Pontus Holmberg – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Michkov flying high, Jenner returns, Byfield is creating, Guenther is sniping, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 21:01:13 +0000

NEWARK, NJ - JANUARY 18: Philadelphia Flyers right wing Matvei Michkov (39) celebrates after scoring a goal during a NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on January 18, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Matvei Michkov is flying high, Boone Jenner returns, Quinton Byfield is creating, Dylan Guenther is sniping, and much more!

#1 Philadelphia Flyers rookie Matvei Michkov went through a midseason slump that likely will prevent him from Calder Trophy consideration. It appears to be a close race between San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini and Montreal Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson. Nevertheless, Michkov is heating up again and has piled up 10 points (5 G, 5 A) and 24 shots on goal in his past five games. Skating on a line with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett is working for the 20-year-old first year winger.

#2 Shoulder surgery kept Columbus Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner on the shelf until last Saturday, but he has hit the ice with authority, recording five assists and eight shots on goal in his first three games. Jenner also has six hits and that has been a consistently valuable factor in his fantasy appeal over the years. He has been skating at left wing with Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson, though Sillinger was injured Thursday at Detroit, so Jenner ended up taking 15 draws against the Red Wings, winning eight.

#3 Los Angeles Kings centre Quinton Byfield has gone nine games without a goal, but he also has 11 assists in his past seven contests. He has averaged 20:30 of ice time in that stretch and the 6-foot-5 pivot is establishing that he is a quality second-line centre, anchoring a line with Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere on his wings. Byfield has had these moments both last season and earlier in this season, too, but the challenge for him is maintaining consistency. He doesn’t need to score 11 points every seven games, though it would be nice, but he also can’t have stretches where he has two points in 12 games, either.

#4 It might seem obvious that Dallas Stars left winger Jason Robertson would score, but he struggled early in the season and had just 15 points (5 G, 10 A) with 60 shots on goal in his first 26 games. That tide has turned, however, and in 32 games since, he has delivered 41 points (19 G, 22 A) with 102 shots on goal. Robertson is naturally skating on Dallas’ top line with Roope Hintz and they have rookie Mavrik Bourque on the right wing. It’s obviously a great situation for Bourque, who is riding a six-game point streak, but he also has just three shots on goal in those six games – scoring on all three of them! – so it’s not the most sustainable situation, but worth keeping an eye on.

#5 Utah Hockey Club right winger Dylan Guenther missed a dozen games with a lower-body injury but upon returning to the lineup, he turned sizzling hot. In his past eight games, Guenther has 10 points (6 G, 4 A) and 33 shots on goal. Averaging more than four shots on goal per game, for a player with a shot like Guenther’s, is a great way to ensure that production will continue. He is skating on a line with Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone at even strength as well as holding a spot on Utah’s top power play unit.

#6 Since joining the Dallas Stars, veteran forward Mikael Granlund has been reunited with Matt Duchene, with whom he had played previously in Nashville. Playing for a stronger team, Granlund is playing less in Dallas – his ice time down more than three minutes per game – and yet he has recorded six assists in seven games for the Stars. He may be deferring a little too much, though, as Granlund has just nine shots on goal in seven games for Dallas. He has never been a huge shot generator but was averaging 2.42 shots on goal per game with San Jose before the trade.

#7 The Detroit Red Wings are surging up the Eastern Conference standings and part of the reason is that winger Alex DeBrincat is finding the net. DeBrincat scored in Thursday night’s loss to Columbus, extending his point streak to eight games and he has 12 points (6 G, 6 A) and 27 shots on goal during that streak. DeBrincat has been doing his damage at even strength lately, where he is now skating with J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane, but DeBrincat is also a consistent producer on the power play. He has 46 power play goals in the past four seasons, which is tied with Connor McDavid for 13th.

#8 New York Rangers defenceman Adam Fox has been sidelined by an upper-body injury and that leaves the Blueshirts thin on the blueline, especially because K’Andre Miller left Tuesday’s game against the Islanders with an apparent lower-body injury. Miller may not miss time, but the Rangers are prepared to run a five-forward power play in Fox’s absence, with Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider, and Alexis Lafreniere on the first unit. If he is healthy, Miller might have some sleeper value because he has just 14 points (4 G, 10 A) in 52 games this season, but put up 43 points in 2022-2023, with 38 of those points coming at even strength.

#9 His name is popping up in trade rumours, yet St. Louis Blues captain Brayden Schenn is producing at a high level, which is not hurting his value. He is not generating enough shots, but Schenn does have seven points (1 G, 6 A) and eight shots on goal in his past seven games. He has solid wingers with Dylan Holloway and Jordan Kyrou on his flanks and Schenn adds fantasy appeal with his physical play as he has 150 hits in 60 games, which is tied for 26th.

#10 Although he does not have a consistent role on the Columbus power play, Blue Jackets defenceman Ivan Provorov does have six points (4 G, 2 A) and 15 shots on goal in his past seven games. He was logging huge minutes in the games leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off break, averaging 28:55 time on ice in the previous four games and while it’s down to the 22-23 minutes per game range since the break, there is value in logging big minutes for a team that tends to play higher scoring games and the Blue Jackets rank third with 2.86 goals per 60 minutes during five-on-five play.

#11 Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot has quietly been having an excellent season and his production is getting noisier. In his past eight games, he has seven points (2 G, 5 A) with 31 shots on goal. That shot rate is elite, and with Chabot delivering strong puck possession numbers (54.3 percent Corsi), it’s reasonable to expect that he can continue to generate offense. Maybe not at seven points in eight games pace, but enough to hold fantasy appeal.

#12 Injuries continue to wreak havoc on the Minnesota Wild and now centre Joel Eriksson Ek will be out of the lineup for weeks with a lower-body injury. Virtually by default, Frederick Gaudreau moves into the second-line centre spot and second-unit power play time virtually by default. In his past 11 games, Gaudreau has eight points (5 G, 3 A) with 19 shots on goal and in his past five games he is averaging 17:32 of ice time per game, so he is getting a chance to contribute more offensively.

#13 A slumping Michael Bunting will be out of the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup for weeks following appendix surgery. Bunting had no goals and two assists, with 20 shots on goal in his last 10 games before he was sidelined. With Bunting out, the Penguins have Anthony Beauvillier and Cody Glass skating on Evgeni Malkin’s wings. Beauvillier has four points (1 G, 3 A) and 21 shots on goal in his past seven games, which is more appealing than Glass, who has two assists and 21 shots on goal in his past 12 games.

#14 While the spotlight in Washington naturally shines on Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal-scoring record, the Capitals are getting quality production from their supporting cast, too. In his past 14 games, for example, Pierre-Luc Dubois has contributed 15 points (7 G, 8 A) with 26 shots on goal. He could still stand to shoot the puck more, but this scoring surge gives him 49 points (14 G, 35 A) in 59 games, a massive improvement on the 40 points that he produced in 82 games for the Kings last season. There has never been a question about his talent, but it is refreshing to see what kind of production follows when he is engaged in the right situation.

#15 Skating on Dubois’ wings, Taylor Raddysh and Connor McMichael have had different paths this season. McMichael burst out of the gate at the start of the season, scoring 12 goals in his first 16 games, but then went through some lean times in the middle of the season. He is heating up again, though, with nine points (4 G, 5 A) and 18 shots on goal in his past nine games. With Tom Wilson dealing with an illness, Raddysh received more opportunity, and he has five assists in his past six games. The challenge for Raddysh is securing regular playing time because he has played under 13 minutes in 34 of 59 games this season.

#16 Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens has landed in trade rumours quite a bit this season, in part over frustration as the young forward has not produced as much offense as expected. His 68-point season in 2022-2023 seems to have set a bar that is now difficult for him to approach again, as Cozens finished with 47 points (18 G, 29 A) in 79 games last season and now has 30 points (11 G, 19 A) in 57 games this season. More recently, Cozens does have seven points (1 G, 6 A) and 19 shots on goal in his past nine games, but it will be interesting to see if the Sabres are moved to include him in any deadline deals.

#17 The Toronto Maple Leafs are getting some contributions from unusual places lately. Nick Robertson was an efficient scorer last season but had done little this season until he contributed four points (3 G, 1 A) in his past two games. Robertson’s emergence helps provide depth scoring, as he skates on a line with Max Domi and Matthew Knies. Pontus Holmberg is another Maple Leafs player providing surprising offense, as he works on the left side with John Tavares and William Nylander. Holmberg has mostly been a depth player in his career, but does have five points (4 G, 1 A) in his past three games. With Max Pacioretty potentially returning to the lineup, there could be some shuffling that makes Holmberg less appealing, but Robertson and Holmberg are at least worth keeping tabs on in the short term.

#18 Second-year New York Rangers left winger Will Cuylle can go through some scoring droughts, but he does have three points (2 G, 1 A) in his past four games and that complements his physical game. He is a reliable hitter, ranking fourth in the league with 217 hits, and Cuylle is the only player in the NHL with at least 30 points and 200 hits this season. In banger leagues, that makes him more valuable than his mere scoring numbers would suggest.

#19 With William Karlsson injured, Vegas Golden Knights centre Brett Howden is looking at a better opportunity, centering a line with veterans Brandon Saad and Mark Stone on his wings. Howden has recorded seven assists along with 13 shots on goal during a four-game point streak and while it hinders his Cy Young case – he had 16 goals and 6 assists previously – Howden now has career highs with 16 goals and 29 points in 58 games.

#20 The season looks like it could be getting away from the Boston Bruins and they could be sellers at the trade deadline, but don’t ignore Elias Lindholm. The veteran centre has seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past nine games and, in his past four games, has 18 shots on goal while averaging more than 21 minutes of ice time per game. He’s centering Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle, and that line might not make it through the deadline, but Lindholm is getting ample opportunity, including first-unit power play time, so he could offer some late-season value.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

NHL: CULLEN – Laine making the most of his power play time, Schmaltz, Hertl and Nelson are hot, Jones thriving since returning to lineup, and much more!

Scott Cullen — Fri, 24 Jan 2025 23:24:57 +0000

MONTREAL, QC - DECEMBER 07: Patrik Laine (92) of the Montreal Canadiens skates during the third period of the NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the Montreal Canadiens on Dec 07 2024, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, QC(Photo by Vincent Ethier/Icon Sportswire)

Each week, I dig into the stats to find information that can help you make better fantasy hockey decisions. This week, Patrik Laine has made the most of his power play time in Montreal, Nick Schmaltz, Tomas Hertl and Brock Nelson are hot, Seth Jones is thriving since returning to the Chicago lineup, and much more!

Here is this week’s edition of 20 Fantasy Points:

#1 It is not like the hockey world forgot what Patrik Laine could do when the puck hit his stick, but he has been playing sporadically in recent seasons, so the evidence wasn’t quite so evident. After joining the Montreal Canadiens, however, Laine has shown that he is still a lethal shooter. In 20 games with the Habs, Laine has 18 points (12 G, 6 A) with 54 shots on goal. He is scoring on 22.2 percent of his shots, which is a higher rate than he has finished in any previous season, but he is also quite specifically a power play threat, with 10 of his 12 goals coming with the man advantage. Laine has 10.35 goals per 60 minutes of power play time, which ranks first among players that have played at least 30 minutes on the power play this season. Victor Olofsson (6.48), Pavel Dorofeyev (5.76), Michael Bunting (5.22), and Brayden Point (4.82) round out the top five in power play goal-scoring efficiency.

#2 Veteran Utah Hockey Club right winger Nick Schmaltz has established his credentials as a quality point producing forward but had been off to a relatively slow start prior to embarking on what is now a seven-game point streak, during which he has nine points (3 G, 6 A). Schmaltz has consistently played alongside Clayton Keller, but the duo has recently added second-year centre Logan Cooley to the top line and Cooley has been cooking, putting up 30 points (12 G. 18 A) in his past 28 games.

#3 Barrett Hayton, who has played quite a bit with Schmaltz and Keller in recent seasons, has moved to a line with Matias Maccelli and Josh Doan and continues to have success, tallying seven points (3 G, 4 A) in his past four games. Hayton’s ice time is down this season to 15:24 per game after playing more than 17 minutes per game in the previous two seasons, but he has also improved his work in the face-off circle, winning 54.2 percent of his draws. Given Cooley’s offensive upside, it probably makes more sense for Hayton to slot in as the No. 2 centre in Utah.

#4 Vegas Golden Knights centre Tomas Hertl had been relatively inconsistent early in the season, but he might be turning the corner. He is riding a seven-game point streak, putting up 11 points (6 G, 5 A) with 25 shots on goal in those seven games. That elevated shot rate is an important factor because Hertl was averaging 2.24 shots per game through the first 41 games of the season. Taking that up to 3.57 shots per game is a strong indicator for a player sustaining is production.

#5 New York Islanders centre Brock Nelson is finding his name in trade rumours as the Isles are sitting in last place in the Metropolitan Division. He is helping to keep his value high, scoring seven points (3 G, 4 A) with 18 shots on goal while playing more than 20 minutes per game in his past six games. A 6-foot-4 centre who has scored more than 30 goals in three straight seasons, Nelson is obviously appealing for a team looking to boost its offense.

#6 Chicago Blackhawks defenceman Seth Jones is starting to heat up. He had missed five weeks with a foot injury, but has delivered 10 points (2 G, 8 A) in 14 games since getting back into the lineup. Jones has recorded 10 of his 20 points on the power play, and with 7.87 points per 60 minutes on the power play, he ranks third among defencemen, behind only Zach Werenski (8.11) and Neal Pionk (7.91).

#7 Seattle Kraken centre Chandler Stephenson had been on a good run before getting injured Thursday night. In his past 11 games, including Thursday, Stephenson has contributed 10 points (5 G, 5 A) but there is a bona fide concern with his low shot rate. He has 46 shots on goal in 48 games, which is a shockingly low amount for a player who logs more than 19 minutes of ice time per game. With Yanni Gourde also injured, Stephenson’s absence could create more playing time for Shane Wright, who is making progress. In his first 23 games of the season, Wright had seven points (4 G, 11 A), but in the next 23 games, he has contributed 15 points (4 G, 11 A).

#8 Looking for a buy-low winger? Consider Kevin Fiala of the Los Angeles Kings. In 11 games since the holiday break, Fiala has a modest five points (2 G, 3 A) but he also has 40 shots on goal. That shot rate is encouraging, but there is also the matter of Fiala’s low on-ice shooting percentage this season. During five-on-five play, the Kings are scoring on just 5.8 percent of their shots when Fiala is on the ice, which is his lowest since his rookie season in 2016-2017.

#9 Calgary Flames winger Blake Coleman can fly under the radar a bit but when he is contributing offensively, that makes his fantasy contribution quite strong. In his past 17 games, Coleman has 15 points (5 G, 10 A) but he also has 36 hits and that combination makes him quite appealing for fantasy managers. Coleman is unlikely to match last season’s career highs of 30 goals and 54 points, but already has 92 hits in 46 games, so if the point production continues, Coleman’s all-around contribution is solid.

#10 On a similar level, Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie has picked up his production a bit, with eight points (5 G, 3 A) in his past 10 games, but he also has 25 hits in those 10 games. Be a little wary, though, since Geekie only has 16 shots on goal in those 10 games, his goal-scoring has been dependent on a high shooting percentage (31.3 percent in the past 10 games).

#11 Carolina Hurricanes rookie right winger Jackson Blake has found his way to the top line, skating with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Blake has played 15:27 per game over the past four, chipping in three points (1 G, 2 A) with nine shots on goal. It is probably too soon to jump on Blake in most fantasy leagues, but if he remains on that top line there is obvious scoring upside for a player who ranks third among rookies with 11 goals despite very limited ice time (12:02 ATOI). (Editors note – The Rantanen trade followed the publication of this article – the coach may want to spread the scoring around, but it is more likely Rantanen takes that spot on the top line)

#12 Toronto Maple Leafs centre John Tavares is out of the lineup due to a lower-body injury and for all of the criticism that Tavares takes, he remains a high-end point producer, with 42 points (20 G, 22 A) in 44 games before getting hurt. The challenge for the Maple Leafs is to get contributions down the middle of the ice behind Auston Matthews because, with Tavares out, the second line centre is Pontus Holmberg and the third line centre is rookie Fraser Minten. Holmberg has zero goals and one assist in his past 11 games while Minten has zero points in his past eight NHL games after starting with four points in his first five games.

#13 With the New York Islanders’ season teetering on the brink, they got bad news that standout defenceman Noah Dobson is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Dobson’s production has fallen off the pace he set last season, when he had a career-high 70 points (10 G, 60 A) in 79 games, as he has 24 points (6 G, 18 A) in 46 games this season, but the Islanders don’t have great options to replace him on the power play. Ryan Pulock has handled the role before and is noted for his heavy shot from the point, but has one power play point this season.

#14 New Jersey Devils goaltender Jacob Markstrom has suffered a sprained MCL, which will keep him out of the lineup for 4-6 weeks. Markstrom has been exactly what the Devils needed between the pipes, with a .912 save percentage and 10.0 goals saved above expectations in 36 games. With Markstrom out, Jake Allen will need to handle the starter’s role. Allen has a .901 save percentage and 4.04 goals saved above expected in 15 games this season, so he is a capable starting goaltender for the next month plus.

#15 The Boston Bruins are in a tough battle for a playoff spot, for the first time in a while, but that is made even more challenging when goaltender Jeremy Swayman and No. 1 defenceman Charlie McAvoy are sidelined with injuries. Defenceman Hampus Lindholm was already injured, so the current version of the Bruins is without its top two defencemen and top goaltender, and that is going to make it even more difficult. Swayman’s injury does not seem serious, so Joonas Korpisalo may only have short term value, but McAvoy has landed on injured reserve, which will keep him out for at least a week. This defensive weakening does make the Bruins more vulnerable, potentially worth targeting as opposition while the Bruins are missing Lindholm and McAvoy.

