Across various leagues, Toronto Maple Leafs prospects are either just about finished, about to start the playoffs, midway through their playoffs, or all set for golf season now that the playoffs are over.
The AHL season is just about over, and the Marlies played four games this week. Their top players continue to be their top players, with Nick Abruzzese being particularly good.
The NCAA’s Frozen Four tournament starts this week and four teams with Leafs prospects are vying for one of the four spots in the big tournament. Playoffs are beginning in the OHL and WHL, with many prospects kicking off their playoffs as well.
There’s so much to discuss, let’s dive into it!
Welcome to the 6ix On Ice Toronto Maple Leafs prospect update. Each week, we’ll take a dive into how the Leafs’ prospects have done in their respective leagues. We have defined a prospect as a skater who has played fewer than 65 NHL games and is younger than 25 years of age. All data is from QuantHockey and EliteProspects. We also use an NHLe calculator built by Christian Roatis (@Croatis) which is used to estimate a player’s equivalent point total in the NHL based on how they are performing in their respective league. The calculator uses the difficulty of the given league combined with the ease at which a player puts up points to determine the NHLe.
Leafs prospect happenings
AHL
- The Marlies won three games this week against the Hartford Wolf Pack in regulation and Rochester Americans in a shootout, and the Manitoba Moose in overtime, but lost to the Laval Rocket in regulation on Saturday.
- Nick Abruzzese picked up the shootout winner and a goal against Hartford this week. Great to see him on the scoresheet.
- Alex Steeves had two goals and two assists, picking up points in all four games this week. He has been on a tear this season.
- Two goals and an assist this week for Topi Niemela, who’s up to 33 points on the season. He sits 16th in scoring among defencemen in the league.
- The Leafs signed Matthew Barbolini this week out of the NCAA. He featured in his first AHL game against the Moose, but was held off the scoresheet. Barbolini is coming off of a senior season at Miami University where he put up 25 points in 31 games. It’s worth noting that this is not Miami in Florida, but Miami University in Ohio. Less fun.
- Dennis Hildeby picked up first star honours against Hartford, stopping 31 of 32 shots faced and all three shooters in the shootout. However, he did allow three in the second period against Laval—not great.
ECHL
- There are some concerns bubbling that the Newfoundland Growlers will not finish this season, due to a number of outstanding debts. This is a fluid situation, with more information expected in the coming days.
- The Growlers currently sit third in the North Division.
NCAA
- The NCAA’s Frozen Four starts this week, and there is lots for Leafs fans to watch.
- Wyatt Schingoethe and Western Michigan take on the #1 ranked Michigan State on Friday night. This will be a tough test for the Broncos.
- In the same hub, Nicholas Moldenhauer and Michigan University will take on the University of North Dakota. The winners of the two matches will take on each other for one of the four Frozen Four slots.
- Cade Webber and Boston University will take on Rochester Institute of Technology in their first match. They are the top-seeded team and should have an easier path through their group.
- Mike Kester and the University of Minnesota will take on Omaha in their first game. Minnesota is the #2 seed in their group and should have a good chance of facing BU in the regional final.
- Unfortunately, the season is over for the rest of the Leafs’ NCAA-based prospects.
- Veeti Miettinen has just finished his fourth season with St. Cloud State and put up 35 points in 37 games. These are really good numbers, and should probably be enough to earn an entry-level contract with the Leafs. The one challenge with him is his size, where the Finnish winger stands just 5’9″.
OHL
- Easton Cowan and the London Knights closed out the regular season with a 3–0 victory over Guelph. Cowan had a goal and a secondary assist to end the season with 34 goals and 96 points, good for seventh in the league. More importantly, Cowan’s point streak reached a whopping 36 games.
- London was the top team in the OHL this season and will face off against the Flint Firebirds in the first round. The Firebirds lost both of their last two games.
- Braeden Kressler, formerly of the Flint Firebirds, finished the regular season with 74 points in 65 games. He picked up 37 points for both Flint and Ottawa. Ottawa finished sixth this season and will face the Brantford Bulldogs in the first round.
Russia
- The KHL playoffs are well underway, and there is some mixed news for the Leafs’ prospects. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev and Traktor are through to the third round of the playoffs after demolishing Dynamo Moskva in four straight games.
- Unfortunately both Amur Khabarovsk and Ak Bars Kazan, where Kirill Slepets and Artur Akhtyamov respectively play, lost in the first round.
WHL
- It’s playoff time in the WHL! Noah Chadwick and the Lethbridge Hurricanes take on the Swift Current Broncos in the first round. The Broncos are the number three seed and will be a tough test for Chadwick and Co.
- The Saskatoon Blades, where Brandon Lisowsky and Fraser Minten play, take on Prince Albert in the first round. The Blades are a force this season, and both Minten and Lisowsky will be key cogs if they are going to go far in the playoffs this year.
Overall regular season totals for Leafs prospects
Forwards
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Abruzzese | C/LW | 61 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 0.70 | 18 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Easton Cowan | C/W | 54 | 34 | 62 | 96 | 1.78 | 64 | London Knights | OHL | |
| Semyon Der-Arguchintsev | C | 53 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 0.64 | 18 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | |
| Max Ellis | RW | 34 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 0.38 | 12 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Nikita Grebyonkin | LW/RW | 67 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 0.61 | 17 | Metallurg Magnitogorski | KHL | |
| Roni Hirvonen | W | 26 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 0.31 | 4 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Pontus Holmberg | C/LW | 11 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0.91 | 4 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Braeden Kressler | C | 65 | 28 | 46 | 74 | 1.14 | 34 | Flint Firebirds/Ottawa 67s | OHL | |
| Brandon Lisowsky | LW | 68 | 42 | 38 | 80 | 1.18 | 40 | Saskatoon Blades | WHL | |
| Hudson Malinoski | C | 35 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 0.51 | 29 | Providence College | NCAA | |
| Veeti Miettinen | RW | 37 | 20 | 15 | 35 | 0.95 | 0 | St. Cloud State | NCAA | |
| Joe Miller | C | 32 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 0.84 | 8 | Harvard University | NCAA | |
| Fraser Minten | C | 43 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 1.12 | 25 | Kamloops Blazers/Saskatoon Blades | WHL | |
| Nicholas Moldenhauer | C/RW | 38 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 0.55 | 1 | University of Michigan | NCAA | |
| Wyatt Schingoethe | C | 23 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0.17 | 2 | Western Michigan University | NCAA | |
| Kirill Slepets | C/W | 53 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 0.36 | 8 | Amur Khabarovsk | KHL | |
| Alex Steeves | F | 55 | 22 | 27 | 49 | 0.89 | 20 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Ryan Tverberg | C/RW | 45 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 0.71 | 18 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Ty Voit | W/C | 5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 1.60 | 0 | Newfoundland Growlers | ECHL | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Toronto Marlies | AHL |
Defencemen
| Player | Position | GP | G | A | P | P/GP | PIM | NHLe | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Chadwick | LHD | 66 | 12 | 44 | 56 | 0.85 | 24 | Lethbridge Hurricanes | WHL | |
| John Fusco | RHD | 32 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 0.53 | 19 | Dartmouth College | NCAA | |
| Mike Kokkonen | LHD | 55 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 0.25 | 26 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Mike Koster | LHD | 31 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 0.45 | 4 | University of Minnesota | NCAA | |
| Topi Niemela | RHD | 58 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 0.57 | 36 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| William Villeneuve | RHD | 49 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 0.49 | 37 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | |
| Cade Webber | LHD | 35 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0.17 | 30 | Boston University | NCAA |
Goalies
| Player | Position | GP | GAA | SV% | Team | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artur Akhtyamov | G | 19 | 2.00 | 0.927 | Neftyanik Almetievsk | VHL |
| 17 | 2.51 | 0.921 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | ||
| Dennis Hildeby | G | 34 | 2.47 | 0.908 | Toronto Marlies | AHL |
| Vyacheslav Peksa | G | 18 | 3.69 | 0.890 | Newfoundland Growlers | ECHL |
| Keith Petruzzelli | G | 17 | 3.55 | 0.867 | Toronto Marlies | AHL |
Following the prospects
Staying up to date with the development of prospects is no easy task. Follow along throughout the season for the latest happenings in the entire Leafs’ development pipelines!
