Leafs Prospects and Projections

[EK392000]

Want to get a better understanding of what’s in the system. Admittedly, only track Cowan and Minten.

Cowan: Top 6 ceiling, high end top 9 floor (ceiling more likely)
Minten: Lower end 2C ceiling, high end 3C floor (floor more likely)

Would love insight on other prospects.

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[ACC1224]

Want to get a better understanding of what’s in the system. Admittedly, only track Cowan and Minten.

Cowan: Top 6 ceiling, high end top 9 floor (ceiling more likely)
Minten: Lower end 2C ceiling, high end 3C floor (floor more likely)

Would love insight on other prospects.

Prospect Info: - Marlies & Prospect Discussion

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[acrobaticgoalie]

I would say your projections on both Minten and Cowan are fairly accurate. I don't think Minten has enough offensive upside to be a 2C though. I think he'll safely be a solid 3C in the mould of Dave Bolland.

Niemela - good skater, good in transition and has a crazy ability to get accurate shots through traffic to the net. Pretty good defensively. He's actually decently physical but still need to add weight and strangth. I think he'll turn into a 2nd pair guy in a few yrs. At worst, a good 3rd pair guy.

Grebenkin - this guy is so under the radar it's crazy. His production for an U20 player in the KHL is among some of the best seasons in history. He is a big, speedy winger that takes the puck to the net and has excellent playmaking ability. He might come over to NA next year, so we will get a better Guage of what his potential is. Right now he has huge top 9 potential that might make a good 3rd wheel on any of those lines. He seems like a good complimentary player.

Ty Voit - this guy is the biggest boom/bust player in our system. The kind of guy that becomes top 6 or nothing (like Bracco). Small, skilled winger who has phenomenal playmaking ability. He had a huge year in the OHL last year and was one if the top point producers. What was crazy was like 90% of his points were primary. Was supposed to play his first season in the AHL but has been injured all year. Will have to see how he progresses but he will likely end up similar to Abruzzese.

Hildeby - our top goalie prospect. He's huge at 6'7 and has good mobility. Was excellent in Sweden and is playing his 1st year for the Marlies. Started off the year dominant but has come down a bit but still having a good first year so far with a .912sv%. Looking like a good shot to be an NHL goalie with possible starter potential.

Chadwick - big D man that seemed a little raw with some possible untapped offensive potential at the draft. That seemed to be the case because he's really popped off this year in the WHL. He's gone from a .29 ppg to a .83ppg this year. Potential 3rd pair LD in about 4 yrs would be my guess.

Tverberg - this guy is interesting. One of our scouts fought for us to acquire another 7th round pick to draft this guy out of Jr.A. He went on to have 3 solid yrs in the NCAA and was near ppg player there. He also was the last cut for team Canada at the WJC which is crazy for a 7th rounder. He's near ppg in his rookie AHL season this year. He's physical, takes the puck to the net. Decent scoring touch and defensive play. Seems like a safe bet to become a good bottom 6 role player but also wouldn't shock me if he becomes what Hyman or Bunting was for the Leafs as a guy that can ride shotgun and compliment any line.

Hirvonen - smaller but stocky forward, who has decent all around skills and feisty, physical play. He's a bit of a pest who I could see being a decent bottom 6 role forward kind of in the mould of like a Nathan Gerbe. He was solid playing big minutes in pro in Finland, as well as playing a big role for Finland at the WJC with some of their top dogs. Had a rough start to his first year in the AHL this year with a couple big injuries. Will have to see how he progresses and could also get a lot faster.

Steeves - speedy forward we've been developing with the Marlies, who has a decent scoring touch. Been near ppg player all 3 yrs with them. He might be a guy similar to Lafferty who you can put in your bottom 6 and play an energy game.

Moldenhauer - speedy skilled winger with decent offensive package. Playing his 1st year in the NCAA and has pretty good production on a deep Michigan squad with 19pts in 32 games. Middle 6 potential winger but is probably a similar level to Voit as in a guy that plays in an offensive role here or bust.

Kokkonen, Villeneuve and Koster are all guys that need more development that could all be potential bottom pair D men.

Everyone else are long shots to seeing NHL action

 

[darrylsittler27]

I would say your projections on both Minten and Cowan are fairly accurate. I don't think Minten has enough offensive upside to be a 2C though. I think he'll safely be a solid 3C in the mould of Dave Bolland.

