Amidst the hustle and bustle of the early stages of free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs held their annual development camp. Hardly the most attention-grabbing event on the Leafs calendar, development camp allows the Leafs to get a closer look at young players through practices, scrimmages, seminars, teambuilding exercises, as well as a personalized plan from the Leafs staff.
A number of prospects of various affiliations to the Leafs attended, some already signed and some merely invites to which the Leafs hold no claim. This camp is a great opportunity for the young players in attendance, run by Leafs assistant GM and director of player development Hayley Wickenheiser, who noted the group was the most competitive of any development camp yet.
For fans, development camp offers a rare glimpse into an entire arm of the Leafs organization that is not often thought of, as well as the seedlings of storylines that lie on the horizon of time. Let’s take a look into some of the central storylines that have come out of the Leafs 2024 development camp.
Cowan and Minten
Regarded as the Leafs two best prospects, Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten both generate a buzz of their own, a buzz that should be in full swing come late September at Leafs training camp. Everyone in attendance, players, coaches, and media alike, were well aware that these two were the stars of the show headed into development camp. The short answer is that Cowan and Minten fully delivered on the moment, continuing to leave positive impressions. This answer does have some interesting minutiae beyond its shortest form, though.
Cowan handled every moment with a poise beyond his years, right down to his words with the media. Coming off of an OHL MVP, Cowan focused on team success above all else, from the disappointment of a Memorial Cup loss to the small glory of a development camp scrimmage win. Cowan acknowledged his goal to make the Leafs out of camp, but could not help himself from expressing excitement for a chance to defend an OHL championship with the London Knights, either.
Although Cowan is intensely competitive, there is clearly a larger scope with which Cowan sees himself. When speaking of his path from here, Cowan emphasized professional traits like consistency and reliability, details and dirty work. Whether or not Cowan returns to the OHL next season, his resolve will see him rise through adversity.
Much to the same effect, Minten was in lockstep. Minten already has a reputation for thriving in the details and dirty work, epitomized by his peers’ high appraisals of his faceoff proficiency. Director of player development, Wickenheiser, noted that Minten can still grow into his body, but his mind and his heart are already enough to be a coach’s favourite. Minten is eligible to play in the AHL this coming season. He will be on either the Leafs or the Toronto Marlies, and firmly in the public eye.
Together, Cowan and Minten not only starred, but continued to grow some chemistry together. In fairness, the competitive duo does bring a lot to a line, a defensive two-way centre in Minten and a more dynamic scorer in Cowan. Whether or not either makes the NHL team this coming season is one thing, both together, and on the same line no less, is inherently much less likely.
There is always a chance that lines get scrambled within a game, guaranteed throughout a season. Leafs coach Craig Berube might well decide to give these rookies-to-be more stable footing with veteran linemates throughout the preseason. There is a chance that Minten does not make the Leafs out of camp, with Cowan joining the Marlies on a conditioning stint should the Leafs try to give Cowan a month or two in the NHL. Neither will make the team in July, but there’s a great chance that Leafs fans will see big things from these two in the future.
The 2024 draft class
Ben Danford’s offensive upside seems to be gaining steam. There is a good chance that for a second straight year, the Leafs first-round pick might have been described as a reach by some, before exploding forward to an incredible post-draft season. Danford made plays, used his skating to jump up into the play, and spoke on his offensive awareness in general. Easton Cowan backed up the scouting report on Danford’s defensive will, noting his awe of blocking shots off of San Jose Sharks draftee Kasper Halttunen’s stick, a howitzer of a shot.
Miroslav Holinka drew rave reviews from Wickenheiser and players alike. Wickenheiser praised his abilities, and noted that his experience as a professional was already apparent. We should expect to see a big step forward in his production in Czechia over the next season or two, and it’s very possible that Holinka becomes thought of as a late-round steal.
Victor Johansson’s infectious personality was on full display. Director of amateur scouting Wes Clark noted after the draft that they believe will have a significant post-draft growth spurt which should put him closer to the size of his storied hockey lineage. Wickenheiser revealed that she will be visiting Sweden to meet with Johansson later this summer, a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes work that goes into her role with the Leafs.
A familiar face was on the ice as Jake Muzzin was part of the development staff at camp. Wickenheiser spoke of the respect that Muzzin commands as a recent former player and a Stanley Cup champion. Muzzin appears to be transitioning into a post-playing career with this role, and was referenced as helping to develop individual programs for the Leafs defence prospects. Muzzin finding a role emphasizes that the Leafs development staff is a large operation with several contributors underneath Wickenheiser including Danielle Goyette, Curtis McElhinney, and Nik Antropov, as well as fellow assistant GM Shane Doan.
