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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 – LW (Ufa Salavat – KHL, Did Not Play)
#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)
The Maple Leafs continue to look at alternate avenues other than the draft to add depth to the organization, possibly to ascend to the NHL but also to provide layers of talent at the American Hockey League level.
The Leafs in their quest for organizational depth in goal signed free-agent goalie Keith Petruzzelli after completing his four years at Quinnipiac University. Originally a third-round pick of Detroit in 2017, the Wings chose not to sign the 6’5”, 195 lb. goaltender to an NHL entry-level contract.
Toronto signed Petruzzelli to an AHL deal in 2021, and he posted an impressive 16-6-1 record, 2.01 GAA, and .927 save percentage for the Newfoundland Growlers and played 19 playoff games in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Last season, he graduated to the Marlies and shared duties with Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll, going 13-8-2, with a 2.90 GAA and .909 save percentage, and was signed to an NHL ELC when both Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov went down with injuries, but in the Calder Cup Playoffs with Kallgren and Woll backing up for the Leafs in the playoffs, he gave up 14 goals in three starts against Utica and Rochester.
It is expected that the 24-year-old will be in the mix with Dennis Hildeby, possibly Dryden McKay and probably Martin Jones with the Marlies next season.