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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), but the club under former GM Kyle Dubas replenished their prospect pool to provide the Leafs with young prospects. It will now be up to new GM Brad Treliving to continue that work.
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 and are 25 years old or younger:
#40 Rodion Amirov
Note: In honor of Amirov after his passing earlier this month, we will keep him on the Leafs prospect list.
#39 Ryan Chyzowski - LW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#38 Dryden McKay - G (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#37 Wyatt Schingoethe – C (Western Michigan – NCAA)
#36 Zach Solow - RW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#35 John Fusco – D (Dartmouth – NCAA)
#34 Kalle Loponen – D (Koo Koo Kouvola/HPK – Finland SM-Liiga)
#33 Noah Chadwick - D (Lethbridge - WHL)
#32 Semyon Kizimov - RW (Nizhnekamsk/Yekaterinberg - KHL)
#31 Max Ellis – RW (Toronto – AHL)
#30 Mikko Kokkonen – D (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#29 Keith Petruzzelli - G (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#28 Braeden Kressler – C (Flint – OHL)
#27 Hudson Malinoski – C (Brooks Bandits – AJHL)
#26 Veeti Miettinen – RW (St. Cloud St.- NCAA
#25 Dmitry Ovchinnikov – LW (Sibir Novosibirsk – KHL, Toronto - AHL)
#24 Brandon Lisowsky – (Saskatoon – WHL)
#23 Dennis Hildeby - G (Farjestad - SHL, Toronto - AHL)
#22 Ryan Tverberg – C (Connecticut – NCAA, Toronto - AHL)
#21 Vladislav Kara - LW (Podolsk Vityaz - KHL)
#20 Semyon Der-Argushintsev - C (Toronto - AHL)
#19 Nikita Grebyonkin - RW (Khabarovsk/Magnitogorsk - KHL)
#18 Easton Cowan – LW (London – OHL)
#17 Artur Akhtyamov – G (Neftyanik Almetievsk – VHL)
The Maple Leafs have shifted to a shotgun approach for their goaltending organizational depth, with five netminders either in Europe or the lower professional levels in North America under the age of 25, in hopes that one will become the first internal candidate to be a full-time starter since James Reimer over a decade ago. One of their long-term projects is Russian goalie Artur Ahktyamov.
The 21-year-old was selected in the fourth round (106th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft after posting a 1.80 GAA in 46 games for Ak-Bars Kazan’s MHL junior squad. The 6’1” 168 lb. netminder split time between the MHL, the second pro-level VHL (with a 1.90 GAA in 14 games) and starting three KHL games in 2020-21.
Ahktyamov’s performance earned him notice and a selection to Team Russia for the Karjala Cup and to their squad for the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships, backing up Nashville first-round pick Yaroslav Askarov.
“(Akhtyamov) is a guy that we did a lot of work on with all our goalie guys. He's a little bit older, but we felt he's got potential.” Former Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting John Lilley said. “He's a goalie, so it's gonna take time, but we thought he was worthy of the pick where we selected him.”
The youngster is stuck behind Timur Bilyalov with Kazan and the club has had him in the second-level VHL the last two seasons. In 2022, he played 38 games, with a 9-17-9 record, 2.69 GAA, and .912 save percentage. Last season, he was loaned out to Neftyanik Almetievsk and posted a much better 20-12-6 record, 1.74 GAA, and sparkling .943 save percentage, and he has started this season with that VHL club.
The time frame for Ahktyamov is uncertain, gaining experience and playing regularly in Russia is one path, but if the Leafs believe there is no room for advancement, then they may try to get him to come over to North America. Both he and 2021 seven-rounder were present at the development camp in July in Toronto, and Peksa appears to be staying either with the Marlies or Newfoundland this fall, so that might be what happens to Ahktyamov down the line.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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