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 - Traded to Carolina)
#8 – Mikko Kokkonen – D (Jukurit – Finland SM-Liiga)
#7 – Filip Hallander – C (Lulea – SHL)
#6 - Timothy Liljegren – D (Toronto – AHL/NHL)
#5 – Mikko Lehtonen – D (Toronto – NHL, traded to Columbus
#4 - Nick Abruzzese - C (Harvard - NCAA) M
#3 – Rodion Amirov – LW (Ufa Salavat – KHL)
The Toronto Maple Leafs turned clearing cap space to upgrade their blueline into a future asset, as GM Kyle Dubas was able to get a first round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the deal for winger Kasperi Kapanen.
With the 15th pick overall, the Leafs selected Russian winger Rodion Amirov. The 19-year-old played for Russia at the 2020 IIHF World Junior in the Czech Republic, the Canada/Russia Super Series, the Spengler Cup and in 21 KHL games for hometown Salavat Yulaev Ufa prior to being selected, and impressed internationally at the Karjala Cup and scored six points (2 goals, 4 assists) in seven games at the 2021 World Junior in Edmonton.
“We consider (his speed) to be amongst the best in the class.” Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said last October. “(Amirov) has played for the national team and played well there. When he is not producing, he is able to contribute using his speed on the penalty kill and forechecking. We really like his game on and off the puck, so we were excited to have the chance to take him when we did.
Hockey Prospect’s Mark Edwards describes Amirov as a skilled, two-way winger who plays a finesse style of game.
Rodion is very difficult to pin down or gain a read on. This is in large part due to the combination of skating deception and craftiness he’s displayed. There’s a slipperiness to his style of play that allows him to take advantage of the game both in tight areas around the goal line and boards, as well as open space. The first factor that gives him his elusiveness and unpredictability is his skating.
After scoring 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists) in 39 games for Ufa, the Leafs signed Amirov to a three-year entry-level contract, but it appears that the youngster is on a patient developmental path that will result in his return to the KHL next season and possibly in 2022 if he does not make the NHL roster out of training camp.
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The Leafs complete their two-game set with the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell MTS Centre on Saturday, with the prospect of increasing their North Division lead to eight points with a regulation win.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that winger Ilya Mikheyev will be a game-time decision after missing the last two games and that Jack Campbell will make his second straight start. The Jets will be without center Adam Lowry, who left the game after being hit by Toronto’s Alex Galchenyuk on Thursday.
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