Leafs Reveal Roster For Prospect Showdown

The Toronto Maple Leafs unveiled their 26-man roster that will participate in the 2025 Prospect Showdown at the Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec this weekend. The roster, consisting of 15 forwards, nine defensemen, and two goaltenders, will take part in the four-team, two-day round-robin that includes Toronto, Atlantic Division rivals Ottawa and Montreal, and the Winnipeg Jets.

The Leafs will take on the Senators on Saturday, September 13, at 1:00 p.m. and the host Montréal Canadiens on Sunday, September 14, at 3:00 p.m., with a roster that includes 13 draftees, including 2023 first-rounder Easton Cowan, and 2024 first-rounder Ben Danford. Also included are 2025 selections Rylan Fellinger, Matthew Hlacar, Tyler Hopkins, and Harry Nansi, 2024 picks Miroslav Holinka, Nathan Mayes, and Sam McCue, 2023 selection Noah Chadwick, 2021 pick Vyacheslav Peksa, and selections Artur Akhtyamov and Ryan Tverberg.

Six players included on the roster (Luke Haymes, Braeden Kressler, John Prokop, Jacob Quillan, Blake Smith, Borya Valis) are undrafted players from the CHL or NCAA who were signed to NHL contracts, five (Matthew Barbolini, Ryan Kirwan, Rhett Parsons, Chas Sharpe, and Landon Sim) signed to AHL deals, and two undrafted free agent invitees: 18-year-old Charlottetown blueliner Owen Conrad, and 20-year-old former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Alex Pharand of the Sudbury Wolves.

It’s PTO Season

As the days are checked off the calendar toward the opening of Leafs training camp, GM Brad Treliving has yet to add a player on a professional tryout contract, as he did the last two years with Noah Gregor, Steven Lorentz, and Max Pacioretty. Gregor, who played one year in Toronto, signed with Ottawa last season and was dealt to San Jose at the deadline in the Fabian Zetterlund deal, has once again joined an Atlantic Division club, signing a PTO with the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers.

Pacioretty is still an unrestricted free agent after playing extremely well in the playoffs for Toronto, and could be in line for another PTO or one-year contract, but the odds of it being with the Leafs are likely diminishing.