After spending years buying at the deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect pool is quite depleted. Usually, the Leafs have at least a few guys repping their home countries at the World Juniors, but with Miroslav Holinka and Easton Cowan becoming ineligible, there are only two youngsters Leafs fans can watch at this year’s tournament.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Leafs prospect pool isn’t improving. Fraser Minten is the big loss from last season, but the 2025 NHL Draft class has looked very promising so far for Toronto. Tyler Hopkins could be in consideration for Team Canada next season, and Tinus Loc Koblar will be representing Norway next year after helping them earn a spot for 2026–27.
With all that being said, let’s take a look at who we should be watching at this year’s tournament, and set some expectations for the Leafs top prospects.
Ben Danford – Canada
The No. 1 prospect in Toronto’s system is easily Ben Danford at this point. The 31st overall pick in 2024, Danford is a steady, defensive defenceman from the OHL. His right shot and size (6’2) make him an attractive player, but his hockey sense is where he stands out.
Danford is never going to be a point-producer, but he will help offensively through clean breakouts and smart passing. He’s not an in-zone offensive player, but like Chris Tanev, he is great at moving the puck the right way up the ice and helping his forwards enter cleanly.
His defensive instincts are also elite, and he’s great at using his stick to disrupt entries before they happen and make quick, decisive passes before forecheckers bear down on him. He’s drawn a ton of comparisons to Tanev, and I think they’re pretty fair. He might not be the best in the world at short-passing and breakouts like Tanev was, but he’ll be very good in the NHL.
Danford will be the primary shutdown option for Team Canada at the tournament, likely going up against other countries’ top forwards. It will be an amazing opportunity for him to showcase his hockey IQ and puck-moving skills, and watching him throw passes to Canada’s elite forward group should be really fun. He’ll also headline the penalty kill.
A successful tournament for Danford doesn’t rely on points. Not at all. His success will be measured in the defensive zone, and hopefully, he can prove himself as one of the best shutdown prospects in the league.
Victor Johansson – Sweden
I’ve always loved Victor Johansson because when the Leafs picked him in the fourth round in 2024, he was listed at 140 lbs. No one knew a thing about him, including myself, and it’s a massive credit to the Leafs European scouting department that they found Johansson not even two years ago.
The defensive prospect exploded offensively last year, putting up 39 points in 47 games in the Swedish junior league. He also racked up 113 penalty minutes, proving he probably added some weight from his 140 lbs listing.
He was promoted to the SHL this year and has five points in 13 games. His growth has been nothing short of impressive, and for a mostly unknown prospect, watching him should be a ton of fun.
It’s assumed Sweden will use him quite a bit, but with some uncertainty around their roster from a lineup perspective, no one really knows. Hopefully, he can put up a few points and stand his ground defensively. I’d also love to see some aggression from him, especially since he earned himself a ton of PIMs last season.
That’s about it
These two will be the Leafs only representatives this season. The prospect pool just isn’t big or top-heavy enough for anyone else, but there should be more opportunity in the next few years for more Leafs prospects to play in the tournament.
Leafs fans should also focus on the draft-eligible players, specifically the top five guys, since we might be tanking to end the year. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but if a few of the top-of-the-line prospects look really good, it might be an incentive for Treliving to bite the bullet and attempt to tank.