#16 Bruins defenceman Mason Lohrei has been making the most of his opportunity to quarterback the power play. He has six points (1 G, 5 A) in the past seven games and is up to 10 power play points. With 6.85 points per 60 minutes on the power play, Lohrei is tied for 15th (with Chicago’s Alex Vlasic) among NHL defencemen.

#17 Colorado Avalanche winger Valeri Nichushkin is considered week to week with a lower-body injury, and that leaves a large hole for the Avalanche. In 21 games, Nichushkin has 17 points (11 G, 6 A). His absence keeps Ross Colton in Colorado’s top six and while Colton has been held scoreless in his past four games, he is worth keeping tabs on as a player with potential upside because he thrived earlier in the season when given a big opportunity due to injuries.

#18 Ottawa Senators centre Josh Norris is out with an upper-body injury. Given his history with shoulder woes, Norris’ health is an area of concern, yet the thing is that he can still produce when healthy. In 47 games this season, Norris has produced 17 goals and 27 points. The Sens do get David Perron back in the lineup, so that should theoretically help alleviate Norris’ absence, but Perron has failed to record a point in 10 games this season, so expectations should be kept in check. Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson is out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, which elevates Thomas Chabot to the first power play unit.

#19 Norris’ absence from the Senators’ lineup should also open the door for Shane Pinto to step up. While Pinto has six points (2 G, 4 A) and 18 shots on goal in the past eight games, he is also averaging more than 20 minutes of ice time per game in that time, so it would be a prime opportunity for Pinto to lift his offensive production because with 16 points (8 G, 8 A) in 40 games, he has underachieved offensively.

#20 Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Darren Raddysh has elevated his game recently, producing six points (2 G, 4 A) with 13 shots on goal in the past five games, averaging 21:50 time on ice per game. With J.J. Moser and Erik Cernak injured, the Lightning certainly need Raddysh to take on more responsibility. In his first 18 games this season, Raddysh averaged 15:30 time on ice per game and in 20 games since then, has averaged 20:04 per game.

*Advanced stats via Natural Stat Trick

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 19:07:29 +0000

Review: With a 50-21-11 record, the Maple Leafs earned 111 points in 2022-2023, the second-highest point total, and fourth highest points percentage in franchise history. Although Toronto was mediocre in terms of shot attempts, ranking 12^th with 52.2% score-and-venue-adjusted Corsi, they did manage to have strong shot quality results, ranking sixth with 54.3% of expected goals. Toronto ranked 11^th with 3.40 goals per game, and for a team that gets criticized frequently for their defensive play, the Leafs finished fifth with 2.71 goals against per game. They also won a playoff series for the first time since 2003-2004 but losing in five games to Florida in the second round put a quick halt to any optimism generated by Toronto’s first-round victory over Tampa Bay. The Leafs have been a strong team, legitimate contenders, but their lack of postseason success looms over everything, and it will be that way until they start delivering results.

What’s Changed? The Maple Leafs replaced GM Kyle Dubas with Brad Treliving, previously of the Calgary Flames, and the Leafs did complete some tidy business in free agency, getting Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, Dylan Gambrell, and enforcer Ryan Reaves up front. They took a chance on veteran defenseman John Klingberg, whose defensive play has been plummeting in recent seasons, but has plenty of experience as a puck-moving blueliner who can quarterback a power play. There is obviously a focus on the Maple Leafs adding grit with Reaves, Bertuzzi, and Domi, though the potential offensive impact of Bertuzzi, Domi, and Klingberg, may be more valuable.

What would success look like? After so many years of losing in the first round, or not making the playoffs at all, the Maple Leafs have reached a point at which winning a playoff round is the minimum and for the season to be considered a success, that will likely require winning at least two rounds, some kind of postseason achievement that goes beyond their frequent disappointments. The good news for the Leafs is that they have the horses to do it. Whether they advance or not, there is little doubt that Toronto has enough talent to achieve more, but until they actually do it, questions will linger.

What could go wrong? It is possible that the Maple Leafs could have a great regular season, playing at an elite level, and they could still get bounced in the first round of the playoffs. That’s easy enough to imagine. If things were to really go wrong for Toronto, it would probably mean a long-term injury to Auston Matthews. It’s not as if the Leafs don’t have other valuable players, but Matthews is the premier goal-scorer that is most difficult to replace. Toronto has enough depth that it can handle some injuries, but if the injuries involve more than one of The Core Four, that could make it more difficult for Toronto to remain a playoff team.

Top Breakout Candidate: On a veteran-laden Maple Leafs team, rookie winger Matthew Knies is the player most likely to have a breakout season. Knies flashed exciting potential in his first taste of NHL action last season, with one assist in three regular-season games before adding four points in seven playoff games. He is a winger with good size and can be a real handful for opposing defenders when he is working down low in the offensive zone or along the boards. Knies may be ticketed for the third line to start the season but has the potential to fill a spot in the top six and if he does that, the rookie could have an instant impact.

Forwards

Auston Matthews

After becoming the first player to score 60 goals in a season in the prior 10 seasons during the 2021-22 season, Auston Matthews took a step back in 2022-23. He only managed 40 goals in 74 games this time while recording one fewer assist at 45. Perhaps, one could consider this a floor for the 26-year-old veteran. As he enters his eighth season, last season’s 12.2% shooting percentage is by far his career low. If he had shot his career average of 15.7% last season, he would have scored 51 goals on his 327 shots. While his shooting percentage may fluctuate, he has ranked no lower than sixth in the NHL in shots on goal per 60 among regular skaters over the last three seasons. Moreover, regression to the mean should not be the only thing driving a bounce-back year for Auston Matthews, as the addition of Tyler Bertuzzi in place of Michael Bunting offers Matthews another elite playmaker as a potential linemate at even strength, and a contributor on the powerplay. Matthews is entering the 2023-24 season with 299 regular season goals, and he does not want it to end with fewer than 350.

Mitchell Marner

Mitch Marner ended his seventh NHL season just one point shy of 100 – a feat he has not accomplished yet in his career thus far. The 26-year-old started his career exclusively known for his playmaking abilities. His shot was seen as weak, although his selection of shots brought him up to a respectable shooting percentage. In the 2021-22 season, Marner jumped to a 35-goal season, converting 15.6% of his shots on goal. Marner followed that up with another 30-goal season with a shooting percentage of 15.3%. This additional threat to opponents that Marner has crafted has brought his game to another level, securing his spot as one of the most dangerous offensive players in the game. It may have also contributed to Toronto’s ability to split the duo up at times. In the 2021 shortened season, Marner spent 84.7% of his 5-on-5 minutes with Matthews. Last season, he spent only 47.3% of his full-strength time with Auston Matthews, spending slightly more time with John Tavares and a combination of wingers. The defensive side of Marner’s game is also well-crafted, enabling Sheldon Keefe and the Maple Leafs coaching staff to use him on the penalty kill as well. He has been on the ice for 44.0% of the Maple Leafs shorthanded time over the last four seasons in games that he has played. The 2023-24 season could be the year Marner surpasses 100 points.

William Nylander

The 2022-23 season featured 19 players with 40 or more goals, and William Nylander was one of them. His 40 goals and 47 assists were career-highs, and his 82 games played was his second complete season of his career. While much of the narrative surrounding Nylander is that he is inconsistent, that only applies to his defensive effort and attention to detail. He has recorded around a point-per-game since seeing an increase in his powerplay usage in the 2021-22 season. He has also been a healthy player most of his career, missing the most time in the 2018-19 season where he held out from signing an extension until December. While his lack of injury history and consistent dual-threat offensive production should make projecting Nylander’s 2023-24 season rather easy, the addition of Tyler Bertuzzi could threaten his powerplay time and therefore his production. A demotion to the second powerplay unit would likely cost around 0.2 points per game. With Nylander’s contract expiring after this season, and with the Maple Leafs intending to re-sign him to an affordable price before he goes to unrestricted free agency, a tie for the first unit time probably goes to someone else.

John Tavares

John Tavares ended the 2022-23 regular season with 36 goals and 44 assists – the first time he cleared the 30-goal mark since his first season as a Maple Leaf in 2018-19. In a saturated Toronto market, the Maple Leafs captain is due to receive scrutiny. However, that scrutiny generally revolves around the comparison of how much he is paid relative to the value he provides on the ice. He ranked 30^th in points last season, and 42^nd the season prior, reflecting a player that is still very good. When the 2023-24 season gets underway, Tavares will be 33 years of age. The forward-thinking Maple Leafs have already begun reducing his time-on-ice over the years. Last season, he played 1.8 fewer minutes per game in all situations, and 2.1 fewer minutes per game at 5-on-5 than he did in the shortened 2019-20 season. The risk to his ice time being cut much further is the latest addition in Toronto of Tyler Bertuzzi. The Maple Leafs coaching staff may conclude that Bertuzzi is the better option at the front of the net on the first powerplay unit, forcing Tavares to win a spot at the bumper or move to the second unit. While it may be best for the team, a demotion off the first powerplay unit would hurt Tavares’ individual stats dramatically.

Tyler Bertuzzi

Tyler Bertuzzi likely entered his contract year in Detroit knowing it would be his last there. He would also miss two of his last five months with the Red Wings out with upper body injuries, the latest being a wrist injury in December. On March 2, Bertuzzi was sent to Boston to chase a Cup with the Boston Bruins. There, he would find success with David Pastrnak. His playmaking abilities from all areas of the offensive zone at even strength and on the powerplay made a dangerous Bruins offense even more dangerous. Bertuzzi was able to score four goals and 12 assists in 21 games with the Bruins as opposed to his four goals and 10 assists in 29 games with the Red Wings. With the lethal shooters that the Maple Leafs have, Bertuzzi’s gritty playmaking style will fit right in. He could be a reasonable option for the first powerplay unit, as the Bruins saw with Jake DeBrusk out of their lineup. The question surrounding Bertuzzi is how much his shooting percentage will rebound. Bertuzzi converted over 16% of his shots on goal in each season from 2018-19 thru 2021. Last season he shot only 7.5% and suffered a wrist injury. If his recent wrist injury has hampered his shooting form, the Leafs did not sign the 30-goal scorer from the 2021-22 season, but a much lesser version of Tyler Bertuzzi.

Max Domi

Following the 2019-20 season, Max Domi left Montreal for a two-year contract in Columbus. Despite the Blue Jackets team lacking forward depth, particularly at center, Domi immediately saw a two minute drop in time on ice per game. During the 2021-22 season, he was traded to the Hurricanes for their playoff run, before signing a one-year contract to be a rental again, going from Chicago to Dallas. Last season could’ve been considered a slight revival for the 5’ 10” forward, scoring 20 goals for the second time in his career. This was partially due to being a shark in a small pond, seeing a hefty amount of powerplay minutes and receiving ice time while behind on a tanking Chicago roster. His biggest weakness is his poor defensive play. This is something that caused him headaches in Columbus and could cause headaches once again with Sheldon Keefe. He is also not an individual play-driver, passing the puck to teammates too quickly at times. And his career faceoff percentage of 48.2% is far from optimal. The Maple Leafs are hoping that Domi can be an effective middle-six passenger at even strength, and a staple on their second powerplay unit. With that, he should see his minutes drop back down again this season, as well as his point total.

David Kampf

For his third season in a row, David Kampf did not miss a single game last season. He also posted another new career-high with 27 points in his 82 games. New general manager Brad Treliving must have thought so highly of the Czech forward that he signed him to a four-year extension in June, days prior to him entering unrestricted free agency. Toronto acquired Kampf from Chicago as a distressed asset in 2021, after he scored only a single goal in 56 games. The Maple Leafs turned around and used him as a staple defensive center in their bottom six. He is a smart player with efficient skating. That duo has led to his success at even strength as well as on the penalty kill. He won’t offer much offensive flare, only crossing 100 career points in his sixth season, but his health, ability to stay out of the box, effectiveness in the faceoff circle, and dependability on the defensive side of the game will keep him in the lineup for years to come. And while you shouldn’t expect too much, perhaps he has a few goals left in him this season.

Calle Jarnkrok

After eight seasons with the Nashville Predators, the Seattle Kraken selected Calle Jarnkrok in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. In his last season in Nashville, he recorded 28 points in 49 games, the highest pace of his career. As a part of an underperforming Seattle team, and a deep Calgary team that pushed him down the lineup, the Swede would fall back to 30 points in 66 games. However, when he explored free agency, Toronto showed interest, signing him to a four-year contract. With the Maple Leafs, Jarnkrok is expected to be an effective, dependable passenger to play-driving linemates. He bounced around from linemate-to-linemate last season, spending no more than 33.9% of his minutes with any forward. He spent some time alongside John Tavares and Auston Matthews with Mitch Marner, but also played down on the third line with the likes of Pierre Engvall and Alex Kerfoot. He scored 20 goals for the first time in his career last season, but he had a massive jump in shooting percentage at 18.9% compared to a career 12.5%. Will his linemates be able to keep his production high, possibly helping him break 40 points, or will he regress back this season?

Sam Lafferty

A fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Pennsylvania-native Sam Lafferty scrapped his way into the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup, playing 50 games in his rookie season in 2019-20. However, it was a move to the Blackhawks early in the 2021-22 season that would help Lafferty break out and make a name for himself in the league. In Chicago, Lafferty would become a regular penalty killer. After scoring four goals and an assist in 99 shorthanded minutes in Chicago last season, the Maple Leafs traded for his services for their playoff run. His breakout wasn’t just limited to his penalty killing prowess, but respectable production at even strength as well, tallying 12 goals and 15 assists in all situations. Lafferty is a speedy bottom six forward, posing a threat to opposing defensemen trying to move the play up the ice against him. His speed may also give him the opportunity to find a spot on the third line at either wing or center in the case of injuries. However, with a healthy lineup, Lafferty should see a slight fall in his production, moving down the lineup in a more defensive role with the Maple Leafs as opposed to the unassigned role with a tanking Blackhawks team.

Defense

Morgan Rielly

Following the November 21^st game against the Islanders, news broke that Morgan Rielly was expected to miss six weeks with a knee injury. His main competition on the roster, Rasmus Sandin, would see an increase in minutes in his absence. The young, Swedish defensemen would play well with the increased minutes, scoring two goals and six assists in the 13 games he played before sustaining a small injury himself. Sandin’s offensive skill set on the back end posed a threat to Rielly’s powerplay and even strength usage. However, come trade deadline, Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs elected to move Rasmus Sandin for a first-round pick and a rental. With Sandin gone, there is even more certainty that Morgan Rielly will own the greatest share of powerplay minutes amongst his teammates on the back end. This offers security to his production, as Rielly has not had fewer than a half a point per game since the 2016-17 season where he only recorded 72 minutes on the powerplay. Morgan Rielly has been seen as the best offensive defenseman on the Maple Leafs roster for some time now, and Toronto reassured their view of that last season.

John Klingberg

Following the 2021-22 season, John Klingberg tested free agency for the first time after not coming to an agreement with the Dallas Stars. With only a small increase in the cap, a market for a long-term extension at the price he wanted dried up. His solution was a one-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks, with the understanding he’d likely move to a playoff team come trade deadline. Unfortunately for Klingberg, he is left with another one-year deal, but on a contending team this time. The 6’ 3” Swedish defenseman has the box score stats of a defenseman who normally would sign long term. And while market conditions may have forced him into a short-term deal again, his extremely poor defensive play has also reduced his market value. Klingberg is looking for a bit of a revival in Toronto. A once free to roam, mobile defenseman became trapped in conservative and unorganized systems at the end of his tenure in Dallas and his short time in Anaheim and Montreal. With a system that is likely a better fit, and a reduction in his usage, Klingberg could find success on the bottom two pairs and on the second powerplay unit.

Timothy Liljegren

After a breakout rookie season with the Maple Leafs in 2021-22, Timothy Liljegren followed it up with much of the same. He scored six goals and 12 assists in 67 games this time, a five point decrease from the year before due to six fewer secondary assists. Liljegren is arguably the best puck-mover on the right-hand side of Toronto’s defensive core, electing to move the puck away from his own net as soon as possible as his main form of defending. But his lack of traditional defending and physical nature is one of the reasons the Maple Leafs coaching staff hasn’t allocated more minutes to him in the past. Liljegren did see a slight uptick in both even strength and special teams minutes last season, but his security in a top four spot was not there as witnessed by being scratched in the playoffs. With Justin Holl out of the picture, Liljegren’s competition for that secured spot will be John Klingberg. If he can prove that he is worthy of taking a spot from a fellow Swede seven years his senior, he could make a big jump. If he fails to do so, at least in the eyes of his coaching staff, then we can expect more of the same from Liljegren, or even a move at the deadline.

Jake McCabe

After missing most of the 2021 season due to injury, Jake McCabe left the Buffalo Sabres for the Chicago Blackhawks in unrestricted free agency. In his first season in Chicago, he would set a career-high 22 points for himself in 75 games. Last season, he finished with another career-high with 25 points in 76 games split between Chicago and Toronto. Jake McCabe earns his NHL minutes with his defensive prowess. He has received top four minutes at even strength and is a main stay on the penalty kill. His 151 blocked shots ranked 21^st among defensemen last season, and his 163 hits ranked 23^rd. Playing his first full season in Toronto, McCabe can expect to take the heavy minutes with defensive zone deployment and tough matchups. In his 350 minutes in Toronto last spring, he spent 169 with fellow defensive-defenseman TJ Brodie. However, he spent limited minutes with Timothy Liljegren who may complement his style of play by assisting with breaking out the puck and following through in transition with the forwards. There is a chance that McCabe’s point production falls if he is put in a dramatic role, but his time on ice will certainly be high.

