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)
#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)
Part of the first draft class under Kyle Dubas, the Toronto Maple Leafs GM relied on familiarity when he selected Soo Greyhounds blueliner Rasmus Sandin late in the first round and former Leafs prospect Sean Durzi, who attended the Leafs Rookie Development Camp the previous summer. In the fourth round, Dubas selected another defenseman from his former club at 118th overall in Mac Hollowell.
The Niagara Falls, ON native also attended the Leafs camp in 2017 and more than doubled his point total with the Soo in 2018, leading the Ontario Hockey League in points (77) and goals (24) by a defenseman in 2018-19.
After the Greyhounds were eliminated in the OHL Playoffs, Hollowell joined the Toronto Marlies and was inserted into the lineup in the first round series against the Rochester Americans after some injuries to more experienced defenders. He played nine postseason games and registered an assist, playing on his off side at times and also partnering with junior teammate Sandin.
In his first full pro season, Hollowell started in the ECHL with the Newfoundland Growlers, but was promoted to the AHL Marlies in mid-November after registering 13 points in 19 games. After struggling to get his offensive game going, the 22-year-old seemed to find his footing in the final month before the league shutdown, scoring seven points (2 goals, 5 assists) in the last 12 games.
Last season, with the AHL season delayed and the ECHL Growlers opting out, Hollowell went to Europe and played six games in Finland’s second division before rejoining the Marlies and registering 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in 27 games.
On Friday, the Leafs announced the signing of forward Braeden Kressler to a three-year entry level contract. The Kitchener, ON native posted 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists) in 46 games with the OHL’s Flint Firebirds (OHL) during the 2019-20 campaign as a 15/16-year-old and went undrafted in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Kressler played for Canada in the 2019 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and impressed Leafs management in their development camp last month. With Toronto only having three draft picks in 2022, it made sense for them to be proactive and sign the 5’9”, 160 lb. forward.
According to the HockeyProspect.com Black Book, Kressler can play center or wing, is elusive with and without the puck, shows great acceleration and explosiveness as a skater, has a great first step, the ability to fight in battles as he plays bigger than his size and has no fear.
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