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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) #35 - Kalle Loponen – D (Karpat – Finland SM-Liiga) #34 - Vladislav Kara – LW (Cherepovets Severstal/Moscow Spartak – KHL) #33 - Kirill Semyonov – C (Avangard Omsk – KHL) #32 - William Villeneuve – D (Saint John – QMJHL, Toronto - AHL) #31 - Ty Voit – LW (Sarnia – OHL) #30 – Joe Miller – C (Chicago – USHL) #29 - Brennan Menell – D (Minsk Dynamo – KHL) #28 - John Fusco – D (Harvard – NCAA) #27 - Axel Rindell – D (Jukurit – Finland SM-Liiga) #26 - Noel Hoefenmayer – D (Toronto - AHL) #25 - Alex Steeves – C (Notre Dame – NCAA) #24 – Teemu Kivihalme - D (Toronto - AHL) #23 – Kristians Rubins - D (Toronto - AHL / Frederikshavn - Denmark) #22 – Ian Scott – G (Toronto - AHL) #21 – Veeti Miettinen – RW (St. Cloud St. – NCAA) #20 – Artur Akhtyamov – G (Ak Bars Kazan – MHL/VHL/KHL) #19 – Filip Kral - D (Kometa Brno – Czech, Toronto - AHL) #18 - Joseph Duszak - D (Toronto - AHL) #17 – Mac Hollowell - D (Toronto – AHL / TuTo Turku – Finland Mestis) #16 – Semyon Der-Argushintsev - C (Torpedo – KHL, Toronto - AHL) #15 – Pavel Gogolev – LW (Vasby IK – Swe-1, Toronto – AHL) #14 - Pontus Holmberg – LW (Vaxjo HC – SHL) #13 – Mikko Kokkonen – D (Jukurit Mikkeli – Finland SM-Liiga, Toronto - AHL) #12 – Joseph Woll – G (Toronto – AHL) #11 - Dmitry Ovchinnikov – F (Sibir Novosibirsk – MHL/KHL) #10 - Mikhail Abramov – C (Victoriaville – QMJHL) #9 – Adam Brooks – C (Toronto – AHL/NHL) (claimed by Montreal) #8 - Roni Hirvonen – C (Assat Pori – Finland SM-Liiga) #7 - Timothy Liljegren – D (Toronto – AHL/NHL) #6 - Matthew Knies – LW (Tri-City – USHL)
#5 – Nick Abruzzese - C (Harvard - NCAA)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have not shied away from going the overage route under the draft model of GM Kyle Dubas. One example of that is forward Nick Abruzzese.
The Slate Hill, NY native was a late bloomer that joined the USHL’s Chicago Steel in 2017 before finding his game as a 19-year-old and leading the league with 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists). Toronto selected the 5’9…, 160 lb. center in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2019 Draft as a 20-year-old and a developmental project heading to Harvard University.
Abruzzese scored 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists) with the Crimson, leading all NCAA freshmen in scoring and averaging 1.42 points per game (the second highest in Division I college hockey) in 2019-20, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year and ECAC First Team honors.
#LeafsForever prospect Nick Abruzzese picked up a pair of assists in Harvard’s 5-1 win last night. He has 1 goal and 7 assists in just 4 games. pic.twitter.com/1NZqqGSMo1
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) November 7, 2021
The 22-year-old center was looking to build on his success in his sophomore year, but the Ivy League chose not to play this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Abruzzese chose to have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip last November.
The 5’9…, 160 lb. center has “above average footwork and directional skating that allows him to play an up-tempo style and excels at making plays with the puck as he enters the offensive zone… according to HockeyProspect.com’s Mark Edwards.
It appears that Abruzzese returned to full strength for Harvard this fall, as he has started quickly with eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) in five games. Although he has the option of returning to the Crimson next season, it is possible that the Leafs will get the young center locked up on an entry-level contract when his NCAA season is complete next spring.
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The Leafs take on the Calgary Flames on the annual Hockey Hall of Fame night at Scotiabank Arena on Friday, where the Class of 2020; Marian Hossa, Jarome Iginla, Kevin Lowe, Kim St-Pierre, Doug Wilson, and Ken Holland (builder) will be honored.
The contest is the first of back-to-back games for Toronto, who will play in Buffalo on Saturday. Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated after the morning skate that John Tavares will return to the lineup after sitting out of the club’s 3-0 victory in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
The team captain skated between Alex Kerfoot and Mitch Marner and will take the spot of Kirill Semyonov in the lineup, with Nick Ritchie moving back to the fourth line with Jason Spezza and Wayne Simmonds.
Jack Campbell will make his sixth straight start after registering his second shutout on Wednesday, but Keefe would not reveal what his plans between the pipes will be against the Sabres on Saturday.
“We're going to focus on today. Jack's going to play today. We have a plan, of course, but we're holding until we have all the information before the next game that we're just going to focus on tonight's game."
Rookie Joseph Woll has been backing up Campbell the last four games and could make his NHL debut against Buffalo, but it is also possible that veteran Michael Hutchinson could be recalled to make the start.
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Lot’s of â¤ï¸ for the 💙ðŸ¤
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
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