As training camp and preseason nears an end, NHL teams across the league have started sending back players from their farm system to their junior leagues. Today, we’ll cover some of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization’s players who’ve already been sent back, those who weren’t invited to the main camp and where they’ll be playing this year!
WHL
Noah Chadwick – Lethbridge Hurricanes
Noah Chadwick returns to the Lethbridge Hurricanes after featuring heavily at the Prospects Showdown. The Leafs prospect will captain the Hurricanes to hopefully have a deeper run in the WHL playoffs on a top pair, first power play unit role. Leafs fans will want to keep an eye on Chadwick to start the year, he’s on the shortlist for Team Canada’s consideration at the World Junior Championship this December in Ottawa.
Miroslav Holinka – Edmonton Oil Kings
It was a somewhat mediocre showing at the Prospect Showdown for Holinka, who I was hoping to see some chance creation and generation alongside Ty Voit. One of the Oil Kings imports for this CHL season, I expect Holinka to play in a middle six role while featuring heavily for Czechia at the WJC this winter. It’ll be important for him to learn to play within structure offensively, but he’s got all the tools to be one of Edmonton’s best players.
Nathan Mayes – Spokane Chiefs
One of the few Berkly Catton teammates from last year who was drafted, Mayes wasn’t really on my radar at all last season. For the most part, it was widely agreed upon that Spokane wasn’t particularly good outside of the Seattle Kraken prospect. Mayes showed some nice physicality in his showings this offseason and got into a game at the Prospects Showdown but he has a long way to go in his development before we talk about him as part of the team’s future plans.
OHL
Ben Danford – Oshawa Generals
There’s some uncertainty with Danford, who feels like the type of player both Berube and Treliving appreciate. Without the head injury he received in practice from Marshall Finnie during the Prospect Showdown there’s a real chance we would’ve seen him get some game reps in preseason alongside a Jake McCabe or Simon Benoit type. As it stands, he’s expected to step back into a top pair, first penalty kill unit role for the Generals looking to outdo their OHL playoff success from last year.
Sam McCue – Owen Sound Attack
Sam McCue was amongst the first round of cuts by the Leafs at camp this year, it’s unsurprising as the seventh-round pick from the most recent draft class would’ve had to be the second coming of Milan Lucic to make it further than he did. While he didn’t get any game time at main camp this year, McCue is expected to return and line up in a top six role for Owen Sound this season.
J20 Nationell
Victor Johansson – Leksland IF J20
Victor Johansson has wowed on a Leksland team that looks very competitive this season. In nine games this year he’s already got 11 points which surpasses his entire point total from last year.
MHL
Alexander Plesovskikh – MHK Spartak Moskva
A trade this offseason sent Plesovskikh to a new team with more opportunities and he’s excelled to start the MHL season, scoring at a point-per-game pace. Like Johansson, Plesovskikh had pretty low box score numbers given how low on the lineup he played in his D-0 with Mamonty Yugry. He’s most recently featured in the first-line LW spot for MHK Spartak Moskva after starting the season in their middle six. It’s early still, but it’s a very encouraging start for the Russian fifth-rounder.
NCAA/USHL
Nick Moldenhauer – Michigan University
It’s a bit of a make-or-break season for Nick Moldenhauer. If he’s overtaken by fellow Ontario dual-national Michael Hage for a top six role, it could spell disaster for his NHL projectability. Michigan is featured fourth on the NCAA’s pre-season power rankings and Leafs fans should have an eye peeled for Michigan’s first games of the year to see where Moldenhauer settles in.
Matt Lahey – Fargo Force
Matt Lahey is committed to playing for Clarkson University, but he’ll be playing in the USHL this year for the Fargo Force instead. With a weaker roster in the USHL, Lahey won’t be making the jump straight to the college level and will instead likely feature in a top painting role with the Force. It’ll be interesting to see if the offence he believes he’s yet to show can blossom as he prepares for next year’s NCAA season.
The start is near
There you have it (this is starting to become a signature way for me to sign off on my articles)! A quick breakdown of where the Leafs non-AHL prospects will be playing this year and their expected roles!
