With 18 points in 20 games with the Toronto Marlies, the Toronto Maple Leafs forward has done everything that was asked of him to earn his opportunity at the NHL level.

FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Semyon Der-Arguchintsev had just completed his game with the Toronto Marlies on Saturday night when head coach Greg Moore called the Russian forward into his office to deliver him the good news.

He was flying to Dallas to meet up with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And he is going to make his NHL debut.

"It feels unreal," Der-Arguchintsev said as he addressed reporters following his first practice. "I've been waiting for this my whole life."

The Maple Leafs made his call-up to the club official on Sunday. There was an opening on the active roster after forward Calle Jarnkrok was moved to injured reserve after suffering a groin injury. 

But there were different avenues the Leafs could have gone. 

Marlies forwards Alex Steeves, Nick Abruzzese and Joey Anderson all spent time with the Leafs at some point last season. Still, it was Der-Arguchintsev's play, particularly on the defensive side, that made Toronto want to take a closer look at the 22-year-old.

"All the reports from the Marlies have been glowing of Semmy's play," Keefe said of Der-Argutchintsev. "All the things we've been asking him to do for quite some time here now, the reports are that he's delivered on that."

Drafted in the third round (76th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, Der-Argutchintsev said he made it a goal of his to get called up this season. 

"I worked hard on the defensive side of the puck and just to play without the puck better," he said. "I think I started doing that. If I want to be here I have to hard to play [against] being without the puck."

The 5'10" 173-pound prospect will have an easy time focusing on the defensive side of things as he skates on the fourth line with Zach Aston-Reese and Pontus Holmberg on Tuesday. His opportunity comes at the expense of Wayne Simmonds, who slotted into the lineup in Toronto's 4-3 overtime loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, and Denis Malgin, who will be scratched for the third consecutive contest.

"Part of his growth is finding that balance of using his the type of slower methodical game that he plays but also using his but also being able to compete and play in the high-paced physical game," Keefe said of Der Arguchintsev, whom he coached at the Marlies before becoming Leafs coach in 2019. "He's a guy that has the puck a lot, moves the puck up the ice really well and does a lot of really good things under pressure that allows him to play against bigger [and] stronger guys."

Although born in Moscow, Russia, Der Arguchintsev's grasp of the English language is pretty good, having moved over to play prep hockey in the Ottawa area as a 14-year-old. He skated with current Leafs teammate Nick Robertson when both played for the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League.

During the 2019-20 season when Robertson led the Petes with 86 points in 46 games, Der-Arguchintsev was right there with him 75 points in 55 games. That should allow for the Russian to fit in nicely with the current group of Leafs.

Der Arguchintsev and Robertson will be back on the ice together, albeit in different roles. But they will skate together on the Leafs' second power-play unit.

"It's an area of my game where I feel comfortable and feel really good," Der-Arguchintsev said. "Hopefully, it'll be good there."