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 – J.D. Greenway – D (Maine – NCAA)
#39 – Eemeli Rasanen – D (HPK – Finland SM-Liiga)
#38 – Jeremy McKenna – RW (Moncton – QMJHL)
#37 – Ryan O’Connell – D (Ohio State – NCAA)
#36 – Veeti Miettinen – RW (St. Cloud St. – NCAA)
#35 - Semyon Kizimov – RW (Lada Togliatti – VHL / Torpedo – KHL)
#34 - Kalle Loponen – D (Karpat – Finland SM-Liiga)
#33 - Vladislav Kara – LW (Cherepovets Severstal – KHL)
#32 - John Fusco – D (Harvard – NCAA)
#31 - Wyatt Schingoethe – C (Waterloo – USHL)
#30 - William Villeneuve – D (Saint John – QMJHL)
#29 - Joe Miller – C (Chicago – USHL)
#28 - Axel Rindell – D (Jukurit – Finland SM-Liiga)
#27 - Kristians Rubins - D (Toronto - AHL / Frederikshavn - Denmark)
#26 - Justin Brazeau - RW (Newfoundland - ECHL / Toronto - AHL)
#25 – Dmitry Ovchinnikov – F (Sibir Novosibirsk – MHL/KHL)
#24 – Artur Akhtyamov – G (Ak Bars Kazan – MHL/VHL/KHL)
#23 – Noel Hoefenmayer – D (Ottawa – OHL / Wichita ECHL)
#22 – Roni Hirvonen – C (Assat Pori – Finland SM-Liiga)
#21 – Teemu Kivihalme - D (Toronto - AHL)
#20 – Pontus Holmberg – LW (Vaxjo HC – SHL
#19 – Filip Kral - D (HC Prerov / Kometa Brno - Czech)
#18 – Ian Scott – G (Toronto - AHL)
#17 - Joseph Duszak - D (Newfoundland - ECHL / Toronto - AHL)
#16 – Mac Hollowell - D (Newfoundland – ECHL / Toronto – AHL / TuTo Turku – Finland Mestis)
#15 -Topi Niemela – D (Karpat – Finland SM-Liiga)
#14 – Semyon Der-Argushintsev (Center, Peterborough Petes – OHL / Torpedo - KHL)
#13 – Adam Brooks – C (Toronto – AHL/NHL)
#12 – Mikhail Abramov – C (Victoriaville – QMJHL)
#11 – Joseph Woll – G (Toronto – AHL)
#10 – Alexander Barabanov – F (SKA St. Petersburg – KHL)
#9 – Egor Korshkov - RW (Lokomotiv - KHL / Toronto – AHL/NHL)
While it may have been tough to evaluate what Egor Korshkov would be, a year in the AHL, making his NHL debut and showing growth in his return to the KHL provides clarity that the big winger is one of the organization’s top prospects.
Korshkov made an impression as a member of Team Russia at the 2016 World Junior in Helsinki, leading the club with eight points. A prototypical power forward, the 6’4” winger was the first pick of the second round at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo, ahead of current NHLer’s Alex DeBrincat, Carter Hart, and Samuel Girard.
The 24-year-old is a two-way forward who does not shy away from the corners or contact and is an excellent skater. Korshkov’s offensive numbers climbed each season as his role and ice time with Yaroslavl has increased, but in 2019 he was limited to just five points (3 goals, 2 assists) in 19 games due to a shoulder injury.
After playing in nine games in the KHL Playoffs, Korshkov signed a two-year entry-level deal and played nine-game for the Marlies in the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs.
In his first season in North America, Korshkov adjusted quickly and finished the season third in goals (16) and led the Marlies in plus/minus (+11), earning a brief look in February and scoring a goal in his NHL debut vs. Buffalo.
With the NHL not beginning until January and uncertain status of the AHL, the Leafs opted to let Korshkov play in Russia to continue his development and his year in North America appears to have helped round out the big winger’s game, as is second in scoring with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv with 30 points in 51 games and tied for the club lead with 15 goals.
Based on the number of veterans that will have contracts expiring this summer, Korshkov being only 25 and providing a big-body presence in the lineup, it is likely that he will be in the mix for a bottom six winger spot at training camp next season.
A tranquilidade que Egor Korshkov tem de por em prática suas decisões é uma coisa absurda, espero vê-lo também no futuro atuando na NHL, joga fácil 🚂 pic.twitter.com/s81zaifaJO
Alex Kerfoot did not participate in Leafs practice on Tuesday, which led to a reshuffling of the forward lines. Wayne Simmonds was promoted to the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander, Pierre Engvall moved to center the third line with Jimmy Vesey and Ilya Mikheyev, and Nic Petan was called up from the practice squad and skated with Travis Boyd and Jason Spezza.
Kerfoot skated prior to the on-ice session with injured forward Joe Thornton, but head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that he was ill with the same thing that Auston Matthews had recently. Matthews missed one game vs. Edmonton with the undisclosed illness and Kerfoot is currently listed as day to day.
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