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)
#26 – Hudson Malinoski – C (Providence – NCAA)
#25 – Ryan Kirwan – F (Arizona State – NCAA, Toronto – AHL)
#24 – Joe Miller – C (Harvard – NCAA)
#23 Matt Lahey – D (Fargo – USHL)
The Leafs under Treliving have been focusing more on adding players of a larger stature to their prospect pool as free agents on AHL contracts and with late-round draft picks. They may have struck paydirt in 2023 with big WHL blueliner Noah Chadwick, and Toronto went down that road with both of their seventh-round blueline picks; “Mr. Irrelevant” Nathan Mayes selected with the final pick in the draft, and defenseman Matt Lahey.
The 6’5”, 203 lb. Lahey played his draft year with Nanaimo of the BCHL, and had 19 points (2 goals, 17 assists) in 54 games, but according to the Elite Prospects Draft Guide “is not just a physical force, but a strategic player who intelligently leverages his size advantages. His defensive style isn’t really centered around cataclysmic hits, but about disrupting the game. He excels at sealing the boards, often pinning puck carriers, trapping feet, and forcing pucks to the outside, showcasing his cerebral approach to the game”.
The Victoria, BC native shifted from the BCHL to Fargo of the USHL last season, and posted 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) in 59 games, and was committed to Clarkson University in 2025, but is now headed to Michigan State University this fall.