Goaltending

Ilya Samsonov

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in an intriguing situation to start the 2023-24 season in net, and Ilya Samsonov remains just one piece of the somewhat uncertain puzzle.

Samsonov is quick on his feet, prefers to keep his body moving as he challenges plays, and still maintains the wider stance that has characterized his game – and set it apart from so many other goaltenders in the NHL – since he first crossed the pond as a Washington Capitals prospect. That makes him fast, exciting, and good at accessing some of those higher-danger shots that slower and more methodical goaltenders just don’t seem capable of reaching. But it also makes him less predictable, both for opponents and from a statistical standpoint. And although he finished last season with one of the league’s most respectable save percentages, he remained a little too injury-plagued to feel altogether comfortable tabbing him as a long-term option for success in Toronto. He’s the reclamation project that came out on top, with tandem partner Matt Murray likely out of the picture entirely, but he’s still not a sure shot for Toronto. It seems the team knows that, too; while they could have started the season with just him and wunderkind Joseph Woll as their options to roll out, the cap-strapped Leafs went out and brought in some veteran insurance at the last minute in the form of yet another reclamation project. Martin Jones will join Woll and Samsonov to start the season, and while he’s likely the odd man out, the fact that Toronto signed him in the first place suggests that they aren’t completely sold on the tandem they have to work with just yet.

Projected starts: 40-45

Joseph Woll

It seems all but impossible that Toronto goaltending prospect Joseph Woll would clear waivers if the Leafs tried to hide him away in the AHL for another season, and his lack of waiver exemption status this year forces their hand a bit; it’s do or die time for the team and the former Boston College standout.

That’s not super concerning from a technical standpoint, since Woll has been one of the most impressive young goaltenders in North America for a handful of years now. He was the confident and collected predecessor at BC to Spencer Knight, controlling his crease at the collegiate level in a way that suggested he’d be a perfect candidate to make a short stop in the minors before taking over at the NHL level almost immediately upon going pro. Then, he suffered multiple consecutive injuries, and his development arc derailed just enough that Toronto was left scrambling; now, they’re stuck trying to navigate a need to get him into games, a starter who has been streaky over his career both in numbers and in health, and an aging Martin Jones who hasn’t hit league average stats in over half a decade. The good news, though, is that he plays the kind of game that should make it easy for Toronto to integrate him into their lineup whenever they need; he plays a game that focuses on keeping control of his depth and angles from his feet in order to eliminate the need for extra movement, serving as an interesting foil to Samsonov’s wild style. It’s unclear just what Toronto wants his role to be next year, but we’re likely only a season or two away from seeing Joseph Woll as the team’s clear-cut number one – it’s just a matter of figuring out how Toronto wants to handle the passing of the torch.

Projected starts: 30-35

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Top 20 Prospects

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 21:42:46 +0000

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 26: Toronto Maple Leafs Left Wing Nicholas Robertson (89) in action during the regular season NHL game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs on April 26, 2022 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON.(Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire)

1 - Nick Robertson LW

Robertson, the 53^rd selection in the 2019 draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, has landed all over the place on prospect rankings the past couple of seasons. Robertson exploded in his DY-1 season, netting 55 goals and 86 points in 46 OHL games, skyrocketing his value as a prospect. Since then, Robertson has transitioned over to the AHL where he continues to look like a promising prospect when healthy. Unfortunately, he has not been able to stay healthy throughout a full season. In his draft year, he was dealing with wrist and rib injuries, followed by knee injury in the 2020-21 season and lastly the fibula injury he suffered this season. When healthy, Robertson has shown his skill, producing a point per game last season, including 16 goals in 28 games. Robertson is best known for his goal scoring ability, whether at the OHL or AHL level. He has a lethal curl and drag release which he uses to beat goalies. On top of his goal scoring ability, he is tenacious, which is seen in his puck battles and forechecking ability. He has also improved his vision over the past couple of years, opening up his game from only being a one-dimensional scorer to the added threat of being able to set up his linemates. Robertson is coming into training camp this year fighting for a top-nine left wing role for the Maple Leafs and should receive the opportunity if he stays healthy. - ZS

2 - Matthew Knies LW

While it took him until late in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft to hear his name called, Matthew Knies didn’t hesitate in his rise through the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospect rankings. Knies had a solid draft year in the USHL but didn’t really garner top prospect consideration until this past season, his freshman year at the University of Minnesota. As a Gopher, he excelled. He quickly became an impact player on a Minnesota team filled with quality prospects, and his strong play earned him looks with USA Hockey’s World Juniors squad and their team for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Knies’ profile as a prospect is a well-balanced mix of throwback power forward style with modern habits and a modern toolbox. Knies’ ever-active motor means he’s always making his presence felt on the ice. He’s physical, highly aggressive, and never one to back down from the dirty areas of the ice. Knies has a great feel for the offensive side of the game and his hands are sneakily good. While his game is built on aggression, he knows when he needs to slow things down and play with the type of finesse and deception required to fool talented NCAA defenders. His physical tools and overall versatility provide safety to his projection, and his intriguing combination of size and skill informs much of its upside. If Knies can learn to round out his game and adjust to the challenges of scoring as a pro player, he can become a valuable top-six winger at the NHL level. - Ethan Hetu

3 - Topi Niemela D

A 3^rd round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020, going just five picks after Toronto selected fellow Finn Roni Hirvonen, Niemelä is one of the top defensive prospects outside the NHL. While his slight build has long been a concern, Niemelä is so solid in his stickhandling, passing, shooting, and overall puck-management game that size looks like it won’t play a role in his career. Very shifty and adept at avoiding contact while prancing about on the ice, his skating gives him extra opportunities in seeking out defense-splitting passes through the neutral zone or new avenues in getting pucks to the goal from the blueline. Highly adept at faking a slapshot only to hit a teammate perfectly for a one-timer, Niemelä has been a WJC star for two straight tournaments, earning a bronze and a silver in the process. He finished seventh in defenseman scoring in Liiga play last season thanks to a blistering start with 22 points in his first 25 games. A machine in transition and a wizard on the opposition blueline, Niemelä has signed his ELC and is scheduled to play on loan with his hometown Kärpät this season. Although Toronto has plenty of options on the blueline and a number of cap-related issues to tend to, Niemelä is a player they are very much looking forward to bringing into the fold. – CL

4 - Rodion Amirov LW

Rodion Amirov was selected 15th overall by Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020 and had been active at the highest level for the past few seasons with the Salavat Yulayev Ufa team (KHL). Unfortunately, Amirov was diagnosed with brain cancer in February 2022. It stopped him from finishing his last hockey season. However, his treatment in Germany went well and he is back in Russia with a chance at playing this year. Amirov is an intelligent and quick-moving forward who works well in all three zones. He is great on both the backcheck and forecheck. He never gives up on a play and his competitiveness is one of the keys to his success on the ice. A strong skater, Amirov can also push the pace of attack and will look to beat defenders one on one as he drives the net. The full extent of his offensive potential remains a bit of an unknown, however he has the athletic and physical tools to be a high impact player. The wildcard is his health. Recovery is priority number one. If Amirov can get in some games this season in Russia, he should make the jump to North America the following season, given that he is already under contract with the Maple Leafs. - DB

5 - Roni Hirvonen C

Drafted 59th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2020, the 5’9”, 172-pound Hirvonen makes up with skill and heart what he lacks in size. Serving as Finland’s captain at the 2022 WJC, he collected seven points in as many games, helping to guide his team to within inches of a gold medal. Alas, he could only add a silver to the bronze he collected at the 2021 tournament. Calm, collected, and constantly ready to seek a creative route to buy his team more time, Hirvonen isn’t afraid to sacrifice himself to make a play. The WJC performance topped yet another productive season of improvement. After a strong year of Liiga play for Ässat in 20-21, he upped the ante for his new club HIFK, with five more points despite playing eight fewer games, before an even more productive postseason run. A hard worker who takes his defensive duties seriously, Hirvonen has signed his ELC and is scheduled to be loaned back to HIFK where he is all but guaranteed a top six role. With a large entourage of forward prospects in their system, Toronto can provide Hirvonen with all the time he needs although continued progress this season in Finland will almost assuredly see him come to North America for the 23-24 season. - CL

6 - Pontus Holmberg C

Holmberg was selected 156^th overall in the 2018 NHL draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs and has exceeded expectations with his play in the SHL over the past couple seasons. He is a gifted playmaker who combines that ability with strong skating and good offensive awareness to set up his teammates. When Holmberg has the puck, he does not try to overcomplicate things, rather he opts for the simple plays to advance the puck. His awareness and above average skating help him complete many of his transitions, whether it is through a pass or by carrying the puck himself. Since Holmberg was drafted by the Leafs in 2018, he has played almost exclusively in the SHL, improving his point totals each year. In the 2020-21 season, he produced 23 points in 45 games before leading the playoffs in points with 14 in 14 games, helping his Växjö Lakers to earn the SHL championship. Holmberg carried that success into this past season, which he finished with 41 points in 46 games. After his SHL season was over, he came over to North America to play for Toronto’s AHL team, the Marlies, putting up 4 points in 6 games. This upcoming season, Holmberg is expected to have a prominent role with the Marlies and will be a name to watch if the Leafs forward group deals with injuries. The Leafs have had plenty of success in turning late round picks into valuable depth including the likes of Pierre Engvall and Andreas Johnsson. There is no reason why Holmberg can’t follow in their footsteps. - ZS

7 - Nick Abruzzese C

Abruzzese was passed over twice in the draft (2017, 2018) before being selected 124^th by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019. He turned heads in 2019, producing 80 points in 62 games for the Chicago Steel in the USHL, but it wasn’t until his first season with Harvard that fans truly started to remember his name. As a freshman, Abruzzese finished in the top 5 in scoring in all of the NCAA and took home a bunch of honors, including the NCAA Rookie of the Year award. Since his breakout campaign, he has dealt with a hip injury as well as losing his entire sophomore season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When play resumed, Abruzzese continued to show his line-driving playmaking game, producing 24 assists in 28 games, while playing in the Olympics for Team USA and earning an NHL contract, which allowed him to participate in 9 games for the Leafs. Abruzzese’s game truly excels when he is able to slow the game down. He has a strong ability to scan the ice and quickly problem solve using his slick and elusive hands. He needs to work on improving his explosiveness in his skating if he hopes to gain a role in the middle-six in the NHL. Abruzzese hopes to fight for a bottom-six role this year, however, is more likely to end up in a top-six role with the AHL Marlies. When injuries do occur, he is expected to be one of the names the Maple Leafs will call on to fill a depth role throughout the year. - ZS

8 - Fraser Minten C

Trading out of the first round in order to jettison the contract of Petr Mrazek, the Leafs used their early second round selection to take Minten, a competitive two-way center with Kamloops of the WHL. While our Western scouting team was only lukewarm on Minten heading into the draft, there is a safe projection for him as a pro player. He has good size. He is already a decent skater with the chance to become an above average one. He has strong two-way instincts and projects as someone who is tough to play against and who can play a shutdown role. The key will be the development of his offensive skills, in particular his play with the puck. Can Minten develop into a high-end playmaker who can make plays with pace? That remains to be seen. Best case scenario, Minten grows into a quality middle six center who can play in all situations. Worst case scenario, he likely ends up as a fourth line pivot and penalty killing specialist. He will return to Kamloops this season and the hope is that he can cross the point per game plateau while becoming a more consistent offensive threat. - BO

9 - Ty Voit C

The 153rd overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, Ty Voit looks like great mid-round pick for the Leafs after having a breakout year for on the Sting. Voit had a good rookie season, finishing with 28 points (8G,20A) in 49 games. Unfortunately for Voit, he was forced to miss the 2020-2021 season due to Covid-19. During the 2021-2022 season, Voit was a standout player for the Sting, finishing the year with 80 points (26G,54A) in 67 games, which was 19th in the league for points, 10th in the league for assists and 1st on the team for assists and points. Voit’s best assets are his playmaking and hockey sense. He has the ability to anticipate plays and see passing lanes before they open, making high-danger scoring chances consistently. He can drive play well, but isn’t selfish with the puck, always knowing where his teammates are and being able to execute the perfect pass-through traffic when needed. He’s a threat with the puck and is hard to contain because he’s so shifty and uses deception and his quick hands to beat opponents to get into the slot. Going into the 2022-2023 season, Voit will once again be looked to be a leader both on and off the ice for the Sting. His offensive talent is undeniable, but he also showed strong defensive play as well, which he will look to continue to grow and improve. You could also expect an increase in points. - DK

10 - Alex Steeves C

Steeves went undrafted through his entire period of eligibility for the NHL draft. After a dominant season at the University of Notre Dame in 2020-21, where he produced 32 points in 29 games, he was awarded an entry-level contract by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Steeves wasted no time showing how he can be valuable to the Maple Leafs in the future by finishing third in scoring on the Marlies this past season with 46 points in 58 games. His play with the Marlies earned him a brief opportunity with the Maple Leafs, where he played bottom-six minutes and was able to produce his first NHL point in three games. Steeves has a combination of slick hands while transitioning the puck and a smooth but not overpowering skating stride. He pairs that with a quick pull and drag move to create scoring chances and rebounds for his teammates. While the Maple Leafs forward depth is extensive, it is pretty clear that Steeves will get an opportunity in training camp to earn a bottom-six role with the NHL club. More likely though, he will begin the season in a top-six role for the Marlies again, looking to replicate the strong season he had last year. With the strong possibility of injuries occurring, it may not be long until we see Steeves earn a role with the Maple Leafs and make a more significant impact in the NHL. - ZS

11 - Brandon Lisowsky

A favourite of our Western scouting team, Lisowsky was someone we had ranked much higher heading into the 2022 Draft. He may lack ideal size, but he is ultra quick and has a terrific shot. Improving his consistency and strength will be the key.

12 - Nicholas Moldenhauer

Moldenhauer’s draft season was slowed by injury, but he finished the year strong. He is a very versatile player because of his quickness, tenacity, and skill. It looks like he will play another year with Chicago of the USHL before deciding on an NCAA program to attend. The OHL remains an option too.

13 - Ryan Tverberg

Tverberg was outstanding for UConn as a sophomore last season, emerging as a top scoring threat. He likely settles in as more of a high energy, penalty killing forward at the pro level, but the offensive improvements are encouraging.

14 - Mikhail Abramov

The skilled playmaking center was predictably average in his first pro season with the Marlies. There were bound to be growing pains as he lacked the strength to likely be a difference maker in the AHL. Hopefully gains made to his conditioning and quickness can help him be better in his second year.

15 - Semyon Der-Arguchintsev

SDA is like a further along in development Abramov. Also, a skilled passer, his vision with the puck is his best quality. He too, needs to focus on getting quicker and stronger to become a more consistent offensive threat.

16 - Veeti Miettinen

A speedy offensive winger, Miettinen’s creativity with the puck gives him significant offensive potential. However, he’s been only average with St. Cloud State. His play away from the puck and his strength on it need to improve.

17 - Dmitri Ovchinnikov

After signing the speedy, skilled forward to an ELC this year, the team has agreed to loan him back to the KHL for another year. He will hopefully become a regular with Sibir Novosibirsk before playing with the Marlies the following season.

18 - Erik Kallgren

The former Arizona Coyotes farm hand was thrust into NHL action with Toronto this past season; a second attempt to make it in the North American pro loop. Kallgren was solid enough to show NHL potential and will be in the mix as an injury replacement again this year.

19 - Mikko Kokkonen

There is some concern that the former third round selection’s development has stagnated. A mobile and intelligent puck mover, it is important to get him back playing with the Marlies this season full time to truly assess where he is at.

20 - William Villeneuve

The big right shot defender was a Memorial Cup champion this year with Saint John, and an offensive standout, yet again, in the QMJHL. There are still concerns about his mobility and his projection, but the Leafs should have a better indication of his potential after his first pro season ends this year.

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Toronto Maple Leaves Top 20 Prospects

Rachel Howard — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 22:20:07 +0000

McKeen's Top 20 New York Rangers prospects for the 2020-21 season. You can read an organizational assessment prior to the draft in Ryan Wagman's article found here. Following the draft we provided a review on each teams performance based on our rankings found here.

Nick Robertson, LW (53^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

As a draft eligible player, the physically immature Robertson had a tough time being a consistent contributor. This was especially true about his engagement level without the puck. Last year, with improved strength and conditioning, he was able to maintain that high intensity level through every shift. He has become one of the better forecheckers in the OHL, who seemed to force multiple turnovers per game due to his energy and IQ. Stronger on the puck, he also took his goal scoring ability to new heights. His shot is a weapon that can score in so many different ways. He can create his own shooting lanes with deceptive hands cutting through the middle. He can be a triggerman near the dot. His wrist shot release allows him to score from practically anywhere. Kyle Dubas has already stated that Robertson will be given every opportunity to make the Maple Leafs roster next year. However, he will need to improve his top end speed and his strength both on and off the puck in order to be able to play his game at the NHL level. He has the potential to be an impact top 6 player within a few years. – BO

Rodion Amirov, LW (15^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Amirov split his draft year between four distinct levels. The plurality of his games played were in the KHL, although his ice time there was very limited, and he had more ice time in fewer games in the MHL, Russia’s junior league, where he dominated. He demonstrates excellent skating prowess, in terms of power, lateral movement and shiftiness. He also has high end finishing ability. More than a mere offensive force, he has spent time on the penalty kill and uses his stick well defensively. Between his various levels of competition, he has played against strong competition for long enough to have a pretty good picture of who he is and what he can do. Amirov’s puck skills suggest an easy top six outcome in his prime. His hands are quick and soft. He reads the game at an advanced level, enabling him to spot avenues for scoring chances better than most. He doesn’t force plays and tries to keep things simple. He skates well, too, keeping up a healthy pace. The main concern is his underdeveloped frame. Additional muscle would give his skating stride more power while improving his stamina and assist him for puck battles. – RW

Roni Hirvonen, C (59^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

2018-19’s top U17 scorer in Finland’s top junior league and last year’s top scorer among U18 players in Liiga, where he received ample ice time, we know that Hirvonen can produce against older players. He is also a fascinating player to watch. A natural center who has spent extensive time on the wing, he is very comfortable playing up the middle in all three zones. His skating stride is inefficient, yet he gets from A-to-B quickly and plays a dynamic East-West game, spurred on by excellent edge work. On the other hand, there are no concerns about Hirvonen’s puck skills. He can cut slaloms through multiple layers of the defense with ease. Despite being undersized, he drives hard to the net when he has the puck, and when the puck is with a linemate, he installs himself on the lip of the crease creating a nuisance for the netminder. In fact, he has done well at making his presence felt in all facets of the game. I would be surprised if he does not make the Finnish WJC roster as an 18-year-old this year. He isn’t too far away from a productive middle six NHL role. – RW

Topi Niemela, D (64^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

The only 17-year-old blueliner to spend all of last season in Liiga, Niemela earned the trust of his coaches with his mature ability to read the play and his reliability off the puck. While his decision making sometimes betrayed his inexperience, he kept his head up, his feet active, and his gaps tight. A right-handed shot, his hockey IQ trails only his skating ability among his assets. He has great mobility, with a smooth and strong skating stride. He is balanced and moves very well laterally and backwards as well as his straight-ahead speed. His feet keep him in the right place at the right time. Niemela has never been a big goalscorer, but he loves to shoot the puck. He tends to sacrifice some power in order to quicken his release, but the shot are accurate and he generally gets the puck past the initial point coverage. Niemela is also a plus puck mover. His hands are quick and secure, and he is a precise passer. He has a lot of physical maturing in front of him, but projects as an all-situations middle pairing defender who can eat up a lot of minutes. – RW

Filip Hallander, LW (58^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Hallander, acquired as part of the Kasperi Kapanen trade with Pittsburgh, is coming off a season shortened due to a leg injury. He may not be that flashy, but he has good hands and is incredibly competitiveness and plays with great awareness. He can be creative on the rush, but he still needs to work on his approach when the game is standing still, as he can play impatient. Even so, he is a smart player who reads the forecheck well and seem to know where to position himself to stop an attack. Hallander is useful on both the power play and the penalty kill. On the power play, he is strong around the crease and in the slot and has been compared to Patric Hornqvist in that sense, earning significant minutes on one of the top teams in the SHL last season as a result. He is expected to spend one more season with Lulea before stepping over in 2021-22, by which time, he should be ready. He lacks elite tools but with strong poise, competitiveness, and awareness on the ice combined with the ability to play various roles he is a good bet to be impactful. – JH

Nick Abruzzese, C (124^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Abruzzese led all freshmen in scoring nationally last season. For his efforts, he was named both the ECAC and the Ivy league Rookie of the Year. He seems set to give the Maple Leafs far more value than they expended with the 2019 fourth-round pick. He has an incredibly calm demeanor, be it on the forecheck or the backcheck. He has excellent vision and can make clean passes without too many turnovers. He was often the player leading the rush although he tended to hang out around the blue line in his defensive zone and trailing on the back check, suggesting he still has work to do on his game away from the puck, although his spot on the Crimson’s first power play unit suggests that his offensive game is doing quite alright. He is a good skater and glides effortlessly up and down the ice. Abruzzese is on the smaller side, but he is not afraid to battle for the puck along the boards. While he can finish, he is fonder of dishing out the puck than of taking the shot himself. His development curve so far suggests that his game is still growing. – JS

Joey Anderson, RW (73^rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5 [New Jersey[])

Anderson has had his ups and downs where performance is concerned and adjusting properly to the pace of the NHL game, but remains a highly likely long-term NHLer. He hasn’t yet hit the mark on the little things that turn into bigger things at the higher level. Offensively, he has talent when it comes to getting to the net and finding scoring opportunities. On the other hand, his play on the backend needs to tighten up ever so slightly to be considered for a role with more dynamic players. He will also have to find more grit and an extra gear to reach his ceiling and solidify a spot in Toronto’s crowded NHL roster. Anderson is great at capitalizing on turnovers and recognizing plays before they happen and if he can keep on adding to his hockey IQ and anticipating instead of reacting more often, his path will become clearer. With the NHL experience he already has, he may be ready to stay up with Toronto, who acquired him from New Jersey for Andreas Johnsson, but a little more AHL time could also be beneficial in the long run. - SC

Mikko Kokkonen, D (84^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Although he was overshadowed by some of the other young defensemen on the Jukurit last year, Kokkonen’s play improved as the season went on. He is an effective distributor of the puck and can start offensive transitions with crisp and accurate long-range passes. He could be a bit more creative with the puck, but he shows poise and good offensive vision. He has a good wrist shot with a quick release and the ability to get pucks through traffic on a regular basis. He reads the game well and his positioning is solid in all three zones. He shows calculated movement as he rarely gets caught out of position. He plays a stable, if unspectacular two-way game, although his skating remains a concern. It is somewhat clunky and lacks explosiveness. He will have to improve his foot speed and lateral mobility as well. On a more positive note, he is sturdy and has good balance. Kokkonen is physically strong for his age and may be closer to a finished product than others of his level. He doesn’t have the highest ceiling, but he could develop into a dependable NHL defenseman on a moderate timetable. - MB

Yegor Korshkov, RW (31^st overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Korshkov is a good fit as a top Leafs prospect at the moment. Not only is he a big body but he moves well, plays with a strong drive and makes his presence known on the ice. People count his size as one of his top attributes but his ability to carry the puck is actually what allows him such success in the goal scoring department. As a player coming from the KHL, Korshkov had few adjustments to make in order to keep up at top Marlies pace and earn a call up to the Leafs, even scoring in his debut. That being said, Korshkov is a good defensive player, yet he tends to be a little too cautious in his own end and is prone to standing still too long. The only time he seems motivated is when he is breaking out or with the puck on his stick, and he needs to keep in mind that hockey is a two way game and to be a top level player he will have to be good in his own end as well. Aside from that, he is both a physically and mentally mature enough player to find himself with a spot on the Leafs and frankly it would come as little surprise to see him up as an occasional second liner. The future is bright for a player as strong and hard working as Korshkov, with size, skill and a keen eye for playmaking. The Leafs would be smart to try him up more frequently this coming season. - SC

Timothy Liljegren, D (17^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 7)

With Liljegren approaching the end of his entry level contract and his best season in the with the Toronto Marlies yet, he is hopefully proving his worth when it will come to re-signing the first rounder. Although his career has not come without struggles and inconsistencies as well as a severe ankle injury that put him out for a long stretch last season, his turbulent career has proven his durability. Liljegren has grown tremendously over last season and his offensive play has grown even more to the point where he was playing both penalty kill and powerplay. He continues to carry the puck with ease and has improved his scoring chances, and he is no longer afraid to shoot and does well at getting the puck to the net. His weak spots continue to be in his own end and defending one on one during turnovers, where he desperately needs to work on his physicality in order to compete at the next level. He also needs to keep his feet moving and his eyes off the puck. Despite not making the main camp roster, look for Liljegren to show up as a bottom four defenseman should the Leafs call him up again. – SC

Veeti Miettinen, RW (168^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Born only a few days too late to have been eligible for the 2019 draft, Miettinen spent a second full season in Finland’s junior league, once again producing at elite rates, far above one point-per-game, and this time leading the Jr. A SM-liiga altogether. He is a versatile player who proved last year that he can kill penalties in addition to his offensive exploits. Miettinen’s game is well-rounded; He is a strong skater with a dangerous shot, featuring both wrist shots and snap shots. He is a fine stickhandler who utilizes his linemates well and he plays a proactive game off the puck. His primary downside at this juncture is his size. Short and lean, he doesn’t have a physical game to speak of. He is headed to North America next season to play collegiately at St. Cloud State. Because of that path, he will have plenty of time to grow accustomed to the North American game before he turns pro, where he currently projects as a reasonable third line type. – RW

Mac Hollowell, D (118^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 8)

Hollowell has been a pleasant surprise for the organization. Sure he is on the smaller side for a defenseman, measuring up at 5-10”, 170lbs, but can he ever skate. He is a dynamic skater whose smooth strides help him keep space between himself and his opponents and his passing skills help to keep him from entering danger zones with the puck or over carrying it. Hollowell still has a lot left to learn, having just completed his rookie professional season, but with any luck he will be fit to aim for a debut with the big squad next season for a game or two. That being said, once he is physically mature, look for Hollowell to be a bottom four defenseman as he already has the skill to fit in at the NHL level. His work ethic and fearlessness alone will be what helps set him apart from the rest of his defensive cohort. - SC

Filip Kral, D (149^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Kral is a steady defensive player with limited offensive upside. Last season he has shown more confidence with the puck and better decision making overall which has led to a bit of an offensive outburst. The hard shooting Czech had his best offensive production with his 12 goals and 36 assists as an overage player. He is a good skater who manages his own zone very well. He is a first pass guy but isn’t really a rush-leading defenseman. His vision and passing skills are both fine but he doesn’t ooze offensive skill. Defensively he is sound with a good control of his gaps and spacing in his own zone. He manages the cycle well despite not being an overtly physical player. His production comes from making smart, safe, fundamental hockey plays while on the ice with some lethal offensive weapons such as he had last season with Spokane. Don’t expect him to flash big production at the next level but he could fit nicely into a bottom pairing. - VG

Joseph Woll, G (62^nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 10)

For a rookie goaltender in the AHL, Woll did fairly well considering the change of pace coming from the NCAA Boston College to the Toronto Marlies. As a younger goaltender he does tend to bite a little early when it comes to dekes but stays strong in two-on-one situations. As a big body, he moves well and his rebound control is good as he stays strong in his crease. The future is still bright though, for Woll, as he has the potential to be a starting goaltender for the Leafs in the future. He still needs to work on playing the puck better and positioning when it comes to finding ways to see past players and find the puck in scrum situations but overall he made a good adjustment to the harder shots and quicker pace of the AHL level. As far as Toronto’s system goes, Woll stands a good chance of seeing starting time in the future but as always keep in mind that goaltenders often take a longer time to develop. – SC

William Villeneuve, D (122^nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

One of the top sleepers out of the QMJHL in the 2020 draft class, it may be easy to forget that he was selected second overall in the circuit’s 2018 Entry Draft. Despite his slow start to the current year, Villeneuve was the top scoring defender in the ‘Q’ last year. His game is predicated on solid decision making and finesse. A right-handed shot, he plays with poise at both ends and moves the puck soundly. He is not the most physical defender and needs to add strength in addition to his skating, which holds him back from a higher ranking as his technical efficiency is not quite matched by power or speed. The only CHL player drafted by the Leafs in 2020, He may not have the tools you look for in a power play quarterback, although his shot and puck skills will help him contribute in the offensive end. The overall game will have a chance to play at higher levels. – RW

Adam Brooks, C (92^nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 11)

Despite being a hard worker and trying to keep a focused attitude, forward Brooks has yet to really differentiate himself from his other Toronto Marlies teammates. He plays a simple game, does well on the penalty kill and keeps attackers to the outside in his own end and there is nothing wrong with that or his skill level. It simply comes down to the fact that Brooks has a good stride, can shoot and plays in a compact way where he does not get in the way and is aggressive enough to win puck battles but the details in his game are the loose ends that he needs to tie up. He does a lot of chasing of the puck and not enough anticipating of the play where he gets sloppy and ends up responsible for turnovers. At this point, Brooks will have to fine tune his game in time for next season or run the risk of becoming a trade commodity if he wants a chance at returning with the Leafs again as a bottom six call up, to say nothing of securing a full-time role. - SC

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C (76^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 12)

A skilled playmaker, Der-Arguchintsev had his best season to date in the OHL that saw him finish third in the league in assists with 63. Playing alongside fellow Leafs’ prospect Nick Robertson, SDA (as he is affectionately known) showed some progress physically which helped him to utilize his creativity and puck skill more consistently. However, it is important to note that while Der-Arguchintsev was near the top in total assists, the majority of those were either secondary or powerplay assists. His 18 primary assists at even strength were tied for 21st in the OHL, and his 42 total primary points were tied for 68th in the circuit. Additionally, he saw a shift to the wing later in the year, with his projection as an NHL center looking bleak. Maple Leaf fans will need to be patient with SDA as he continues to mature physically. His upside remains high, but with each passing year, it seems less likely that he reaches it. - BO

Mikhail Abramov, C (115^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

While Abramov’s point totals may not look totally impressive at first glance last season, his 35 goals alone nearly bested any teammate’s point totals. To say Abramov was on an island with Victoriaville last year is more or less accurate; the team took a step back from the previous season and teammate Yegor Serdyuk missed significant time. Despite this, Abramov still put on a clinic as the team’s primary option in terms of offence. He is slight of build but a great skater and confident puckhandler. At 161 pounds, he is hardly a finished product, but he has some potential as a scoring option down the line. It is a commendation to his hockey sense and skating that he can play some center at that size. However, due to his sight build, it is likely scoring lines or bust for the Russian forward. - MS

Pontus Holmberg, LW/C (156^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Holmberg has shown steady progression as a player since he was drafted in 2018. He is a puck skilled winger with good hockey sense who can make creative plays. He plays a quick-thinking game and controls the puck well. His skating is good, and while he is not the fastest player, he has strong lower body-balance and is quite agile. His production is still inconsistent, and he still takes too many nights off. He is the type of player that can have five brilliant games and then not show up on the scoreboard for ten straight games. He finished the season on a high note though, which hopefully is promising. He has a good wrist shot but has averaged fewer than one shot on goal per game. He has not earned the coaches trust to play top line minutes in the SHL, but he has signed a two-year extension with the team. His NHL projection is long-term, and the 21-year-old will need more time to develop before he can compete for a spot in the NHL. - JH

Ian Scott, G (110^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: UR)

Originally drafted after a statistically awful season in the WHL, Scott had a moderately better one to follow before everything came together in a season for the ages to finish off his junior career, leading his team to a league championship. He was expected to compete for the title of “goalie of the future” with Joseph Woll last year, but a hip problem led to surgery last December, ending his professional debut before he actually suited up in a game. There is a ton of mystery in what happens next for Scott. He is healthy, but the WCHL will not be an option next year as Toronto’s affiliate in Newfoundland will not play this season due to the pandemic, while the organization brought in Alex Stalock and Michael Hutchison to play with Woll in the AHL. Clearly, Scott needs to play. He flashed enough in 2018-19 that a return to that trajectory would make for a great feel-good story of perseverance. Flashes of excellence aside, we don’t really have a way to currently project his ultimate ceiling. - RW

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 19

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 11:51:56 +0000

Toronto Maple Leafs

We can’t really discuss the state of the farm for the Toronto Maple Leafs without first noting the presence on the NHL roster of stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. The three homegrown forwards were all relatively recent first round picks of the Original Six club and currently make up three-fourths of the core that is expected to drive the team past the first round of the NHL playoffs, and possible even all the way.

I mention these three – John Tavares, a free agent signing, is a different case – as they are all in the early stages of their respective primes, and they are the primary cause for General Manager Kyle Dubas’ willingness to trade future pieces, including prospects and high draft picks in the service of strengthening the current NHL roster.

Last year, he traded the team’s 2019 first round pick, in addition to prospects Carl Grundstrom and Sean Durzi to Los Angeles in exchange for solid blueliner Jake Muzzin, who the team has since signed to a long-term extension. Then, during the 2019 draft, he traded (lottery-protected) the team’s 2020 first rounder to offload the last season of Patrick Marleau’s contract onto the Carolina Hurricanes, as the team needed the salary cap space to ink Marner to his second contract.

To put those three talents, along with Tavares and a broader core including luminaries such as Morgan Rielly, Fredrik Andersen, and others, Toronto management had to maximize the organization in the service of now. What had been one of the stronger pipelines in the league is now one of the weakest.

The current trough is not only the result of future-for-present trades, as the truncated 2019-20 season has seen the graduations of Rasmus Sandin, Pierre Engvall, Ilya Mikheyev, and others from our pre-season top 20. Those three alone would have seen Toronto rank significantly higher on the organizational rankings.

Alas, their graduations are not the only reason for the team’s current fall from grace. The franchise has suffered close to as much from the negative regression of some of the players still in the system and still below the NHL level. As we assess player skill sets every season, we see many players make positive steps and improve their projections, and we see at least as many others fail to make those steps and respectively lower their potential ceilings.

Look even at the top five below. Just from these players, the cream of the remaining crop, we have two in Jeremy Bracco and Yegor Korshkov, who we would have said as recently as last summer have potential second line outcomes. Now both have been downgraded to third line upside as they are both one year older, yet not really any closer to deserving an extended NHL opportunity. You might say that those backwards steps were mitigated by bigger than expected steps forward from the likes of Nick Robertson and Abruzzese, and the improvements shown by former first rounder Timothy Liljegren in his second AHL campaign, but on balance, more players failed to live up to expectations in 2019-20 than exceeded them. Mac Hollowell and Joseph Woll both struggled in their first pro seasons. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev has still not been able to recapture the summer after his draft. Former second rounder Eemeli Rasanen has struggled to gain any traction in his return to Finland.

The books on the above players are not yet finished and any or all could still alter their trajectories, but to ensure a prolonged stretch as true Stanley Cup contenders, the Maple Leafs need to see improved development outcomes from more of their players next year and beyond – especially if they keep offloading top picks. - RW

Nick Robertson of the Peterborough Petes. Photo by Luke Durda/OHL Images

Nick Robertson, LW (53^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Few players in junior hockey improved their status as prospects as much as Nick Robertson did this past season. Less a year removed from falling to the later part of the second round, Robertson exploded to lead the OHL in goals with 55 in only 46 games. His goals per game rate of nearly 1.2 was the 7th highest all time in the league, and the highest since John Tavares and Patrick Kane both bested that figure in the 2006-07 season.

As a draft eligible player, the physically immature Robertson had a tough time being a consistent contributor. This was especially true about his engagement level without the puck. At times, he would take over shifts with his tenaciousness, and at other times, he failed to be noticeable. This year, Robertson was able to maintain that high intensity level through every shift, likely by improving his conditioning. He has become one of the better forecheckers in the OHL, who seems to force multiple turnovers per game because of his energy and IQ combination.

Stronger on the puck, Robertson was also able to take his goal scoring ability to new heights. His shot is a weapon. He can score in so many different ways too. He can create his own shooting lanes with his hands and deception cutting through the middle. He can be a triggerman near the dot. His wrist shot release allows him to score from practically anywhere. Kyle Dubas has already stated that Robertson will be given every opportunity to make the Maple Leafs roster next year. However, he will need to continue to improve his top end speed, especially given his lack of size, and his strength both on and off the puck in order to be able to play his game effectively at the NHL level. Even if he is not ready yet next year, Robertson has emerged as one of the NHL’s best goal scoring prospects and has the potential to be an impact top 6 player within a few years. – BO

Filip Hallander, LW (58^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 4)

Hallander had a shortened season due to a leg injury that also held him back from playing at the WJC where he would have been one of the top forwards for Sweden. I see him as equally important and effective as top scorers Samuel Fagemo and Nils Hoglander were at that tournament.

Hallander may not be as flashy as those two to but he has good hands and an incredible competitiveness and awareness in his game. He can be creative on the rush, but he still needs to work on his game when the game is standing still. He needs more patience in his game at times. Still, I definitely consider Hallander to be a smart player. He reads the forecheck well and seem to know where to be on the ice to stop an attack.

He is useful on both a power play and the penalty kill. On the power play he is strong around the crease and in the slot and has been compared to Patric Hornqvist in that sense. He was fifth in ice-time per game by forwards on Lulea, the top team in the league. He will stay there for another season making it the third season in a row that he has been loaned there by the Penguins, who signed him to an ELC a few weeks after drafting him. I would say that he will be ready to step over in 2021-22.

Even though the Penguins’ system was pretty barren, Hallander was traded to Toronto in the Kasperi Kapanen deal, and he immediately becomes one of the better prospects in his new organization. He lacks elite tools but with strong poise, competitiveness and awareness on the ice combined with the ability to play various roles he is a good bet. - JH

Nick Abruzzese, C (124^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Abruzzese led all freshmen in scoring nationally this season with Harvard. There is a catch, though, as he joined the Crimson as a 20-year-old, making him more mature than his counterparts like Trevor Zegras, who are true freshmen. Abruzzese spent two years playing junior hockey, both with the Chicago Steel, and his point total more than doubled in his second year. As a freshman, Abruzzese was named the ECAC Rookie of the Year as well as the Ivy League Rookie of the Year.

Age aside, he is an excellent player and could give the Maple Leafs far more value than their fourth-round pick. He appeared on the team’s first power play unit. He has an incredibly calm demeanor, be it on the forecheck or the backcheck. Abruzzese owns excellent vision and can make clean passes without turning the puck over under pressure. He is often the player leading the rush and tends to hang out around the blue line in his defensive zone and trails on the back check, suggesting he still has work to do on his game away from the puck. He is a good skater and glides effortlessly up and down the ice.

At 5-9”, 161 pounds he is on the smaller side, but you wouldn’t know it from the way he plays. He is not afraid to battle for the puck along the boards. While Abruzzese can score, he is fonder of dishing out the puck than of taking the shot himself. His development curve so far suggests that he will most likely continue to develop, whether in college hockey or at the pro level. - JS

Mikko Kokkonen, D (84^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 12)

Kokkonen had a decent 2019-20 season with Jukurit in the Liiga. He was overshadowed by some of the other young defensemen on the team, such as Jakub Galvas, Axel Rindell and Aleksandr Jakovenko. Kokkonen averaged sixth most ice-time among Jukurit defensemen and recorded ten points (3+7). Half of the points came in his last four games and overall his play improved as the season went on.

He is an effective distributor of the puck and can start offensive transitions with crisp and accurate long-range passes. He could be a bit more creative with the puck, but he shows poise and good offensive vision. He has a good wrist shot with a quick release and he has the ability to get pucks through traffic on a regular basis. He reads the game well and his positioning is solid in all three zones. He shows calculated movement as he rarely gets caught out of position. He plays a stable, if unspectacular two-way game.

However, an area of concern that remains is skating. It is somewhat clunky due to a lack of explosiveness. He will have to improve his foot speed and lateral mobility as well. One a more positive note, he is sturdy and has good balance. Kokkonen is physically strong for his age and therefore may be closer to a finished product than many other NHL prospects. He doesn’t have the highest ceiling, but he could develop into a dependable NHL defenseman on a moderate timetable. - MB

TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 12: Egor Korshkov of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

Yegor Korshkov, RW (31^st overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 9)

That being said, Korshkov is a good defensive player, yet he tends to be a little too cautious in his own end and is prone to standing still too long. The only time he seems motivated is when he is breaking out or with the puck on his stick, and he needs to keep in mind that hockey is a two way game and to be a top level player he will have to be good in his own end as well.

Aside from that, he is both a physically and mentally mature enough player to find himself with a spot on the Leafs and frankly it would come as little surprise to see him up as an occasional second liner. The future is bright for a player as strong and hard working as Korshkov, with size, skill and a keen eye for playmaking. The Leafs would be smart to try him up more frequently this coming season. - SC

Jeremy Bracco, C/RW (61^st overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 3)

The dark sheep of the Toronto organization, Bracco’s talent and hockey IQ are unquestionable but after a brief leave of absence from the team it is hard to determine where he fits in his return to play. From powerplay to odd man rushes, he takes the lead in capitalizing on breaks and has proven to be dangerous. He can skate and shoot, and he knows when to make a pass or when to hold onto it.

He has enough experience to earn an NHL callup, but the adjustment may be harder in terms of physicality and space. A weak spot seems to be knowing when to let go of the puck, oftentimes he gets himself into trouble by holding onto the puck too long and getting closed out and cut off.

Given the chance, Bracco could do well as a third liner but discipline on and off the ice will need to be established first. Regardless of personal matters, Bracco remains a top talent and a forward who is capable of putting up 30+ point seasons in the NHL, he will hopefully come back next season better than ever. - SC

Timothy Liljegren, D (17^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 6)

Liljegren has grown tremendously over last season and his offensive play has grown even more to the point where he was playing both penalty kill and powerplay. He continues to carry the puck with ease and has improved his scoring chances, and he is no longer afraid to shoot and does well at getting the puck to the net.

His weak spots continue to be in his own end and defending one on one during turnovers, where he desperately needs to work on his physicality in order to compete at the next level. He also needs to keep his feet moving and his eyes off the puck. Despite not making the main camp roster, look for Liljegren to show up as a bottom four defenseman should the Leafs call him up again. - SC

Mac Hollowell, D (118^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 8)

Hollowell has been a pleasant surprise for the organization. Sure, he is on the smaller side for a defenseman, measuring up at 5-10”, 170lbs, but can he ever skate. He is a dynamic skater whose smooth strides help him keep space between himself and his opponents and his passing skills help to keep him from entering danger zones with the puck or over carrying it.

Hollowell still has a lot left to learn, having just completed his rookie professional season, but with any luck he will be fit to aim for a debut with the big squad next season for a game or two. That being said, once he is physically mature, look for Hollowell to be a bottom four defenseman as he already has the skill to fit in at the NHL level. His work ethic and fearlessness alone will be what helps set him apart from the rest of his defensive cohort. - SC

Filip Kral, D (149^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Kral is a steady defensive player with limited offensive upside. This season he has shown more confidence with the puck and better decision making overall which has led to a bit of an offensive outburst. The hard shooting Czech had his best offensive production with his 12 goals and 36 assists as an overage player. He is a good skater who manages his own zone very well. He is a first pass guy but isn’t really a rush-leading defenseman. His vision and passing skills are both fine but he doesn’t ooze offensive skill.

Defensively he is sound with a good control of his gaps and spacing in his own zone. He manages the cycle well despite not being an overtly physical player. His production comes from making smart, safe, fundamental hockey plays while on the ice with some lethal offensive weapons such as he had this season with Spokane. Don’t expect him to flash big production at the next level but he could fit nicely into a bottom pairing. - VG

Joseph Woll, G (62^nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

The future is still bright though, for Woll, as he has the potential to be a starting goaltender for the Leafs in the future. He still needs to work on playing the puck better and positioning when it comes to finding ways to see past players and find the puck in scrum situations but overall he made a good adjustment to the harder shots and quicker pace of the AHL level. As far as Toronto’s system goes, Woll stands a good chance of seeing starting time in the future but as always keep in mind that goaltenders often take a longer time to develop. - SC

Adam Brooks, C (92^nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 19)

It simply comes down to the fact that Brooks has a good stride, can shoot and plays in a compact way where he does not get in the way and is aggressive enough to win puck battles but the details in his game are the loose ends that he needs to tie up. He does a lot of chasing of the puck and not enough anticipating of the play where he gets sloppy and ends up responsible for turnovers.

At this point, Brooks will have to fine tune his game in time for next season or run the risk of becoming a trade commodity if he wants a chance at returning with the Leafs again as a bottom six call up, to say nothing of securing a full-time role. - SC

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C (76^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 11)

However, it is important to note that while Der-Arguchintsev was near the top in total assists, the majority of those were either secondary or powerplay assists. His 18 primary assists at even strength were tied for 21st in the OHL, and his 42 total primary points were tied for 68th in the circuit.

Additionally, he saw a shift to the wing later in the year, with his projection as an NHL center looking bleak. Maple Leaf fans will need to be patient with SDA as he continues to mature physically. His upside remains high, but with each passing year, it seems less likely that he reaches it. - BO

Mikhail Abramov, C (115^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

While Abramov’s point totals may not look totally impressive at first glance this season, his 35 goals alone nearly bested any teammate’s point totals. To say Abramov was on an island with Victoriaville this season is more or less accurate; the team took a step back from the previous season and teammate Yegor Serdyuk missed significant time.

Despite this, Abramov still put on a clinic as the team’s primary option in terms of offence. He is slight of build but a great skater and confident puckhandler. At 161 pounds, he is hardly a finished product, but he has some potential as a scoring option down the line. It is a commendation to his hockey sense and skating that he can play some center at that size. However, due to his sight build, it is likely scoring lines or bust for the Russian forward. - MS

Pontus Holmberg, LW/C (156^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 17)

His production is still inconsistent, and he still takes too many nights off. He is the type of player that can have five brilliant games and then not show up on the scoreboard for ten straight games. He finished the season on a high note though, which hopefully is promising. He has a good wrist shot but has averaged fewer than one shot on goal per game.

He has not earned the coaches trust to play top line minutes in the SHL, but he has signed a two-year extension with the team. His NHL projection is long-term, and the 21-year-old will need more time to develop before he can compete for a spot in the NHL. - JH

Michael Koster, D (146^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 13)

Koster might be the player furthest from his projection of any in not only the top 15, but anywhere in the Toronto system. Drafted out of high school, the undersized defenseman spent the entirety of last year with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, on the road to the University of Minnesota.

As productive as he was for Chaska High in Minnesota, earning a spot on the All-USA Hockey First Team in his draft year, his role with the Storm is closer to what we should expect from him going forward. Koster is an above average skater who is at his best carrying the puck out of his own zone and up the ice.

He is poised in his own zone, both with and without the puck. He is generally on the right side of the puck and consistently makes the right decisions. He still lacks any real physical presence, without the bulk to be very effective along the boards and without the shot to have much of an impact from the point. His strengths are enticing enough to have hope that he could be the puck carrying half of a decent third pairing given additional physical growth. - RW

Toronto Maple Leafs 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 13:16:46 +0000

Although he was only hired as the General Manager of the Maple Leafs less than six weeks prior to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the 2019 draft was Dubas’ third at the helm. Some forget, but he, along with Mark Hunter served as interim GMs for a few months in 2015, a time period which included that draft.

The 2015 draft has already been a tremendously successful draft for Toronto, as the team selected current superstar Mitch Marner with the fourth overall choice. While that selection could be excused as the aforementioned Hunter had also come from the storied London Knights’ organization in the OHL, second rounder Travis Dermott has also been very impressive, racking up his 100^th NHL game late last season. The Leafs also still have high hopes for the second second rounder of that haul, Jeremy Bracco.

None of the players selected by Dubas and company in 2018 have yet to appear in the NHL and the same is obviously true for the recent 2019 haul. We have three draft classes – two of which were wholly under his philosophy for player acquisition and the third one a joint function – to understand the Dubas MO and make judgments about it.

The first thing I think about when looking at those three draft classes is the complete absence of size concerns with the players picked. In the 2015 draft, working in tandem with Hunter, Toronto blended big and small players. Marner, Dermott, and Bracco are all smaller than the average NHLer, but later picks Andrew Nielsen, Stephen Desrochers, and Nikita Korostelev are all built large. Neither of the last two draft classes, led by a singular Dubas, had that characteristic. Of the eight skaters the Maple Leafs drafted in 2018, only one stands taller than 6-0”, the 6-1” fifth rounder Filip Kral.

2019 featured more of the same. Six players were drafted. Three stand 5-11” ad the other three all stand 5-9”. Five of the six are also on the slight side. Of course every player they drafted had supporters both inside and outside of the organization, but Toronto ensured that this wave would not bring size or strength to the NHL team. That said, the team has not been completely size averse in their prospect acquisition. Shortly before the 2018 draft, Toronto gave an ELC to undrafted winger Mason Marchment, a 6-4” crasher who plays a game based on strength. This offseason, they signed Ilya Mikheyev from the KHL, whose frame is above league average in the current climate.

Mikheyev is not alone among Toronto’s top 20 who has above average size, with Lamoriello acquisitions Eemeli Rasanen and Yegor Korshkov more known for their impressive figures than they skill components of their games. But even with Rasanen’s gigantic 6-7”, 209lbs frame, the pipeline for the Leafs is full of smaller players. As more of them graduate to the NHL, we will learn a valuable lesson about how well a team can do when it skews so drastically to smaller players. Further, we will see if the team brings in (or calls up) lesser, bigger players, just for the sack of adding a different dimension. It will be fascinating to watch, even if former GM Brian Burke is rolling in his comically loose tie as he watches it.

-Ryan Wagman

1 Rasmus Sandin, D (29^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 3) Sandin is a versatile defenseman capable of leading rushes and quarterbacking them as well. He is a skilled player with a good shot and great hockey sense. He sees the plays before they happen and stays one step ahead and remains focused while doing so. Last year with the Marlies was an adjustment year after he came from Sault Ste. Marie, and as the season went on, he managed to become more comfortable with the pace of the play. His only downfall, which he will hopefully grow out of, is not knowing when to let go of the puck as he tends to hold onto it for too long. With more maturity and experience he will become smarter with how and when he carries the puck to avoid giving up too many turnovers. Sandin has the potential to lead as a top pairing blueliner with the Maple Leafs at his peak. - SC

2 Nick Robertson, LW (53^rd overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) What Robertson lacks in size, he makes up for in skill. One of the youngest 2019 draft eligible players, he is one of the most creative players in the OHL. He uses great edgework and quick hands to open up space to operate; ripping off his powerful wrist shot, or a cross ice pass to an open teammate. His puck control draws defenses in to him, which opens up those lanes and space for his linemates. He is also very tenacious on the puck in the offensive end and is terrific at forcing turnovers with his quick feet and stick. Far from a finished product, he needs to mature physically to help him gain an extra step in his stride and to make him stronger playing through checks. The Leafs can afford to be patient with Robertson in hopes that he hits the growth spurt that his brother Jason did (a top Dallas prospect). The upside here is incredibly high, with Robertson possessing the skill set to be a front line player. - BO

3 Jeremy Bracco, C/RW (61^st overall, 2015. Last Year: 11) Bracco is a creative playmaker to say the least and every play holds different possibilities thanks to his level of hockey sense. He is a powerful and agile skater that can easily maneuver around opponents with his edgework, often opting to use his inside edges for turns rather than traditional crossovers. There is nothing bad to be said about his level of skill, but without the puck he will need to be more present in keeping pressure on opponents in the defensive zone. Physicality is another weak point to his game and he will have to start to play more physically next season if he wants to prove he is ready for a more intense level. Bracco has the potential to be a top six forward with Toronto and his game is certainly NHL ready. Due to the Maple Leafs’ offensive strength he may have to settle for a lower spot until he gradually works his way up. - SC

4 Ilya Mikheyev, RW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed May 6, 2019. Last Year: IE) A smooth-skating forward with a good knack for the net, Mikheyev is coming off a stellar season in the KHL, even if the campaign was ruined right at the climax as he picked up an injury during the playoffs. He still managed to earn a nod as a All-Star. The Leafs signed a forward who always plays hard no matter what, and can even be useful on the penalty killing, although in the NHL he won’t go that far on will alone. In Russia, he also scored plenty of clutch goals and showcased himself as a very talented player with great hands and an excellent shot. Mikheyev can play on any line and show great energy, will, and technique. The Leafs may have found a diamond in the rough here, and he can become a very valuable player should he manage to adapt fast to his new reality. - ASR

5 Trevor Moore, LW (Undrafted Free Agent, signed Jul. 26, 2016. Last Year: Not ranked) Moore is a sparkplug of a player and he brings 100% effort every time his feet touch the ice. He never quits on a play and his angling on the forecheck is superb. His shot is nothing spectacular and his hands are alright, but he can move and he is lightning quick which makes up for his average puck skills. The major reason why he has been successful is his natural skill combined with his work ethic, as they balance each other out and make him a persistent threat capable of forcing turnovers and capitalizing on them. Moore had the opportunity to finish the season up with the Maple Leafs last year and will be starting this season up with them as well. He is a good bottom six forward at the NHL level, capable of playing on the penalty kill especially well. He will need to keep improving the speed at which he moves the puck to see his game reach new heights. - SC

6 Timothy Liljegren, D (17^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 1) When Liljegren is at his best he can be a great playmaker and a strong passer capable of making crisp, tape-to-tape passes. On the contrary, when he is not on his game, he stands still, fails to play the body, makes bad passes, and causes turnovers. He can be terribly inconsistent from one shift to the next which he will needs to improve upon if he wants to succeed at the next level. He will also have to aim for higher offensive production and more shots in the coming year, as he has paled in comparison to Sandin, whose shots per game nearly double that of Liljegren’s. Hope is not lost for Liljegren, however, as he still has potential and has managed to do well with the Marlies as a top four defenseman. With a more consistent season and an improvement in physical play, he could start as a bottom four defenseman and work his way up in the NHL. - SC

7 Joseph Woll, G (62^nd overall, 2016. Last Year: 12) A large netminder with remarkable athleticism, Woll proved last season that he can also be a workhorse in the sense that he can withstand seeing a lot of rubber on any given night and still keep his team in the game. The USNTDP grad spent three years at Boston College, consistently chipping away at his save percentage, raising it each year, from a starting place of .913 to .915 and finishing off at .919. There were collegiate goalies with better numbers, but few who played as much, or against as strong a set of opponents. Woll’s technical game is also a strength, in part assisted by his ability to read the flow of the game and anticipate puck movement. The Leafs will give him time to grow accustomed to the pro schedule in the AHL, in hopes that he could be a starting option once Frederick Andersen’s contract expires after the 2020-21 season. - RW

8 Mac Hollowell, D (118^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 19) A true testament to Hollowell’s maturity is how well he handled playing in the AHL playoffs after his OHL season finished. The leading defenseman scorer in the OHL last year, he is more than an undersized offensive defender. He has the ability to play in any situation, with his lack of size at 5-9”, really the only strike against him. He is a great skater. He is aggressive and tenacious in the defensive end, willing to block shots or take a hit to make a play. He quarterbacks the powerplay well and is extremely aggressive in jumping up in the play at 5 on 5. It comes down to how effective Hollowell will be at the pro level, and how well he can defend with his diminutive stature. The Toronto Maple Leafs are very high on him and feel that he can be an NHL defender for them down the road. The best case scenario likely sees him as a Jared Spurgeon type. - BO

9 Yegor Korshkov, RW (31^st overall, 2016. Last Year: 5) A talented but fragile player, Korshkov had to pass through uncountable injuries over the last three seasons that have prevented him from showing his full potential. With a fresh start in Toronto, he may finally get the chance to play a full season as a healthy player and show all his potential. He has an NHL body with smooth skating ability and soft hands. However, he may lack the consistency and the conditioning necessary to play at a high level. Considering his age, this is nothing that can’t be resolved with some good coaching – something that he will certainly receive within the Maple Leafs system. In the KHL, Korshkov showed glimpses of elite playing, but he needs to be more consistent. - ASR

10 Eemeli Rasanen, D (59^th overall, 2017. Last Year: 8) Räsänen's past season was hampered by an injury, limiting him to only 23 games. After spending the end of the season with the Marlies, he now returns to Jokerit in an attempt to have a bigger role in the KHL. He is a massive right-shot defenseman with strong physical tools and decent puck moving abilities. He can find his teammates with simple and accurate passes. He has a hard shot. The main issue continues to be his skating. His stride is fairly powerful but he lacks in mobility and backwards skating ability. He also has work to do on his play reading and positioning without the puck, particularly in his own end. Räsänen is a long-term project whose overall game and especially skating require quite a bit of refinement. - MB

11 Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C (76^th overall, 2018. Last Year: 16) If there is one prospect who has frustrated Toronto Maple Leaf fans, it is Der-Arguchintsev, affectionately called SDA. He opened eyes at last year’s training camp, earning a long look and a contract thanks to his creativity as a playmaker. Unfortunately, his OHL season was a major disappointment as other areas of his game failed to progress. While his hands are terrific, he remains a perimeter player who lacks the strength to fight through checks or create chances consistently below the hash marks. His shot also remains very weak, which affects his effectiveness as a playmaker. It is too early to give up on SDA as a potential top six forward down the line, especially given his physical immaturity, but the coming OHL season will be a big one for his development as definitive NHL prospect. - BO

12 Mikko Kokkonen, D (84^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) Kokkonen is a stable, physically mature two-way defenseman. He can start the attack with accurate long-range passes which is an asset for his team's transition game. He has a solid shot and is adept at getting his shots through bodies and on to the net. He most often prefers to make the safe play instead of taking risks. On the downside, he lacks explosiveness and has less than stellar lateral agility. He can also struggle on the breakout due to not processing the game quickly enough. Kokkonen has proved himself against high end competition for several years. He had a respectable season in the Liiga as a 17-year-old and will look to build on that in the upcoming season. That said, he does not truly excel in any areas of the game which may ultimately limit his NHL potential. - MB

13 Michael Koster, D (146^th overall, 2019. Last Year: IE) For both of the last two seasons, Koster has split his time between his hometown Chaska High – captaining the squad both years – and with the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. While he was an offensive force from the blueline back home, with the Storm he played a more conservative, defense-first game. That being the case, he was still able to demonstrate his high end speed and flash puck skills occasionally, pushing opponents back on their heels as he rushed the offensive zone. His draft stock was helped by his USHL work, as he proved that he could hold his own and even succeed against the more uniformly bigger and more talented level of opponent he faced in that league. Koster is expected to spend all of next season in the USHL before joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2020-21. He is a long-term project, but has top four upside. - RW

14 Dmytro Timashov, LW (125^th overall, 2015. Last Year: 10) Timashov is a fun player whose feet never stop moving. He can play a physical game and is dynamic enough to play well on both powerplay and penalty kill. He is much weaker in the defensive zone than the offensive zone and will need to work on his defensive positioning, especially when on penalty kill as his movement seems unsure and his timing is sometimes off. Notwithstanding, he is a smart player and has enough natural skill to be considered for a bottom six roll in the future. His development in the AHL with the Marlies has been good and his last year had over 40 points, which could cause him to be a front-runner for a call-up to the NHL if he can repeat that production. Playing another year as a top forward will give him the responsibility and confidence to be able to try skating at the NHL level. - SC

15 Teemu Kivihalme, D (140^th overall, 2013 [Nashville]. Last Year: Not ranked [Not Affiliated]) The former Predators’ draft pick joined the Toronto organization after two impressive seasons with Karpat in the Liiga. Kivihalme is a high-end skater with terrific two-way mobility He gets around the ice effortlessly and has very good speed. He can carry the puck up the ice and controls the puck well at high speeds, yet he is more effective when delivering the puck quickly to the forwards. In order to become an everyday NHL defenseman, he needs to gain toughness, strength, and to round out his defensive game. His positioning and decision making in the offensive zone can be somewhat questionable at times, but with small refinements, those shortcomings can be fixed. Kivihalme’s development is trending upwards and he will challenge for a roster spot on the Leafs’ defense sooner than later. - MB

16 Ian Scott, G (110^th overall, 2017. Last Year: Not ranked) Scott is a polarizing goalie as he has all the physical traits, and has met all of the statistical targets that you look for in a prospect goalie. Height (6-3”), GAA (1.93) and SV% (.932) are all fantastic and yet often he leaves you wanting just a bit more. He uses his body well and is effective at getting in front of the first shot however he can be challenged when forced to move cross ice. He makes some excellent saves off the rush and has impressive agility that enables him to make saves he shouldn’t get to. On the other hand, he does seem to let in a few that he probably shouldn’t. If he can avoid the soft goals he could project as a NHL backup after some experience in the minors. - VG

17 Pontus Holmberg, LW/C (156^th overall, 2018. Last Year: Not ranked) Holmberg is a good late round pick as he has bloomed late and a nice set of skills. He has a lot of good traits in his game that could translate well to the NHL, like the way he can cover the puck in the corners and create scoring chances from there. He has strong balance which will get stronger with more overall strength. His production hasn’t taken off yet but should with more strength and poise. He won a roster spot in the SHL last year and had an okay rookie season in a small role. He should be able to earn a bigger role this season and his game should rise accordingly. Holmberg isn’t a sure thing to make the NHL but if he can continue to take steps forward in his development, he could become a creative middle six forward. - JH

18 Jordan Schmaltz, D (25^th overall, 2012 [St. Louis]. Last Year: 15 [St. Louis]) The Leafs acquired a reclamation project in Schmaltz in an offseason trade that sent Andreas Borgman to St. Louis, and only time will tell if they win the trade. A first-round pick in 2012, the lanky right-hander has had a rocky developmental path, but can still make a future splash in the NHL as a solid skating, mature two-way defender. An intelligent playmaker, his anticipation on offense is matched only by his smarts on defense, which helps him shut down opposing forwards with tight blueline gaps. Though he is not much of a shooter, his vision and sense in transition allow him to hit friendly open sticks with relative ease. He possesses some intriguing skill, but he simply ran out of time with the Blues; with time, he could be more with Toronto, such as a decent depth blueliner at the NHL level. - TD

19 Adam Brooks, C (92^nd overall, 2016. Last Year: 17) Brooks stood out in his major junior years with the Regina Pats in the WHL and has so far had the same growth pattern at the professional level with the Marlies. His rookie year was a decent start and last season saw him double his points total to 40. He is a quick and smooth skater who likes to carry the puck and is confident in his zone entries. He can struggle to hold onto the puck the same way he did in major junior and his play in the neutral zone led to many turnovers this past season. Brooks has a good set of hands but he has less space now and he will have to be more aware while carrying the puck. He will also need to work on moving the puck quicker and being less selfish. He is natural playmaker with the potential to be a second line center if he really pushes himself, but has been building his game to also fit in a bottom six role. - SC

20 Pierre Engvall, LW (188^th overall, 2014. Last Year: 14) Engvall is a surprisingly good prospect to be occupying the last spot on this list, however he does not yet play a mature enough game to meet the NHL criteria. He is a strong skater and reads the play well, is a good team player, and can play every forward position well. He does not have a particularly quick or powerful shot but it is at least accurate. He will need to up his intensity and work on gaining momentum in the physical side game before getting to the next level, taking better advantage of his plus size. With a more high pressure attitude, he could end up being listed as valuable special teams contributor and an everyday bottom six forward in the future. Engvall will have to make sure that he starts the season working hard and carries that work ethic through the whole season. - SC

2019 IIHF World Junior Tournament Review: Sweden

Jimmy Hamrin — Sun, 20 Jan 2019 16:18:44 +0000

Ah, what a disappointing finish to a promising start! Sweden started the tournament, like they always seem to do, by winning all preliminary games. This year they had both Finland and USA, later shown to be the two teams in the final, in their group and beat them both with impressive performances. Sweden were clearly the better team in both those games. Maybe there was some evidence of weakness when they drop a 4-0 lead to a 4-4 tie late in the third period versus USA after having outplayed the Americans for almost two and a half periods. Or, that’s just junior hockey being junior hockey.

After the win over USA, Sweden got in trouble when five players were hit by a stomach flu and needed to be quarantined, including some team leaders. In the last group game Sweden had an unimpressive win over Kazakhstan playing with only three lines. It set them back prior to the quarterfinal and they played poorly against Switzerland. The underdog Swiss didn’t just win with a heroic defense and goalie, they also created the best scoring chances and even led the shot clock after two periods. Sweden played better in the third but could not score, losing 2 – 0 in their first quarterfinal loss since 2006, which also happens to be the last time the tournament was held in Vancouver. In my preview, I was concerned for the offensive chemistry given that the defensemen are much more skilled than the forward group. That proved to be the case and that may be a more telling answer than the stomach flu. Swedish forwards only scored seven goals in five games and four of those goals were scored by Emil Bemstrom. In the deciding game against Switzerland it certainly showed in the third period when Sweden got desperate in their attack being down by two goals. The Swedes just couldn’t create enough down low and almost every good attack came through the top defensemen. When defensemen are in on the attack often all ten players are in one end of the rink which makes it harder to score with shots high from d-men having a lower percentage of success. The forwards simply did not show enough creativity or skill. That said, 19 shots on goal in just the third period surely could have bounced better, but with more skill and creativity from forwards the quality of those shots would have been better. Individually over the five games (four wins) there were obviously some good performances. I’ll slide the players into three different categories, the good, the okay and the poor (good, bad and ugly didn’t seem fair to use). Let’s start with…

The poor

As I mention, there were many forwards that did not provide enough on the scoreboard. Jacob Olofsson (MTL), Rickard Hugg (undrafted), Fabian Zetterlund (NJD) and Pontus Holmberg (TOR) were the biggest disappointments. Olofsson hasn’t had a good season so far and it did not get better by putting him on the wing while also playing defense(!) against Kazakhstan. He is a natural center and clearly showed that he isn’t strong enough in his board play and needs to improve his ability to cover the puck and to use his frame. His skating is looking better this season though and his best performance came when he played defense, which shows that the hockey sense is there. Skating is an issue with Zetterlund. He is a goal scorer that didn’t score and couldn’t create enough on his own due to his skating not being strong. To his defense, he just came back from a tough knee injury. Hugg isn’t a flashy player by any means but he produced well in the summer showcase and has been a leading player for this age group and was given a big role but wasn’t a difference maker at all in this tournament. Holmberg was supposed to be a creative force with smart plays, but he didn’t put up a single point in the tournament getting more and more invisible offensively over the course of the tournament. He has had a good season in Vaxjo though, and still looks like a promising late round pick by Toronto.

The okay

Samuel Fagemo (undrafted) has had a good season in Frolunda and looks like a player that is a sure bet to be drafted this summer, in his second year of eligibility. In this WJC he showed flashes and created chances with offensive drive but didn’t score. Isac Lundestrom (ANA) was okay in his 200-foot game and put up four points but he wasn’t as dominant as a player that has played in the NHL should be at this level. In the quarterfinal, he was no-show. Lucas Elvenes also scored four points and actually showed creativity with the puck but needs to play less on the outside and to shoot more, always seeming to seek a pass. The forwards who were deployed in defense-first roles were also okay. David Gustafsson (WPG) had the most impact, the big center worked hard at both ends of the ice and won big faceoffs among his contributions as a defensive role player in the making. Filip Hallander (PIT) also performed his role well, although I didn’t agree with the way he was deployed. He had about 80% defensive zone starts and played all the penalty kills and none of the power plays. As one of the top junior scorers in the SHL he should have been used more offensively, being strong on the puck and around the net. Other defensive role forwards were Johan Sodergran (LAK), Filip Svenningsson (CGY) and Oskar Back (DAL). None of those three stood out, neither for good nor bad. Philip Broberg (2019 eligible) was the seventh defenseman but got ice time in every game. He played well but couldn’t shine in that role. Nils Lundkvist (NYR) was a bit up-and-down in his performance. He was given a defensive role and played on the penalty kill although his strongest game is making smart plays with the puck. He was over-shadowed by the bigger names on the blueline. Adam Ginning (PHI) is a defensive defenseman and he was also inconsistent in his performance. He is big, strong and poised but was not as strong with the puck as expected - like he can be at his best. Filip Westerlund (ARI) had a somewhat quiet tournament but played simple and well.

The good

The best point producer on the Swedish team was Emil Bemstrom (CBJ) with six points. He showed that his success in SHL this season and his strong development is real. He was the best forward on the Swedish team. Bemstrom had better puck skills that I had previously given him credit for. His shot has always been strong but the way he controls the puck in tight areas is impressive. He looks like a solid top six prospect. Erik Brannstrom (VGK) is a very good hockey player. When he played, he tilted the ice for Sweden, pushing and driving the play. He had one of the more dominant performances I have seen in the first game against Finland. In total he scored four goals and got picked to the All-Star Team. Rasmus Sandin (TOR) is also starting to look like an NHL player already. Not as flashy as Brannstrom but very smart with the puck. He also drives the play well and doesn’t tend to over create. Adam Boqvist (CHI) was a stud in the game against USA. He is playing smarter both with and without the puck this year. He is an offensive force who also can tilt the ice for his team. His performances weren’t as strong after the USA game though. In the quarterfinal he got a bit over creative. Samuel Ersson (PHI) was my pick for net and he got the chance and took it. He had an all-over strong effort and couldn’t be blamed for those four quick goals by USA. He showed calmness, good hockey sense and puck control. He actually kept the Swiss lead down in the quarterfinal during the first two periods of that game to give Sweden a chance.

2018 NHL Draft Review: Atlantic Division

Ryan Wagman — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:35:46 +0000

The draft is over and 217 young players are newly affiliated with 31 different NHL organizations. Outside of three to six of those players, who could jump right into NHL lineups in the fall, we will not know whether the vast majority of those players are draft successes for two, three, four, or five years.

The lack of clear foresight aside, we should still be able to judge draft classes at least in terms of expected value. In some cases, we can look at strategy as well, although the way the board shakes out based on the picks that came before, we can rarely truly discern what a club was trying to do, but only what they were able to do.

I had hoped that we would be able to provide an average Overall Future Projection of the various draft classes, but there are a few picks from the high school ranks, the NAHL and a few European junior leagues for whom we lack enough information to give a full grade, so we will focus on where we had players ranked as we assess the draft haul of each team, as we run division-by-division through the NHL.

Here is the Atlantic Division

Boston Bruins
2 (57) Axel Andersson, D, Djurgarden J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 88th
3 (77) Jakub Lauko, C/LW, Pirati Chomutov (Czech) - ranked 83rd
4 (119) Curtis Hall, C Youngstown (USHL) - ranked 158th
6 (181) Dustin McFaul, D, Pickering (OJHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
7 (212) Pavel Shen, C, Mamonty Yugry (MHL) - ranked Honorable Mention

While the Boston Bruins 2018 draft class will not go down in infamy like their 2015 first round which saw them draft Jakub Zboril, Jake DeBrusk, and Zach Senyshyn with consecutive picks, leaving players like Mathew Barzal and Kyle Connor on the board for others, that is only because the Bruins only had five picks all told this year, and none in the first round. In other words, if none of these five guys pan out, don’t expect to hear/read too much bad press about it. Now, I am not saying that none of these guys will pan out, but even if they do, none will have top half of roster roles. Second rounder Axel Andersson is mostly a stay-at-home type. He positions himself well and can kickstart the transition with smart and precise passes. A solid asset, but a #4 at best. The Bruins have already signed him to an ELC, but have seemingly loaned him back to Djurgarden for another year.

Third rounder Jakub Lauko turned some heads with an energetic performance for the Czechs at the WJC, and was productive for his country at the WU18, but was a bit player for most of the year among men in the Czech ExtraLiga. He is a fine skater and plays bigger than his measurables, at least when playing against peers. If he can continue to play a strong forechecking game and grow his offense just a touch, he could be a good fourth line fit. Fourth rounder Curtis Hall has a similar projection, but as a more natural center. Hall is big, can skate, and seems to understand the game, but his hands are very stiff. There are enough parts that he could find a niche role killing penalties and playing 7-9 minutes of 5-on-5 per game, but his offensive upside is pretty minimal. As he is heading to Yale, it is probably four years until the Bruins have to make a decision on him.

Sixth rounder Dustyn McFaul is more of a project, having performed admirably in his first year in the OJHL with Pickering. He has solid puck skills for a blueliner and no obvious glaring holes in his game. He might spend a season in the USHL before going to Clarkson. Finally, the Bruins picked up Russian forward Pavel Shen in his second year of draft eligibility with one of the last selections of the draft. He has been just shy of one point per game in the past two season in the MHL, Russia’s top junior level, although was ineffective in his first taste of the KHL last year. He has some playmaking skills, but needs to prove himself at higher levels first. With a system as stacked as the Bruins’ is, they can stomach a low upside draft haul such as this. Not too many of those, but one won’t hurt them too badly.

OFP - 52

Buffalo Sabres
1 (1) Rasmus Dahlin, D, Frolunda (SHL) - ranked 1st
2 (32) Mattias Samuelsson, D, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 39th
4 (94) Matej Pekar, C/RW, Muskegon (USHL) - ranked 106th
4 (117) Linus Lindstrand Kronholm, D, Malmo J20 (SuperElit) - unranked
5 (125) Miska Kukkonen, D, Ilves U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - unranked
7 (187) William Worge Kreu, D, Linkoping J20 (SuperElit) - unranked

The Buffalo Sabres won the draft well before the teams congregated in Dallas. They won it when the bouncing balls came up in their favor. By winning the lottery, they got to draft a defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin who is not only a future star in the mold of a Drew Doughty, who is not only ready to play a critical role right now, but who also happens to fit a need on this team that would not otherwise be filled. Dahlin will be among the favorites to win the Calder Trophy this year, and among the favorites to win many Norris Trophies down the line. Defensemen who can skate and stickhandle like Dahlin are few and far between. Those who also have high end hockey IQ are basically unicorns.

With the first pick of day two, the Sabres drafted another NHL defender in Mattias Samuelsson, son of Kjell and a monster on the ice. While he will never be fleet of foot, Samuelsson moves well enough for his size, and uses his size very effectively, whether to box out opponents, or to scare the hell out of them in the corners. He is not offensively gifted, but can add enough to the attack to not be a pure stay-at-home type. He is heading to Western Michigan, but I would expect his stay on campus to max out at two years. After sitting out the third round, the Sabres kicked off the fourth with Muskegon center Matej Pekar a Czech native who has been playing in the US since he was 15. Pekar is a versatile forward – which is good as he was the forward chosen by Buffalo in the draft this year – who skates well and creates nicely for others. He is heading to Miami (Ohio) this season.

With their last three picks, the Sabres went off the board to pick up three projectable young Scandinavian defenders who have mostly snuck under the radar due to injury and/or lack of international experience. Fourth rounder Linus Lindstrand Kronholm impresses with his hockey IQ, but does not for any physical attributes. He skates well enough and holds his own in the corners, but lack of skill with the puck gives him a low ceiling. Finnish defender Miska Kukkonen was limited to 12 games this year due to injury, but also has solid hockey sense and plays a simple, yet effective game with the puck. William Worge Kreu similarly lacks much in the way of hockey skills, but understands the game well enough and is a gigantic physical presence. He is taller, yet much, much slighter (6-6”, 172) than Mattias Samuelsson. Between Lindstrand Kronholm, Kukkonen, and Worge Kreu, the Sabres would be lucky to get one player who gets 200 games in the NHL in a third pairing role. Even if all three meet expectations though, none projects above that level, so there would be some redundancy. Then again, Rasmus Dahlin, so who cares what else happens, right?

OFP – 54

Detroit Red Wings
1 (6) Filip Zadina, LW, Halifax (QMJHL) - ranked 3rd
1 (30) Joe Veleno, C, Drummondville (QMJHL) - ranked 10th
2 (33) Jonatan Berggren, LW/RW, Skelleftea J20 (SuperElit) - ranked 28th
2 (36) Jared McIsaac, D, Halifax (QMJHL) - ranked 24th
3 (67) Alec Regula, D, London (OHL) - ranked 102nd
3 (81) Seth Barton, D, Trail (BCHL) - ranked 147th
3 (84) Jesper Eliasson, G, Troja-Ljungby J20 (J20 Elit)
4 (98) Ryan O'Reilly, C/RW, Madison (USHL) - ranked 84th
6 (160) Victor Brattstrom, G, Timra (Allsvenskan)
7 (191) Otto Kivenmaki, C, Assat U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - ranked 211th

For many years, the Red Wings were known for having a Midas touch with the draft, regularly picking gems in the late round that grew up to be pivotal players on Stanley Cup championship teams. Think Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Tomas Holmstrom, and more. And then the Wings fell into a stretch where they seemingly believed that they were magical and anyone they drafted would turn up a winner. They were wrong. In the last 12 years, they have only drafted three players in the fifth round or later who have racked up 100 NHL games: Petr Mrazek, Nick Jensen and Alexei Marchenko. While it is too early to judge their last three draft classes, the other years in this time span seem very unlikely to add to that total. I can’t promise that either of the Wings’ last two picks here will break that trend, but I would be very surprised if this group as a whole does not have at least five players eclipsing 200 NHL games when all is said and done.

Common thought had the Red Wings focusing on Quinn Hughes with their first pick, a very talented blueliner who played under Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill at the World Championships prior to the draft. But when high scoring winger Filip Zadina was passed over by the Canadiens, Senators and Coyotes, the Red Wings did not hesitate to add a potential 35 goal winger. He grades out as high end for his skating, shooting (near elite there), puck skills, and hockey IQ. He is no shrinking violet, either, always up to battle for loose pucks and giving as good as he gets. Zadina is likely ready to play in the NHL this year, although he may get some brief interludes in the AHL first. He has clear star potential. It’s hard to get value in the top six, but the Wings did it. And then they did it again with their second first rounder, acquired from Vegas in the Tomas Tatar trade. Joe Veleno, the first and thus far the only player granted exceptional player status in the QMJHL was widely thought of as a mid-first round caliber player. Even more inexplicably then Zadina falling to #6, Veleno was still on the board at #30. The Red Wings were there to ensure that he would not fall to #31. A gifted skater with strong playmaking skills and high hockey IQ, he will be competing for a middle six within 12 months. Two first round picks, two speedy players with a knack for generating offense. Why not add a third? With the second pick of the second round, the Red Wings gobbled up Jonatan Berggren, a late riser up draft boards thanks to his electric wheels and goal scoring exploits in the SuperElit, but mostly due to a scintillating performance at the WU18s, as he put up five goals and 10 points in 7 games. He needs to bulk up and gain more experience playing against men, but his upside is clear top six.

Finally ready to draft a blueliner, the Red Wings once again struck gold, grabbing Zadina’s teammate with the Mooseheads, Jared McIsaac, once thought of as a sure-fire first rounder. Like the forwards taken, McIsaac is a very strong skater and all of his other attributes also project as above average. He can sometimes blend in, but he plays a strong 200 foot game and projects as high as a number three defender. Finally, the Red Wings were done taking top half of the lineup players, but they were not taken picking up talented players. With their first of three third rounders, they took another blueliner in Alec Regula, who helped the Chicago Steel win a USHL title in 2016-17, and moved to the OHL for his draft year, earning a regular role with the London Knights. He lacks a single stand-out trait, but does everything at a solid level, playing a quiet, poised game.

Finally, with the second of three third rounders, the Red Wings took a flier on a prospect, in the form of Seth Barton, a puck moving defender from Trail in the BCHL, in his second year of draft eligibility. He was easy to ignore in his first go-round, as he was still playing in Major Midget in BC. His instincts need to be honed, but there are some raw tools here in the UMass-Lowell commit. Detroit gambled again with their final third rounder, taking goaltender Jesper Eliasson, who was player in a second tier U18 league in Sweden. That league can be hard to scout due to the generally lower level of competition, but he has ideal size, and seems to read the play at an above average level.

The Red Wings found fantastic value again in the fourth round, with Ryan O’Reilly, a true Texan who showed high end goal scoring ability with Madison of the USHL. He is a strong skater with an NHL shot, but needs to smooth out the rougher spots in his game, such as eliminating the brain freezes that prevent him from fully earning the trust of his coaches. From a player in his first year out of Tier 1 hockey in Dallas, he was come a very long way and it looks like there is plenty more to come. The Wings added another goalie in the sixth, also the sixth netminder added to the organization in the last 24 months in fourth time eligible Swedish pro Victor Brattstrom. A towering figure in the crease, Brattstrom was near unbeatable in his first extended action in Swedish men’s hockey, helping Timra gain re-entry to the SHL. He lacks any true standout tools, but is gigantic and does most things (puck handling excluded) fairly well. With their tenth and final pick, the Red Wings selected Finnish forward Otto Kivenmaki. Raw like sushi and untested at the international level, Kivenmaki showed solid playmaking skills in the Finnish junior leagues and is a very good skater. In fact, taken as a whole, not only did the Red Wings obtain fantastic value up and down the draft class, but they also mostly drafted above average (or better) skaters, indicating that the franchise understands the direction the game is heading and is embracing the need for speed. Top to bottom, this is about as ideal a draft outcome as I could imagine in the 2018 draft class.

OFP - 55

Florida Panthers
1 (15) Grigori Denisenko, LW, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL) - ranked 27th
2 (34) Serron Noel, RW/LW, Oshawa (OHL) - ranked 22nd
3 (89) Logan Hutsko, C/RW, Boston College (Hockey East) - ranked 116th
6 (170) Justin Schutz, LW, Red Bull Hockey Akademie (Czech U18) - unranked
7 (201) Cole Krygier, D, Lincoln (USHL) - ranked 190th
7 (207) Santtu Kinnunen, D, Pelicans U20 (Jr. A SM-liiga) - unranked

Not only did the Florida Panthers not take anything other than forwards until the seventh round – where they used both of their final round picks on blueliners – but all four of their earlier picks were used on wingers. Organizationally, this may hurt, as the system is not deep in centers after Henrik Borgstrom. That said, I do not, as a rule, advocate for drafting for positional need, but for talent, and on that front, the Panthers did alright considering the picks they had. Grigori Denisenko’s draft stock fluctuated a fair bit over the course of the year, but between his high end speed, and his near elite puck skills, he seemed a pretty safe bet to be selected in the back half of the first round at worst. At 15^th overall, he made sense. Although he was not always chosen by the Russian brain trust to represent his country at high-profile international events, much of that is down to politics. He can play a bit out of control and spend too much time in the box as a result, but his offensive tools are electrifying. He is expected to spend more time this year at the KHL level, but may not be too far removed from a chance to play in the NHL, presuming he bulks up a bit.

Bulking up a bit will not be a problem for the Panthers’ second rounder, OHL winger Serron Noel, who already measures in at 6-5”, 205 lbs. He would be nearly a prototypical power forward, but he has very soft hands and is unselfish with the puck, preferring to set up a linemate than to take a speculative shot himself. Looking at recent early round power forwards in the draft, he fits closer to Alex Tuch’s mold at this stage of his development than any other. He could easily have been gone on day one. Florida’s third rounder, Logan Hutsko, is one of the feel-good stories of the draft. After missing the bulk of his first draft eligible year due to a broken neck, he played with Boston College as a true freshman and led the team in scoring. He is slight, but has a lot of talent, and a full year removed from rehab, there should be more in store. Of the four forwards drafted by the Panthers, Hutsko is the only one with significant experience in the middle.

Sixth rounder Justin Schutz was mostly under the radar, playing with Red Bull Hockey Akademie in Austria, although competing in the Czech U20 league. Schutz, a German native, was their second leading scorer and tied for tenth in the league. He was drafted by Sioux Falls in the USHL, but at present is expected to spend next season playing for Salzburg in the Alps Hockey League, which combines organizations from Austria, Italy and Slovenia. Although twin brother Christian was selected a few slots higher, it says here that Cole is the more talented Krygier brother. He combines above average projections for hockey IQ and physicality with moderate mobility, although like his brother, his expected offensive output is minimal. The Panthers completed their draft class with the selection of Santtu Kinnunen, a rail-thin defender from the Finnish junior ranks. He moves the puck very well for a blueliner and projects for above average smarts as well but there is a question about how well his averagish mobility will hold up once he puts on much-needed weight. While the back half of their draft class comes with its share of question marks, the Panthers drafted enough upside in the first three rounds to ensure that they come away with a few NHL contributors out of their trip to Dallas.

OFP – 52.75

Montreal Canadiens
1 (3) Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Assat (Liiga) - ranked 13th
2 (35) Jesse Ylonen, RW, Espoo United (Mestis) - ranked 36th
2 (38) Alexander Romanov, D, Krasnaya Armiya Moskva (MHL) - unranked
3 (56) Jacob Olofsson, C, Timra (Allsvenskan) - ranked 33rd
3 (66) Cameron Hillis, C, Guelph (OHL) - ranked 73rd
3 (71) Jordan Harris, D, Kimball Union Academy (USHS - CT) - ranked 123rd
4 (97) Allan McShane, C, Oshawa (OHL) - ranked 43rd
4 (123) Jack Gorniak, LW, West Salem HS (USHS - WI) - ranked 144th
5 (128) Cole Fonstad, C/LW, Prince Albert (WHL) - ranked 89th
5 (133) Samuel Houde, C, Chicoutimi (QMJHL) - unranked
7 (190) Brett Stapley, C/RW, Vernon (BCHL) - unranked

One of the benefits of having 11 picks, as the Canadiens did this year, is that you have the luxury of blending your approach, going with your gut for some picks and selecting conservatively on others. The Canadiens did just that, and while I do not support every pick, on balance, this draft class has the potential to be a direction changer for the franchise. Let’s start with picks that combined both talent and draft value. Of their three second rounders, the first one, Jesse Ylonen put up very impressive numbers in the second men’s league in Finland. Equipped with high end skating and puck handling ability, and an above average shot, he projects as a top six scoring winger. Their third of three second rounder, Swedish center Jacob Olofsson, has a very advanced hockey IQ and is strong enough as skater, shooter or literally, in terms of effective hockey strength, that he could play anywhere in the middle six. His high motor will also make him a fan favorite in Montreal.

After taking European based players with each of their four picks in the first two rounds, Montreal’s first North American selection was Guelph center Cameron Hillis. Although undersized, Hillis is an excellent skater and a burgeoning playmaker. In terms of pure value, the best pick Montreal made at the draft was the fourth round pickup of Oshawa center Allan McShane. More a playmaker than a shooter, McShane is a 200 foot player and can be effective in all three zones. With even a half-grade improvement on his skating projections, he could be a real solid professional. After a solid performance for Team Canada at the WU18s (stronger than teammate Hillis managed), it is somewhat surprising he lasted until the fourth round. Finally, I like the thinking that went into taking Cole Fonstad, another CHL center, with an early fifth round pick. Fonstad fills a similar role as Hillis and McShane, as a slightly undersized center who excels at setting up linemates for scoring opportunities. His skating, puck skills and hockey IQ are all very good for his age peers, but he lacks any one standout skill. Still, he is great value in the fifth round.

With the value picks taken care of, let’s now look at picks where the Habs picked up good talent, but perhaps took them higher than their core talent suggested. With that, we start right at the top. With the third overall pick, Montreal ended the most suspenseful moment of the draft by selecting Jesperi Kotkaniemi, a big center who has near elite hockey IQ and excellent hands. He already has man strength and a strong shot to boot. Those who like him a lot (i.e. Montreal’s head scouts) see a first line center. Those who, like us, are more lukewarm, see a second line center. Where we see daylight between Kotkaniemi and a first line outcome is in his middling pace. He can get started well enough, but his top speed is only average at best. You can be a first line center with average speed, but for every Joe Thornton, there are countless AHLers. Kotkaniemi will probably be ready to play in the NHL by 2019-20, but I could say the same about more than a few players that Montreal passed over.

Jordan Harris is a talented, yet undersized, puck moving defender. He skated at a strong level and plays a much more physical game than his size suggests. He showed good reads at the prep school level, but his lack of high level experience adds some risk to his profile. He is expected to play at Northeastern next year, where he will be tested. Montreal took a second prepster one round later in Jack Gorniak from Wisconsin. The Wisconsin commit was one of the top scorers in the state, but like Harris, he has very limited experience (two games at the USHL level) at a higher level.

So far we have covered eight picks, a decent draft class in and of itself, but Montreal made three more picks, one in an early round, that we simply did not and do not think will provide any value to the organization, or at least as much value as they are hoping for. With the 38^th overall pick, Montreal selected Russian blueliner Alexander Romanov. He is small, but skates well and has a solid point shot. But there is nothing here better than solid, and many facets of his game fail to reach that moderate height. Montreal will give him chances to play, but he will be hard-pressed to be more than a third pairing defender at the highest level. The other two “contentious” picks were, at least, late rounders of less consequence. Fifth rounder Samuel Houde was a top pick as a bantam player, but never really met expectations with Chicoutimi, topping out at 32 points last year. He is an OK skater, and understands the game well enough, but lacks much in the way of tools. With their final selection, the Canadiens went to the BCHL for second year eligible forward Brett Stapley, who has been around or above one point per game for the past two seasons, increasing his output by close to 20% this year. He will be headed to Denver next season. Montreal does not everyone from this class to pan out to call the 2018 class a huge success, but they do need Kotkaniemi to be, at minimum, a very good second line center. They have baked in some redundancy among their picks, such as the similar styles played by Hillis, McShane and Fonstad, or even between Romanov and Harris. So even if they are successful, there will not be room for all of them down the line.

OFP – 52.75

Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators
1 (4) Brady Tkachuk, LW, Boston University (Hockey East) - ranked 4th
1 (26) Jacob Bernard-Docker, D, Okotoks (AJHL) - ranked 56th
2 (48) Jonny Tychonick, D, Penticton (BCHL) - ranked 44th
4 (95) Johnny Gruden, LW, USNTDP (USHL) - ranked 53rd
5 (126) Angus Crookshank, LW, Langley (BCHL) - ranked Honorable Mention
6 (157) Kevin Mandolese, G, Cape Breton (QMJHL) - ranked 115th
7 (188) Jacob Novak, LW/C, Janesville (NAHL) - unranked
7 (194) Luke Loheit, RW, Minnetonka HS (USHS - MN) - unranked

You would be hard pressed to find a prospect analyst more sympathetic to the NCAA route than this author. For those young players who are later bloomers, especially in the physical sense, the collegiate path can be extremely beneficial. So I am understanding of the fact that of the Senators eight draft picks this year, only one came from the traditional CHL path. For their other seven picks, including both first rounders, they drafted players from the AJHL, BCHL, USHL, NAHL, Minnesota High School hockey and one prominent player who has already spent a season in the NCAA. The Senators draft class strayed so far from the beaten path, they must have been pandering only to the prospect hipsters.

With the fourth overall pick, the Senators could have surrendered to the Colorado Avalanche, to close off the Matt Duchene trade. Instead the Sens wisely chose to hold on to it, and surrender next year’s instead (it will probably be a high pick again, but odds are a few slots lower than 4^th). After Montreal selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Senators could have taken the high end scorer in Filip Zadina, but I cannot fault them for taking Brady Tkachuk instead. Tkachuk is basically NHL ready and a touch more advanced now than his brother Matthew was in his draft year – and Matthew went right to the NHL as well. He is a strong skater for his size, and his offensive gifts and hockey IQ are all high end. His physical game is even better. Tkachuk should be able to take on a middle six role with the Senators right away and only continue to grow from there.

After this pick, things got funky for Ottawa. With a later first round pick, they selected Jacob Bernard-Docker, from Okotoks in the AJHL. After the success of Cale Makar and Ian Mitchell from the AJHL last year, that historically undervalued league has hit the spotlight. Bernard-Docker made himself the clear top dog in that league, particularly after a star turn in the WJAC for Canada West. He does everything well and profiles as a solid second pairing blueliner down the road. An overdraft, in our esteem, but a talented player nonetheless. So for an encore, the Senators drafted Bernard-Docker’s blueline partner from that WJAC tournament, Jonny Tychonick from Penticton in the BCHL. Tychonick is a better skater than Bernard-Docker, and maybe less of a threat from the point, but he is very skilled when his team has the puck. Tychonick also needs more beef on his bones than the more solidly built Bernard-Docker. Funny enough, both young blueliners will be heading to North Dakota in the fall, to get a head start on developing chemistry.

In the fourth round, Ottawa went to a more ell-worn path to the NCAA by drafting a player out of the hothouse USNTDP program in Johnny Gruden, whose father had recently coached the Hamilton Bulldogs to the OHL championship. Gruden has decent offensive tools, but plays a very smart, quick and energetic game and seems primed for a future middle six role after spending some time at Miami. When it came time for their fifth round pick, it seemed that Ottawa wanted to return to that fertile ground of the Canada West WJAC team, and drafted Angus Crookshank of Langley in the BCHL. A speedy winger with smooth hands and a quick release, Crookshank will play at the University of New Hampshire. The sole CHLer among Senators’ draft picks came next in the form of Cape Breton netminder Kevin Mandolese. He has great size and competes hard, but the results have not been there yet. If the performance can match the tools, he could be a keeper.

The NAHL is generally seen as a feeder league to the USHL and lower tier NCAA schools. Every year, one or two goalies of note are selected from that league and this year was no exception, but once in a while, an NAHL position player is also picked up. And that is just what the Senators did with their first of two seventh rounders, drafting NAHL leading scorer and MVP Jakov Novak from Janesville. Heading to the college coldbed of Bentley, he is a long shot, but he is big and gritty. Finally, the Sens ended their draft with a pick from the Minnesota high school ranks in Luke Loheit from Minnetonka. Although his name was bandied about in deep draft world, his numbers were not very impressive for a prepster and he was not a prioritized watch. He is expected to spend next season in Penticton in the BCHL before going to Minnesota-Duluth. A can applaud Ottawa for taking the slow road prospects over the more immediate gratification that usually comes from CHL picks, but a draft class so full of long(er) shots, after Tkachuk may end up hampering the organization’s future goals.

OFP – 52.75

Tampa Bay Lightning
2 (59) Gabriel Fortier, LW, Baie-Comeau (QMJHL) - ranked 81st
3 (90) Dmitri Semykin, D, Kapitan Stupino (MHL) - ranked 215th
4 (121) Alex Green, D, Cornell (ECAC) - ranked Honorable Mention
5 (152) Magnus Chrona, G, Nacka J18 (J18 Elit) - unranked
6 (183) Cole Koepke, LW, Sioux City (USHL) - unranked
7 (206) Radim Salda, D, Saint John (QMJHL) - unranked
7 (214) Ty Taylor, G, Vernon (BCHL) - unranked

Earlier, in discussing the Detroit Red Wings draft class, I mentioned a period where the team believed that they were magical and saw very little success outside of the top half of the draft for a prolonged stretch. The Tampa Bay Lightning, a team with deep ties to the Red Wings organization, may be following that path. For a few years, the Lightning added high end, talented players deep into the draft. Think Brayden Point or Anthony Cirelli in the third round, Ondrej Palat in the seventh, and a number of others whose profiles are not as high. Between the last draft and this one, the Lightning have made a number of odd picks. It doesn’t help that the Lightning did not have a first round pick, but the picks that they did have did not move the needle much.

At the back end of the second round, Tampa drafted Gabriel Fortier of Baie-Comeau. He is a very good skater with some finishing touch and good energy, but he is small and his best case scenario is as a third line winger. Next up was two way Russian (can play on the blueline or the wing) Dmitri Semykin. If you like him, you see a solid shot, a good hockey mind, and a very physical game. Basically, you see a poor man’s Russian Brent Burns. If you are not a fan, you see a player without the skills to play either position. In the fourth round, Tampa drafted third year eligible collegian defender Alex Green, from Cornell. After two nondescript USHL seasons, Green was an afterthought, but showed a mature game as a freshman in Ithaca and what he lacks in ceiling, he makes up for in floor.

I am not sure I can make that claim for any of Tampa’s final four picks. Magnus Chrona is a very big and very young Swedish netminder who was playing at a fairly low level. He has a sound technical game, but has never really been tested against top flight competition. Cole Koepke is another third time eligible pick, who led the mediocre Sioux City team in scoring this year. He is a decent finisher, but is very much a bottom six player at best. Seventh rounder Radim Salda has a lot of international experience for the Czech Republic, but has never stood out at that level. He offers a solid work rate and some positional attributes, but has little in the way of tools and suffers from untimely lapses in concentration. Finally, in Ty Taylor, they took a second goalie, one who led the BCHL in GAA in the regular season, and led in save percentage in the postseason, in his second year of draft eligibility. He has solid size and is committed to play at the University of New Hampshire. Organizational depth is important, especially after trading away a number of their best prospects for Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller, but I would hope to get more than good soldiers in the draft.

OFP - 50

Toronto Maple Leafs
1 (29) Rasmus Sandin, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) - ranked 23rd
2 (52) Sean Durzi, D, Owen Sound (OHL) - ranked 57th
3 (76) Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C, Peterborough (OHL) - ranked 90th
3 (83) Riley Stotts, C, Calgary (WHL) - ranked 170th
4 (118 ) Mac Hollowell, D, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) - ranked 172nd
5 (149) Filip Kral, D, Spokane (WHL) - ranked 216th
6 (156) Pontus Holmberg, LW/C, VIK Vasteras (Swe. Div. 1) - ranked 154th
7 (209) Zachary Bouthillier, G, Chicoutimi (QMJHL) - ranked 175th
7 (211) Semyon Kizimov, RW, Lada Togliatti (MHL) - ranked Honorable Mention

The question going into the draft for Toronto was how much would be different with Lou Lamoriello gone and Kyle Dubas finally in charge. Based on the nine players taken, it looks like upside is the order of the day. They took some players who were very young and others in their second year of eligibility. Size was absolutely not a factor with no skaters listed above 6-1”. Also, as many expected, Dubas would not hesitate to trade down to get an additional pick. In fact, that was his first order of business, trading the 25^th pick for the 29^th pick and an extra third rounder. When they finally stepped to podium towards the end of day one, Dubas called out the name of Rasmus Sandin, the third Rasmus of the day and one he would have been very familiar with his roots in Sault Ste. Marie much discussed. Although not big, he is a bit stocky and excels in the role of puck mover. He plays a very mature game and can execute very tricky passes to set up teammates for scoring chances. As he was on loan with the Greyhounds, the Leafs can assign him to the AHL, or more likely, back to Sweden for a year.

In the second round, the Leafs drafted another puck moving blueliner from the OHL in Owen Sound’s Sean Durzi. The second year eligible defender battled injuries in two of his last three years with the Attack, but puts up a lot of points from the blueline. He sees the ice well and tends to make the right decision. Third rounder Semyon Der-Arguchintsev is the youngest player (tied with Jan Jenik) eligible for the draft, one day too old to be a 2019 draft pick. He is a very strong skater and a fantastic puck handler but needs to gain in mass and in consistency before he would be ready to turn pro. Seven picks later, the Leafs finally selected someone from outside of the OHL, going west for Calgary Hitman Riley Stotts. A former top ten bantam draft player, Stotts struggled to get out of a depth role with Moose Jaw, but took on a central offensive role after being traded to Calgary around midseason and produced close to a point per game the rest of the way. He skates well, and is a good playmaker with plus vision.

In the fourth round, Toronto went back to the Soo for another blueliner, taking Sandin’s teammate Mac Hollowell. Whereas Sandin was undersized, Hollowell is flat out small. But he is an excellent skater and has a fairly high hockey IQ. Like Sandin, his best role is as a puck mover. Toronto drafted a fourth defender in the fifth round in Filip Kral, from the Czech Republic, by way of Spokane in the WHL. Another plus skater, Kral has decent offensive tools, although or near the level of Sandin or Durzi. At present, he is better with the puck than without, although he is not a liability in his own zone at the junior level. With their seventh pick, the Leafs finally drafted a player from a non-North American league, taking Swedish winger Pontus Holmberg. A second year eligible skater who spent most of last year playing against me in Sweden’s third tier, he is another plus skater with above average puck skills. Moved to Vaxjo in the offseason, he will have the chance to play in the SHL next year.

Considering the long running success the Maple Leafs have had drafting out of Sweden, I would keep an eye on Holmberg. With two seventh rounder, the Leafs went back to the CHL, this time to Quebec, to add a goalie to the system. Zachary Bouthillier split the crease with Alexis Shank in Chicoutimi this year, but took over in the postseason and had a nice run before the Sagueneens were eliminated. He is a bit of a long shot, but he reads the ice well and moves decently. With their final selection, the Maple Leafs added a Russian prospect in winger Semyon Kizimov, yet another plus skater who also brings a fine shooting game to the ice. He is signed for two more years with the Togliatti franchise, so it will be a while before we can decide on his future in the North America game. If there are two things we can learn from the first year of the Dubas regime, it is that the Maple Leafs will scout the CHL heavily and slower players need not apply. There are a lot of pieces here with middle of the lineup upside and if even a few pan out, this draft will be a success.

OFP – 52.75

Pontus Holmberg – McKeen's Hockey

NHL: CULLEN – 20 FANTASY POINTS – Michkov flying high, Jenner returns, Byfield is creating, Guenther is sniping, and much more!

NHL: CULLEN – Laine making the most of his power play time, Schmaltz, Hertl and Nelson are hot, Jones thriving since returning to lineup, and much more!

MCKEEN’S 2023-24 NHL YEARBOOK – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Team Preview – Player Profiles

Forwards

Auston Matthews

Mitchell Marner

William Nylander

John Tavares

Tyler Bertuzzi

Max Domi

David Kampf

Calle Jarnkrok

Sam Lafferty

Defense

Morgan Rielly

John Klingberg

Timothy Liljegren

Jake McCabe

Goaltending

Ilya Samsonov

Joseph Woll

MCKEEN’S 2022-23 NHL YEARBOOK – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – Top 20 Prospects

McKeen’s 2020-21 Hockey Yearbook: Toronto Maple Leaves Top 20 Prospects

Nick Robertson, LW (53rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Rodion Amirov, LW (15th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Roni Hirvonen, C (59th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Topi Niemela, D (64th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Filip Hallander, LW (58th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Nick Abruzzese, C (124th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Joey Anderson, RW (73rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5 [New Jersey[])

Mikko Kokkonen, D (84th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Yegor Korshkov, RW (31st overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Timothy Liljegren, D (17th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 7)

Veeti Miettinen, RW (168th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Mac Hollowell, D (118th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 8)

Filip Kral, D (149th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Joseph Woll, G (62nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 10)

William Villeneuve, D (122nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Adam Brooks, C (92nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 11)

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C (76th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 12)

Mikhail Abramov, C (115th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Pontus Holmberg, LW/C (156th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Ian Scott, G (110th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: UR)

MCKEEN’S 2020 NHL PROSPECT REPORT – TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS – ORGANIZATIONAL RANK: 19

Toronto Maple Leafs

Nick Robertson, LW (53rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Filip Hallander, LW (58th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 4)

Nick Abruzzese, C (124th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Mikko Kokkonen, D (84th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 12)

Yegor Korshkov, RW (31st overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 9)

Jeremy Bracco, C/RW (61st overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 3)

Timothy Liljegren, D (17th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 6)

Mac Hollowell, D (118th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 8)

Filip Kral, D (149th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Joseph Woll, G (62nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

Adam Brooks, C (92nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 19)

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C (76th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 11)

Mikhail Abramov, C (115th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Pontus Holmberg, LW/C (156th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 17)

Michael Koster, D (146th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 13)

Toronto Maple Leafs 2019-20 Prospect Review: Top 20

2019 IIHF World Junior Tournament Review: Sweden

2018 NHL Draft Review: Atlantic Division

Nick Robertson, LW (53^rd overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 1)

Rodion Amirov, LW (15^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Roni Hirvonen, C (59^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Topi Niemela, D (64^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Filip Hallander, LW (58^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 2)

Nick Abruzzese, C (124^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 3)

Joey Anderson, RW (73^rd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5 [New Jersey[])

Mikko Kokkonen, D (84^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 4)

Yegor Korshkov, RW (31^st overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 5)

Timothy Liljegren, D (17^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: 7)

Veeti Miettinen, RW (168^th overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Mac Hollowell, D (118^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 8)

Filip Kral, D (149^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 9)

Joseph Woll, G (62^nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 10)

William Villeneuve, D (122^nd overall, 2020. Previous ranking: NA)

Adam Brooks, C (92^nd overall, 2016. Previous ranking: 11)

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C (76^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 12)

Mikhail Abramov, C (115^th overall, 2019. Previous ranking: 13)

Pontus Holmberg, LW/C (156^th overall, 2018. Previous ranking: 14)

Ian Scott, G (110^th overall, 2017. Previous ranking: UR)

Nick Robertson, LW (53^rd overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 2)

Filip Hallander, LW (58^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 4)

Nick Abruzzese, C (124^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Mikko Kokkonen, D (84^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 12)

Yegor Korshkov, RW (31^st overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 9)

Jeremy Bracco, C/RW (61^st overall, 2015. 2019 Rank: 3)

Timothy Liljegren, D (17^th overall, 2017. 2019 Rank: 6)

Mac Hollowell, D (118^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 8)

Filip Kral, D (149^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: UR)

Joseph Woll, G (62^nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 7)

Adam Brooks, C (92^nd overall, 2016. 2019 Rank: 19)

Semyon Der-Arguchintsev, C (76^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 11)

Mikhail Abramov, C (115^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: UR)

Pontus Holmberg, LW/C (156^th overall, 2018. 2019 Rank: 17)

Michael Koster, D (146^th overall, 2019. 2019 Rank: 13)