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With the NCAA, CHL, SHL and KHL entering their playoffs or post-season tournaments, it is a good idea to check on the progress of the numerous Toronto Maple Leafs prospects.
Today we look at Leafs draftees from 2012 to 2015 not yet in the NHL or AHL:
2015 Draft
After winning gold with Team USA at the 2017 World Junior, Bracco was traded from Kitchener to the Windsor Spitfires, where his scoring rate has gone down from nearly two points per game to slightly over a point-per-game.
Bracco turns 20 on Friday and would be eligible to play in the AHL on an amateur tryout contract after the Spitfires season is over, but they are hosting the Memorial Cup which means he will be unavailable until late May.
It is expected that the Leafs will sign their 2015 second round pick to an entry-level deal in the near future.
The speedy Latvian is having another solid season with the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. In spite of missing over a month due to injury and participation in the World Junior, Dzierkals is close to eclipsing his 2016 goal totals and could go to the Memorial Cup for the second straight year.
Dzierkals has not signed an entry-level deal with Toronto and has to by June or he will re-enter the NHL Draft.
The Leafs fourth round pick in 2015, Lindgren has started to show some offensive growth with William Nylander’s old SHL club MODO, who were relegated to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan this season.
Toronto has until 2018 to sign the Swedish blueliner to an entry-level deal, who has three goals and 21 assists in 50 games.
The Memorial Cup winner is having a career year in his final OHL season (10 goals, 38 assists with the Kingston Frontenacs), but whether he fits into the Leafs long term plans will not be clear until the Leafs make a decision to sign the 21-year-old to an entry-level contract.
With the development plan set up by Assistant GM Kyle Dubas, Toronto may hope to sign Desrocher to an AHL contract as they did NCAA product Tony Cameranesi.
Two primary assists for #Leafs prospect Nikita Korostelev on these goals.
The 20-year-old Russian winger was traded from Sarnia to Peterborough and has put up career-best numbers with 28 goals, 35 assists in 55 games with the Sting/Petes, in spite of missing two weeks with a lower body injury.
Korostelev registered two assists in his return against Hamilton on March 11.
2014 Draft
The Knights team captain is second in team scoring with 66 points (24 goals, 42 assists) in 62 games, but the Leafs do not face a signing deadline with Piccinich, since he played a year in the NCAA and they retain his rights until 2018.
The big Ohio State forward has begun to show the growth that the Leafs hoped for when they selected him in the fifth round in 2014. After scoring 17 points as a freshman, Joshua is fourth in team scoring with 33 points (11 goals, 22 assists).
The younger Vesey put up roughly the same offensive totals in his junior year at the University of Maine as he did as a freshman (13 goals, 10 assists), but bounced back from a rough sophomore campaign.
The Leafs encouraged the big winger to return to college last summer and not turn professional. If they repeat the same message this year, Vesey could follow older brother Jimmy’s footsteps and become a free agent in 2018.
The 20-year-old Engvall leads second-tier Mora IK with 21 goals this season. The Leafs have had success in selecting Swedes in the late rounds and may be enticed by the winger’s size (6’3”, 190 lb) and scoring ability.
Playing in North America will determine what Engvall can become, which means following in the footsteps of Dmytro Timashov and Andreas Johnsson and playing a season for the Marlies.
2012 Draft
The lone 2012 draft pick not with the Leafs or another organization, Toninato scored the OT game winner for Minnesota-Duluth, who advanced past Miami(OH) to take on Western Michigan in the NCAA Tournament.
The senior can sign with Toronto after the completion of his season with the Bulldogs, and with the lack of organizational depth up the middle, adding the 6’2”, 190 lb center would seem to be a no-brainer.
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The Maple Leafs enjoyed a day off in the Florida sun on Sunday and returned to practice in preparation for another key matchup against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday.
Defenseman Connor Carrick, who has been out of action since last month with an upper body injury, participated in practice but head coach Mike Babcock indicated that he is not close to returning to game action.
“(Carrick) wasn’t really involved in any contact here today, but he’s a good player and really gets the puck going for us.” Babcock said on Monday.
As he did in their win over Philadelphia, Babcock played five defensemen for most of the third period in the Leafs 3-2 overtime victory in Carolina. Martin Marincin, who replaced Alexey Marchenko against the Hurricanes on Saturday, saw just 12:17 in ice time.
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