Be sure to like HockeyBuzz on facebook! For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter
The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Pierre Engvall, Travis Dermott and Justin Holl, but the next step for the club under GM Kyle Dubas is to keep replenishing the prospect pool to provide the Leafs with youngsters who can step up and replace veterans who retire, depart via free agency or are traded.
As we did last year, we will rank the club’s top prospects over the next few 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:
#40 - Jeremy McKenna – RW (Wichita – ECHL, Toronto – AHL) #39 – Ryan Tverberg – C (Connecticut – NCAA) #38 – Ryan O’Connell – D (Ohio State – NCAA) #37 - Semyon Kizimov – RW (Lada Togliatti – VHL / Torpedo – KHL)
#36 - Wyatt Schingoethe – C (Waterloo – USHL)
Toronto had three picks in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft and at #195 overall, the Leafs selected center Wyatt Schingoethe. The Algonquin, IL native averaged 35 points in his first two years for the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks and took a step back in 2020-21, scoring 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 44 games.
The 5’11, 201 lb. center had previously been committed to Notre Dame and Denver University, but in February he committed to Western Michigan.
Excited to announce my commitment to Western Michigan University. I want to thank my family, friends, and coaches who have helped me get here. #gobroncos pic.twitter.com/j8cJZZ3C8Y
— Wyatt Schingoethe (@w_schingoethe) February 23, 2021
“(Schingoethe) is a good two way player and (scored) just under a point a game this year (17 goals, 21 assists in 47 games),… former Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting John Lilley said last October. “We saw value in him late, he's got a long development path.…
The 19-year-old is described as being conscientious in his own zone, helping support the defense, and is an effective forechecker. HockeyProspect.com’s Black Book says that “his hockey sense is a positive at both ends of the rink… and that “he’s an all-situation player… whose “shooting and shot release game are one of his better attributes.…
*******
Lot’s of â¤ï¸ for the 💙ðŸ¤
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
Convo on Podcast.#theleafsconvo https://t.co/Xdn3CDLVCI
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******