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The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Pierre Engvall, and Justin Holl), but the club under GM Kyle Dubas has 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 upcoming 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 - Vladislav Kara – LW (Yugra - VHL)
#39 - Kalle Loponen – D (Koo Koo Kouvola/JyP HT – Finland SM-Liiga)
#38 - Jeremy McKenna – RW (Wichita – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)
#37 - John Fusco – D (Harvard – NCAA)
#36 - Noel Hoefenmayer – D (Newfoundland – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)
#35 - Ryan Chyzowski - LW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#34 - Braeden Kressler - C (Flint - OHL)
#33 - Nikita Grebyonkin - RW (Stalnye Lisy - MHL, Magnitogorsk - KHL)
#32 - Vyacheslav Peksa - G (Ibris Kazan - MHL)
#31 - Dryden McKay - G (Minnesota Duluth - NCAA)
#30 - Bobby McMann - C (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto - AHL)
#29 - Pavel Gogolev – LW (Newfoundland - ECHL, Toronto – AHL)
#28 - Joe Miller – C (Chicago – USHL)
#27 - Veeti Miettinen – RW (St. Cloud St. – NCAA)
#26 - Brandon Lisowsky - LW (Saskatoon - WHL)
#25 - Max Ellis - RW (Notre Dame - NCAA, Toronto - AHL)
#24 - Axel Rindell – D (Karpat – Finland SM-Liiga)
#23 - Mac Hollowell - D (Toronto – AHL)
#22 - Artur Akhtyamov – G (Ak Bars Kazan – MHL/VHL/KHL)
#21 - Semyon Der-Argushintsev - C (Toronto - AHL)
#20 - Curtis Douglas - C (Toronto - AHL)
#19 - Mikhail Abramov – C (Toronto – AHL)
The Toronto Maple Leafs draft philosophy under Kyle Dubas of focusing on high-level skill, skating ability and hockey IQ with less of an emphasis on size and physicality showed in his first draft as GM in 2018 and continued at the 2019 NHL Draft in Vancouver. After selecting winger Nick Robertson in the second round, Toronto selected center Mikhail Abramov in the fourth round.
Abramov was selected 115th overall after a solid debut season with the QMJHL’s Victoriaville Tigers. The Moscow native spent his developmental years in the CSKA Moscow system before heading to North America in 2018.
The center scored 54 points (16 goals, 38 assists) in 62 games and finished third in points on the Tigers, and averaged nearly a point-per-game (1 goal, 6 assists) in 8 games during the QMJHL Playoffs. The 6’0” 172 lb. center more than doubled his goal total in 2019-20 and led Victoriaville in scoring with 76 points (35 goals, 41 assists) and was signed to an entry-level deal by Toronto in March, 2020.
The Q unlike the OHL and WHL played a partial season in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Leafs prospect continued to show progress, scoring 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 25 games and played for Russia for the 2021 World Juniors in Edmonton, registering two assists in four games.
In his first professional season, Abramov struggled with the more physical nature of the American Hockey League and at the defensive end of the ice, scoring seven goals in 66 games for the Toronto Marlies, but the 21-year-old’s creativity did show in his North American debut, with 21 assists (tied for fourth last season).
Relying mostly on his skating ability and edge work to create offensive chances, Abramov is an excellent playmaker with good vision and possesses a good shot. Similar to the model that the Leafs have followed with many of their forward prospects, the club will continue to develop the talented Russian in the American Hockey League and hope that he takes steps forward as he matures.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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