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Prospect Update – 2019 NHL Draft, players returning from protocol

December 30, 2021, 1:18 PM ET [67 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a number of prospects spread out over North America and Europe that could be in Blue and White at some point. With the club on hiatus until next week, here is a look at what these players are doing currently:

2019 Draft

Nick Robertson – After tantalizing Leafs prospect watchers by leading the OHL with 55 goals and standing out at the 2020 World Juniors for Team USA and playing in the play-in round for Toronto in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Robertson has been plagued by a slew of injuries over the last two campaigns.

The 20-year-old suffered a knee injury in his first regular-season game in January, was limited to 21 AHL games because of the pandemic, and played only six games with the Leafs because they did not want to burn the first year of his ELC.



Toronto management wanted the young winger to get some work with the Marlies to start this season, with the hopes of being an option as a callup if Michael Bunting and/or Nick Ritchie failed to fill the left-wing hole, but that was quickly squelched after two games when Robertson suffered a fractured fibula.

Marlies head coach Greg Moore indicated to the Athletic’s Joshua Kloke that Robertson could be back skating in early January, but that it would take a few weeks for the winger to get back into game shape.


Mikko Kokkonen - The 20-year-old is in his fourth pro season in the SM-liiga, got a taste of North American hockey with the Toronto Marlies (1 goal, 6 assists in 11 AHL games), and has eight assists in 30 games with the Pelicans this season.

Kokkonen is never going to be a big scorer and has average size and speed, but his hockey IQ could eventually get him to the NHL after a few years of tutelage.



Mikhail Abramov – After an excellent (and abbreviated) season with Victoriaville and making the Team Russia squad for the 2021 WJC, Abramov signed his entry-level deal with the Leafs and has eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) in 21 games with the Marlies.



Like fellow Russian, Semyon Der-Argushintsev, the 20-year-old has some maturing to do, especially in the defensive zone, which may come over the next few AHL seasons.


Nick Abruzzese – After leading all NCAA rookies in his freshman season and having surgery to repair a torn labrum in November 2020, the 22-year-old forward currently leads Harvard with 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists) in 11 games.



A product of the USHL’s Chicago Steel program (which includes Moore and Marlies GM Ryan Hardy), it is likely that the Leafs will push to get the young center locked up on an entry-level contract when his NCAA season is complete this spring.


Michael Koster – Picked second overall in the 2017 USHL Draft, Koster was selected by Toronto in the fifth round (146th overall) in 2019. The 20-year-old blueliner is in his second season with the University of Minnesota and has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in 15 games.


Kalle Loponen – After playing a year in North America with Sudbury (OHL), the 20-year-old defenseman returned home to play in the SM-liiga and has four points (1 goal, 3 assists) in 34 games with Kookoo Kouvola.




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The Leafs continue to get players returning after spending the last week or so in the NHL’s COVID protocol. After a day off, the club practiced at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke, ON on Thursday, with forwards David Kampf, Ilya Mikheyev, defenseman Rasmus Sandin and goalie Petr Mrazek participating.

Blueliners Morgan Rielly, Timothy Liljegren, Jake Muzzin, and forward William Nylander are still unavailable.


The Leafs continued to make roster moves involving the newly formed taxi squads, as forwards Kyle Clifford, Joey Anderson, and blueliners Filip Kral, Kristians Rubins, and Carl Dahlstrom were assigned to the Marlies, and defensemen Teemu Kivihalme, Chad Krys, and goalie Michael Hutchinson joined Alex Biega on the taxi squad.

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