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The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Pierre Engvall, and Justin Holl), but the club under GM Kyle Dubas has to keep replenishing the prospect pool to provide the Leafs with youngsters who can step up and replace veterans who retire, depart via free agency or are traded.
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 make a contribution in the future.
Players are eligible for the list if they have not played more than 40 NHL games:
#40 - Vladislav Kara – LW (Yugra - VHL)
#39 - Kalle Loponen – D (Koo Koo Kouvola/JyP HT – Finland SM-Liiga)
#38 - Jeremy McKenna – RW (Wichita – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)
#37 - John Fusco – D (Harvard – NCAA)
#36 - Noel Hoefenmayer – D (Newfoundland – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)
#35 - Ryan Chyzowski - LW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#34 - Braeden Kressler - C (Flint - OHL)
#33 - Nikita Grebyonkin - RW (Stalnye Lisy - MHL, Magnitogorsk - KHL)
#32 - Vyacheslav Peksa - G (Ibris Kazan - MHL)
#31 - Dryden McKay - G (Minnesota Duluth - NCAA)
#30 - Bobby McMann - C (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#29 - Pavel Gogolev – LW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto – AHL)
#28 - Joe Miller – C (Chicago – USHL)
#27 - Veeti Miettinen – RW (St. Cloud St. – NCAA)
#26 - Brandon Lisowsky - LW (Saskatoon - WHL)
#25 - Max Ellis - RW (Notre Dame - NCAA, Toronto - AHL)
#24 - Axel Rindell – D (Karpat – Finland SM-Liiga)
#23 - Mac Hollowell - D (Toronto – AHL)
#22 - Artur Akhtyamov – G (Ak Bars Kazan – MHL/VHL/KHL)
#21 - Semyon Der-Argushintsev - C (Toronto - AHL)
#20 - Curtis Douglas - C (Toronto – AHL)
#19 - Mikhail Abramov – C (Toronto – AHL)
#18 - Dennis Hildeby - G (Farjestad - SHL)
#17 - Ty Voit – LW (Sarnia – OHL)
#16 - Filip Kral - D (Toronto - AHL)
#15 - Nick Moldenhauer - RW (Chicago - USHL)
#14 - Rodion Amirov – LW (Ufa Salavat – KHL)
#13 - Ryan Tverberg – C (Connecticut – NCAA)
#12 - Joseph Woll – G (Toronto – AHL/NHL)
#11 - Mikko Kokkonen – D (Pelicans – Finland SM-Liiga)
#10 - Fraser Minten - C (Kamloops - WHL)
#9 - William Villeneuve – D (Saint John – QMJHL)
The Leafs had a dozen selections in the 2020 NHL Draft and with all but one of their picks, they opted to select Europeans or players bound for US colleges who had a longer development window. After selecting Rodion Amirov in the first round and goalie Artur Akhtyamov in the fourth, Toronto once again went to Mother Russia in the fifth round (137th overall), picking winger Dmitry Ovchinnikov.
One of the high risers on this year’s prospect list, Ovchinnikov attracted attention after scoring more than a point-per-game with Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk of the junior level MHL in 2020 and earning a two-game look in the KHL as a 17-year-old.
Couple of Dmitry Ovchinnikov clips from the game highlights. Quick shot created a dangerous rebound in the 1st...then got trucked cutting through the middle in the 3rd https://t.co/UQCDNTdtswpic.twitter.com/4GvjAxDXAw
The 20-year-old finished in the top 15 of MHL scoring (20 goals, 31 assists) in spite of playing just 40 games in 2021, but was only used sparingly in 16 KHL games. Last season, Ovchinnikov scored 13 goals in 22 games in the MHL, and tallied for the first time in the KHL, but signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Leafs and came over to North America just before the Russian invasion of Ukraine to play with the Marlies.
In seven AHL games, Ovchinnikov scored twice and did not look out of place, but he has returned to Sibir on loan this season to get more playing time and will return to the Marlies after the KHL season.
The 5’11”, 163 lb forward can “shoot the puck well due to a plus level of coordination that features a fast and consistent release point. Additionally, he was capable of masking his release point before firing it faster than goaltenders could get set,” according to the HockeyProspect.com Black Book. “(Ovchinnikov’s) playmaking ability is good and he’s capable of looking off his intended passing targets at a consistent rate. The way he handles the puck is slightly behind his playmaking and shooting ability, but it didn’t stop him from making some highlight reel plays where he used his dekeing to go through multiple players when we scouted him.”
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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