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The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL, but with players like Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen and Travis Dermott now on their roster, the next step for the club is to keep replenishing the prospect pool to provide the Leafs with youngsters who can take step and replace veterans who retire, depart via free agency or are traded. With some input from Sportsology’s Russ Cohen and Gus Katsaros of McKeen’s Hockey, we are ranking the club’s top 25 prospects over the next few weeks based on their progress in either the NCAA, CHL, Europe or the American Hockey League and their potential to make the Leafs roster and make a contribution in the future. Players such as Dermott, Kapanen, Frederik Gauthier, Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen, Josh Leivo, Garret Sparks and Justin Holl are not eligible because they have played more than 30 NHL games or are over the age of 23. If the final installment of the club’s Top 25 Prospects, we discuss the Leafs most promising young player who was selected in the middle of the first round in 2017 after being ranked near the top of most projections leading up to the draft. #25 – JD Greenway (Defense, Dubuque Fighting Saints – USHL) #24 – Ian Scott (Goaltender, Prince Albert Raiders – WHL) #23 - Martins Dzierkals (Winger, Orlando/ Toronto – ECHL/AHL) #22 - Andrew Nielsen (Defense, Toronto Marlies – AHL) #21 – Riley Stotts (Center, Swift Current/Calgary Hitmen - WHL) #20 – Filip Kral (Defense, Spokane Chiefs – WHL) #19 – Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Center, Peterborough Petes - OHL) #18 – Mac Hollowell (Defense, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds – OHL) #17 – Sean Durzi (Defense, Owen Sound Attack - OHL) #16 – Jesper Lindgren (Defense, HRK/Toronto Marlies – SM-Liiga/AHL) #15 – Fedor Gordeev (Defense, Flint Firebirds - OHL) #14 – Mason Marchment (Winger, Toronto Marlies – AHL) #13 – Eemeli Rasanen (Defense, Kingston Frontenacs - OHL) #12 – Adam Brooks (Center, Toronto Marlies – AHL) #11 – Dakota Joshua (Center, Ohio State – NCAA/Big 10) #10 – Joseph Woll (Goaltender, Boston College – NCAA) #9 – Trevor Moore (Winger, Toronto Marlies - AHL) #8 – Pierre Engvall (Winger, Toronto Marlies – AHL) #7 – Dmytro Timashov (Winger, Toronto Marlies - AHL) #6 – Yegor Korshkov (Winger, Yaroslavl Lokomotiv – KHL) #5 – Jeremy Bracco (Winger, Toronto Marlies - AHL) #4 – Rasmus Sandin (Defense, Sault Ste. Marie – OHL) #3 – Carl Grundstrom (Winger, Frolunda/Toronto Marlies - SHL/AHL) #2 – Andreas Johnsson (Winger, Toronto Marlies/Leafs - AHL/NHL) #1 – Timothy Liljegren (Defenseman, Toronto Marlies - AHL)
The Leafs have had the misfortune of having players they have targeted getting selected before their pick came up, but in the case of Timothy Liljegren, Toronto had the good fortune of having one of the top rated defensive prospects in the 2017 NHL Draft fall into their laps at #17 overall in Chicago.
The 18-year-old native of Kristianstad, Sweden was considered a top-five talent entering his draft year, but his stock plummeted as a bout of mononucleosis kept Liljegren from participating in the 2017 World Junior and shift between four teams at various levels in the Swedish Hockey League.
Gifted with top end speed and the ability to push the attack, former Leafs Assistant GM Mark Hunter described Liljegren as the type of blueliner that was necessary for success in the “new… NHL, but with all offensive minded defenseman, they have to work on being more responsible in the defensive zone .
Toronto had the option of keeping Liljegren in Sweden with Rogle BK after signing him to an entry-level contract, but the club decided to provide a more stable environment and begin his transition to the North American game by assigning him to the AHL Marlies.
Liljegren had 17 points (1 goal, 16 assists) as a rookie, but was limited to 44 games during the regular season due some bumps and bruises early in the year and being loaned to Team Sweden for the 2018 World Junior in Buffalo.
In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe managed the youngster’s ice time carefully, keeping him mostly on the bottom pairing. Liljegren had four assists in 20 games, was poised and did not make the bad decisions that inexperienced players tend to make in pressure situations.
Entering his second professional campaign, Liljegren is eligible to play in the 2019 World Junior in British Columbia and the Leafs plan appears to be continuing his development in the AHL for another year, to get him ready to come up at the end of the upcoming season (as Toronto did with Travis Dermott last season) or for 2019, when the club may need the right-handed blueliner to replace either Jake Gardiner or Ron Hainsey.
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