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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)
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 goalie Artur Akhtyamov in the fourth round, 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.
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 last season to get more playing time. His first full KHL season saw a dramatic decline in his production (5 goals, 8 assists in 68 games), and in March he terminated his contract with Sibir and headed to Toronto, where he played four games for the Marlies at the end of the regular season, but did not play in the postseason.
The 5’11”, 181 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.”
With his departure from the KHL, Ovchinnikov will be fighting in training camp for a regular spot in the Marlies lineup. If he is unable to carve out a role early on, the club will likely want to see him play every night in the ECHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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