Leafs Top Prospects – #27 Borya Valis

The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL (Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Matthew Knies), but the club under former GM Kyle Dubas and current GM Brad Treliving had different ideas of what kind of prospects they wanted to populate the organization with. There has been a slow weeding out process of the smaller Dubas prospects in favor of predominantly larger forwards and defenseman that fit the traits that Treliving is looking for

As we’ve done on a yearly basis, we are ranking 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 and are 25 years old or younger:

Prospect List

#40 – Matthew Hlacar – F (Kitchener – OHL)

#39 – Rylan Fellinger – D (Flint – OHL)

#38 – Blake Smith – D (Flint – OHL, Toronto – AHL)

#37 – Braeden Kressler – C (Cincinnati – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)

#36 – Harry Nansi – C (Owen Sound – OHL)

#35 – Landon Sim – RW (London – OHL)

#34 – John Prokop – D (Union College – NCAA, Toronto – AHL)

#33 – Seymon Kizimov – RW (Yekaterinburg Automobilist – KHL, Uchaly Gornyak – VHL)

#32 – Matthew Barbolini – F (Toronto – AHL)

#31 – John Fusco – D (Dartmouth – NCAA)

#30 – Semyon Der-Argushintsev  – C (Chelyabinsk Traktor – KHL)

#29 – Will Belle – RW (US Nat’l Development Program)

#28 – Nathan Mayes – D (Spokane – WHL)

#27 Borya Valis – RW (Prince George – WHL, Toronto – AHL)

Because of Toronto’s penchant for trading future draft picks under both Dubas and Treliving, the club continues to be a big player in the undrafted free agent market. After years of adding smaller, skilled players, the Leafs are now opting for bigger players with a physical edge, like winger Borya Valis. 

The Denver, CO native opted to play in the Western Hockey League instead of going the USHL / NCAA route. At 17, Valis joined the Regina Pats in 2021 and played two and a half seasons for them before being traded to Prince George in December 2023. In his final junior season, the overager scored 80 points (34 goals, 46 assists) and attracted interest in spite of going undrafted through three drafts.

Elite Prospects says the 6’2”, 195 lb. winger “takes the puck straight to the net. He slips away from defenders for chances at the top of the slot, too. Even more impressive as a passer, he sets up chances with quick plays off the boards and deceptive feeds through opponents. He enters every battle with a couple of shoulder-checks, mapping out his options.”

The Leafs signed the 21-year-old to a three-year, entry-level contract after the end of his season with the Cougars, and he played two games at the end of the year in the AHL. Valis is a long-term developmental project who has to find his way as a professional, but there is talent and potential there.