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CHECK OUT RUSS COHEN’S NHLDRAFTBUZZ.COM FOR INFO ON PROSPECTS AND NEWS IN THE HOCKEY WORLD
The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander), but the focus of prospect development under former GM Kyle Dubas and the last few seasons under Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark seemed to be on skill players, while GM Brad Treliving has begun to transition with a focus on young players with size.
As we did last year, we will rank the club’s top prospects over the upcoming weeks based on their progress in either the NCAA, CHL, Europe, ECHL or AHL and their potential to make the Leafs roster and contribute in the future.
Youngsters like Bobby McMann, Joseph Woll, Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, and top-rated Matthew Knies have graduated, but here is a list of players eligible for the list who have not played more than 40 NHL games and are 25 years old or younger:
#40 - Wyatt Schingoethe – C (Western Michigan – NCAA)
#39 - Zach Solow - RW (Toronto - AHL)
#38 - Semyon Kizimov - RW -(Yekaterinberg - KHL)
#37 - Robert Mastrosimone – LW. (Toronto – AHL)
#36 - Marko Sikic – RW (Sarnia – OHL, Newfoundland/Norfolk – ECHL)
#35 – Jacob Bengtsson – D (Boston College – NCAA)
#34 – Nicolas Mattinen – D (Straubling – Germany-DEL)
#33 – Matthew Barbolini – F (Miami(OH) – NCAA, Toronto – AHL)
#32 – Nathan Mayes – D (Spokane – WHL)
#31 – Braeden Kressler – C (Flint/Ottawa – OHL
#30 – Jacob Frasca – C (Barrie/ Sault Ste. Marie.- OHL)
#29 – Chas Sharpe – D (Mississauga – OHL, Toronto – AHL)
#28 – Hudson Malinoski – C (Providence – NCAA)
#27 – John Fusco – D (Dartmouth – NCAA
#26 – Semyon Der-Argushintsev (Chelyabinsk Traktor – KHL)
#25 – Ty Voit – RW – (Newfoundland, ECHL, Toronto – AHL
#24 – Mikko Kokkonen – D – (Toronto – AHL)
#23 – Matt Lahey – D – (Nanaimo – BCHL)
#22 – Sam McCue – LW (Peterborough/Owen Sound – OHL)
#21 – Victor Johansson – D (Leksands Jr. – Sweden)
#20 - Alexander Plesovskikh - LW (Yugra - VHL)
#19 - Miroslav Holinka – C (Trinec Ocelari HC U20 – Czechia)
#18 – Roni Hirvonen – C (Toronto – AHL)
#17 – Timofei Obvintsev – G (CSKA Red Army Jr. – MHL)
#16 – Vyacheslav Peksa – G (Newfoundland – ECHL)
#15 – Cade Webber – D (Boston University – NCAA)
#14 – Ryan Tverberg – C (Toronto – AHL)
#13 – William Villeneuve – D (Toronto – AHL)
#12 – Alex Steeves – C(Toronto – AHL / Toronto – NHL)
#11 – Joe Miller – C (Harvard – NCAA)
#10 – Nick Moldenhauer – C (Michigan – NCAA)
#9 – Nick Abruzzese – C (Toronto – AHL)
#8 – Ben Danford – D (Oshawa – OHL)
#7 – Artur Akhtyamov – G (Neftyanik Almetievsk – VHL / Ak Bars Kazan – KHL)
#6 – Noah Chadwick – D (Lethbridge – WHL / Toronto – AHL)
#5 – Dennis Hildeby – G (Toronto – AHL)
#4 – Nikita Grebenkin – W (Metallurg Magnitogorsk – KHL)
#3 – Topi Niemela – D (Toronto – AHL)
#2 – Fraser Minten – C (Kamloops/Saskatoon – WHL, Toronto - NHL
#1 – Easton Cowan - RW (London - OHL)
The Toronto Maple Leafs left a number of observers scrambling for information and scratching their heads at the end of the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, when they selected London Knights winger Easton Cowan.
Cowan was finished third in OHL rookie scoring with 53 points (20 goals, 33 assists) and broke out for London in the playoffs with 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) in 20 games. His late run and output in the post-season put Knights winger on the Leafs radar, who had a late first round pick and did not select again until the fifth round.
Easton Cowan scored on Saturday in a 5-1 win against Guelph. He extends his OHL regular-season point streak to 39 games.
The risk for Treliving and his scouting staff headed by Wes Clark paid off for Toronto, as Cowan had a season for the ages as an 18-year-old, scoring 96 points (34 goals, 62 assists) in 54 games, winning the OHL’s Most Valuable Player in the regular season and the playoffs, being named a CHL First Team All-Star and a spot on Team Canada for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships.
The 19-year-old hoped to make a bid for making the NHL this season, but the Leafs opted to let him have another year in the OHL and likely another World Junior to improve his maturation.
The Hockey Prospect Black Book prophetically said “Easton plays a style of game that is becoming increasingly rare. We feel he has just enough skill to go along with his excellent hockey IQ and elite compete level, to allow him to be the winger on a line up and and down the top three lines.”
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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