Leafs Top Prospects – #12 Tyler Hopkins

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)  

#22 – Chas Sharpe – D (Cincinnati – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)

#21 – Sam McCue – LW (Owen Sound / Flint – OHL)

#20 – Alexander Plesovskikh – LW (Voskresensk – VHL / Kryiya Sovetov & Moscow Spartak – MHL)

#19 – Ryan Tverberg – C (Toronto – AHL)

#18 – Roni Hirvonen – C (Toronto – AHL)

#17 – Timofei Obvintsev – G (Krasnaya Armiya Moskva – MHL)

#16 – Vyacheslav Peksa – G (Cincinnati – ECHL, Toronto – AHL)

#15 – Cade Webber – D (Toronto – AHL)

#14 – Nick Moldenhauer – C (Michigan – NCAA)

#13 – Topi Niemela – D (Toronto – AHL)

#12 – Tyler Hopkins – C (Kingston – OHL) 

The Leafs will have to get used to not having first-round picks for a little while and that will make it more imperative for them to hit on one or more picks in the later rounds. At the 2025 NHL Draft, with a pick acquired from San Jose in the deal for defenseman Timothy Liljegren, Toronto selected Kingston center Tyler Hopkins.  

The 18-year-old Campbellville, ON native had 51 points (20 goals, 31 assists) in 67 games in his second OHL season with the Frontenacs. The 6’1”, 181 lb. center is described by Elite Prospects as someone with “a low and stable skating posture, combined with physical abilities, which enables Hopkins to win battles for possession. 

He cuts through hands, steals the puck away, and escapes with it. These tools also form the foundation of Hopkins’ offensive game. Constantly in movement, he distributes the puck effectively, hitting teammates as they get open across the ice, sometimes with deception. And he takes his opportunities to fire on the net”