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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
#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)
The Leafs had only three selections at the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville and the organization was left scrambling after the dismissal of GM Kyle Dubas and hiring of Brad Treliving. Treliving was unable to participate in the drafting process and could not even go onto the draft floor until after Calgary made their selection and the draft was left in the hands of Asst. GM Wes Clark.
After the surprising selection of Easton Cowan 28th overall, the Leafs next choice was 125 picks later in the fifth round. Toronto selected 19-year-old center Hudson Malinoski. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native was a late bloomer who scored 69 points for the AJHL Champion Brooks Bandits last season after being passed over in 2022 in his first year of draft eligibility.
The Hockey Prospect Black Book describes Malinoski as a player who possesses a great shot and distributes the puck well, but that his “skating is very raw and weak”, but based “how his game has progressed the last few years, it is possible that it can improve.”
Elite Prospects Draft Guide said: “Malinoski finds teammates in the offensive zone with precise passes, dangles around sticks, and forechecks with intensity. Capable of both delaying his release and speeding it up depending on his space and the lanes available to him.”
Malinoski is going to Providence College this fall, which likely puts him on a three-or-four year track in the NCAA to build himself and improve his game.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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