and posting a plus-8 plus/minus rating in 62 regular-season games. He finished the season ranked second in goals and tied for third in points among OHL rookies. The Moscow, Russia, native also scored two goals and earned two assists (4 points) in the Greyhounds’ six playoff games. This summer he attended the New York Rangers’ and the Carolina Hurricanes’ prospects development camps as a camp invitee.

Prior to coming to North America, Tolchinsky (5’8”, 165 lbs.) played the 2011-12 season with CSKA Moscow of the Russian Junior League (MHL), scoring 19 goals, earning 15 assists (34 points) and posting a plus-17 rating in 51 games. He added four points (2g, 2a) in 15 games during CSKA Moscow’s run to the 2012 Kharlamov Cup final, where his team fell to Omsk in five games. Tolchinsky has represented Russia in several international competitions, including the 2013 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Under-18 World Championship. At the 2012 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, he notched a hat trick in the gold-medal game as Russia defeated the United States, 7-4. The Greyhounds selected Tolchinsky in the first round, 12th overall, in the 2012 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft.