Former highly touted prospect Mikhail Grigorenko is headed overseas to play at home in the KHL, the league announced.

Grigorenko, who's just 23 years old, was chosen 12th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. At the time, he was considered a steal. NHL.com ranked him as the second-best forward heading in, and few mock drafts had him landing outside the top five.

Here's what The Athletic's James Mirtle, who at the time was working for the Globe and Mail, wrote about Grigorenko pre-draft:

Where oh where will Grigorenko go? One of the real wild cards in this draft, he has been ranked as high as second behind Yakupov and fallen sharply on many other lists. Incredibly skilled but criticized late this season for his work ethic, he had 40 goals and 85 points in 59 games in his first season in North America. Our scout calls him the biggest enigma of the draft as he makes some hockey people nervous with his Kovalev-ian lapses.

Grigorenko was largely a disappointment in his first three seasons in Western New York, but his upside was still tempting enough for the Colorado Avalanche to trade Ryan O'Reilly to the Sabres in exchange for a package led by the then-21-year-old.

Even with a chance to play full time in Colorado, the 6-foot-3 center failed to produce offensively, totaling just 16 goals and 50 points in 149 games with the Avs.

A chance to head home and play in Russia will serve as another opportunity for Grigorenko to discover his untapped potential.

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