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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, Pierre Engvall, and Justin Holl), but the club under GM Kyle Dubas has 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 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:
#40 - Vladislav Kara – LW (Yugra - VHL) #39 - Kalle Loponen – D (Koo Koo Kouvola/JyP HT – Finland SM-Liiga) #38 - Jeremy McKenna – RW (Wichita – ECHL, Toronto – AHL) #37 - John Fusco – D (Harvard – NCAA) #36 - Noel Hoefenmayer – D (Newfoundland – ECHL, Toronto – AHL) #35 - Ryan Chyzowski - LW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL) #34 - Braeden Kressler - C (Flint - OHL) #33 - Nikita Grebyonkin - RW (Stalnye Lisy - MHL, Magnitogorsk - KHL) #32 - Vyacheslav Peksa - G (Ibris Kazan - MHL) #31 - Dryden McKay - G (Minnesota Duluth - NCAA) #30 - Bobby McMann - C (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL) #29 - Pavel Gogolev – LW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto – AHL) #28 - Joe Miller – C (Chicago – USHL) #27 - Veeti Miettinen – RW (St. Cloud St. – NCAA) #26 - Brandon Lisowsky - LW (Saskatoon - WHL) #25 - Max Ellis - RW (Notre Dame - NCAA, Toronto - AHL) #24 - Axel Rindell – D (Karpat – Finland SM-Liiga) #23 - Mac Hollowell - D (Toronto – AHL) #22 - Artur Akhtyamov – G (Ak Bars Kazan – MHL/VHL/KHL)
#21 - Semyon Der-Argushintsev - C (Toronto - AHL)
GM Kyle Dubas selected the youngest player available in the 2018 NHL Draft in Semyon Der-Argushintsev after the Russian center scored 51 points (12 goals, 39 assists) in 68 games with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes.
Known for his playmaking, stick handling and hockey IQ, SDA signed an entry-level contract during the Leafs 2019 training camp before being sent back to the OHL. Not gifted with great speed, the Moscow native got taller and put on some muscle, but took a step back in his third OHL season, dropping slightly to 46 points in 62 games and scoring only six goals.
With the OHL shut down, the Leafs found a spot for the young forward in the KHL with Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo, where he posted six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in 17 games. SDA only played six AHL games upon his return to North America, but had four assists with the Marlies. In his first full season with the Leafs affiliate, the 22-year-old had 32 points (13 goals, 19 assists) in 51 games, but finished with a team worst -12 plus/minus rating.
Der-Argushintsev gets knocked off the puck easily and is not strong enough, and will have to get stronger to have success in the American Hockey League next season, but his prospects of ever making the NHL are in doubt unless he takes a major step forward.