At 19, Russian Evgeny Grachev was a seasoned vet despite being labelled as a "rookie" in the OHL and winning the ROY award.

Evgeny Grachev had more than just his rookie status working for him but on Wednesday, his status was all that mattered.

A drafted National Hockey League prospect of the New York Rangers, Grachev would otherwise be considered a veteran on the Ontario Hockey League's Brampton Battalion had he not joined the league this season. The recently turned 19-year-old forward took home the league's rookie of the year award, calling into question whether the league should review its policy.

Under the current guidelines, all first year players in the OHL are eligible for the award. Grachev, having joined Brampton after the season started, was eligible for the same award as some standout 16-year-old rookies, such as Plymouth's Tyler Seguin, Ottawa's Tyler Toffoli and Mississauga goaltender JP Anderson.

The trio joining Grachev on the league's all-rookie first team is what some might call true rookies. Each of them joined the league, and for that matter junior hockey, as early as possible without the John Tavares-made "exceptional player" rule.

Seguin, Toffoli and Anderson teamed up on Team Ontario's gold-medal winning under-17 team over Christmas. Grachev was performing for his native Russia in the under-20 world junior championship in Ottawa, Ont. at the same time. In addition, Grachev had suited up for the Russians in two under-18 tournaments while also having played a game of professional hockey in the Russian men's Super League.

By contrast, given his résumé, Grachev is a lot closer to being considered a veteran junior player on the brink of professional hockey than a bright-eyed rookie.

Since the award is voted on by general managers across the league, Grachev has undoubtedly earned the respect of his peers. A feared sniper, Grachev scored 40 goals and 40 assists for 80 points to lead all players in the OHL, and the Canadian Hockey League, in scoring.

Doug Anderson saw plenty of Grachev this season as the Battalion's veteran play-by-play caller for all their home games on Rogers TV. As Anderson says, given the rules for the award, Grachev is the most suitable recipient.

"I wouldn't take the rookie of the year award away from him just because he's 19," Anderson said. "He led the CHL - not just the O - the CHL in rookie scoring and he faced a lot more stumbling blocks that 16 and 17 year olds faced. A little more maturity helped him deal with that."

Those stumbling blocks, Anderson noted, go beyond what some of Grachev's 16-year-old counterparts faced.

"Here's one thing people don't give Evgeny Grachev enough credit for," he said. "The stumbling blocks he faced were the culture shock of coming over, the language, the North American style of game, fitting in to a new team and fitting in to a new family with billets.

"He's not 45 minutes from home - he's in a completely different country and with a completely different language but every game he got better and better and more comfortable."

Anderson credits Brampton head coach and general manager Stan Butler for Grachev's impressive first season. A former teacher, Butler put Grachev on a line with top prospect Matt Duchene from the outset, and the two gelled almost instantly.

But in spite of some of the adversity facing Grachev, many will still argue the legitimacy of his status as a rookie. Anderson offered this solution: award two trophies. One trophy would go out to the top 16 and 17 year old player, while another would be handed out to a crop of first year players 18 and older.

"My personal opinion is if you take out the 18 and older group you're left with the true rookies in the OHL," he said.

For example, under that situation Grachev would have gone up against fellow Russian Andrei Loktionov of the Windsor Spitfires and London's John Carlson, both of whom were drafted by NHL teams. Players such as Seguin, Toffoli, Anderson and 17-year-old defenceman Calvin de Haan would then comprise the other list of younger rookies.

Handing out two awards based on age might seem like an odd concept at first, but given the success many older rookies garner makes it less so. A second award, for older players such as Grachev, would still give him the credit he's due, while also recognizing the play of some younger first year players such as Seguin.

In the spirit of identifying and recognizing talent, a second award could make sense for the decision-makers at the league's head office.