Niemela - good skater, good in transition and has a crazy ability to get accurate shots through traffic to the net. Pretty good defensively. He's actually decently physical but still need to add weight and strangth. I think he'll turn into a 2nd pair guy in a few yrs. At worst, a good 3rd pair guy.

Grebenkin - this guy is so under the radar it's crazy. His production for an U20 player in the KHL is among some of the best seasons in history. He is a big, speedy winger that takes the puck to the net and has excellent playmaking ability. He might come over to NA next year, so we will get a better Guage of what his potential is. Right now he has huge top 9 potential that might make a good 3rd wheel on any of those lines. He seems like a good complimentary player.

Ty Voit - this guy is the biggest boom/bust player in our system. The kind of guy that becomes top 6 or nothing (like Bracco). Small, skilled winger who has phenomenal playmaking ability. He had a huge year in the OHL last year and was one if the top point producers. What was crazy was like 90% of his points were primary. Was supposed to play his first season in the AHL but has been injured all year. Will have to see how he progresses but he will likely end up similar to Abruzzese.

Hildeby - our top goalie prospect. He's huge at 6'7 and has good mobility. Was excellent in Sweden and is playing his 1st year for the Marlies. Started off the year dominant but has come down a bit but still having a good first year so far with a .912sv%. Looking like a good shot to be an NHL goalie with possible starter potential.

Chadwick - big D man that seemed a little raw with some possible untapped offensive potential at the draft. That seemed to be the case because he's really popped off this year in the WHL. He's gone from a .29 ppg to a .83ppg this year. Potential 3rd pair LD in about 4 yrs would be my guess.

Tverberg - this guy is interesting. One of our scouts fought for us to acquire another 7th round pick to draft this guy out of Jr.A. He went on to have 3 solid yrs in the NCAA and was near ppg player there. He also was the last cut for team Canada at the WJC which is crazy for a 7th rounder. He's near ppg in his rookie AHL season this year. He's physical, takes the puck to the net. Decent scoring touch and defensive play. Seems like a safe bet to become a good bottom 6 role player but also wouldn't shock me if he becomes what Hyman or Bunting was for the Leafs as a guy that can ride shotgun and compliment any line.

Hirvonen - smaller but stocky forward, who has decent all around skills and feisty, physical play. He's a bit of a pest who I could see being a decent bottom 6 role forward kind of in the mould of like a Nathan Gerbe. He was solid playing big minutes in pro in Finland, as well as playing a big role for Finland at the WJC with some of their top dogs. Had a rough start to his first year in the AHL this year with a couple big injuries. Will have to see how he progresses and could also get a lot faster.

Steeves - speedy forward we've been developing with the Marlies, who has a decent scoring touch. Been near ppg player all 3 yrs with them. He might be a guy similar to Lafferty who you can put in your bottom 6 and play an energy game.

Moldenhauer - speedy skilled winger with decent offensive package. Playing his 1st year in the NCAA and has pretty good production on a deep Michigan squad with 19pts in 32 games. Middle 6 potential winger but is probably a similar level to Voit as in a guy that plays in an offensive role here or bust.

Kokkonen, Villeneuve and Koster are all guys that need more development that could all be potential bottom pair D men.

Everyone else are long shots to seeing NHL action

Over the years I have seen so many with that word potential. Most never pan out or like Verhaege, pan out somewhere else. Outisde Cowan, Minten and Niemela maybe two will make it.

 

[666]

Over the years I have seen so many with that word potential. Most never pan out or like Verhaege, pan out somewhere else. Outisde Cowan, Minten and Niemela maybe two will make it.

The worst place to find out about Leafs prospects is this forum. Understandably the people around here get hyped about our prospects but it's absurd sometimes. Case in point Greg McKegg.

 

[FerrisRox]

Case in point Greg McKegg.

At least the Leafs turned him into Zach Hyman.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Over the years I have seen so many with that word potential. Most never pan out or like Verhaege, pan out somewhere else. Outisde Cowan, Minten and Niemela maybe two will make it.

I think out of the ones I listed , Cowan, Minten, Niemela, Hildeby, Tverberg and Greb all make it. I think Greb being the biggest * just because we won't really know his true potential til he gets over here.

The worst place to find out about Leafs prospects is this forum. Understandably the people around here get hyped about our prospects but it's absurd sometimes. Case in point Greg McKegg.

You can't trust the main board either. It's literally just flooded with people shitting on anything Leafs.

At least the Marlies thread on our board is full of people who actually follow and watch our prospects closely. I don't usually see anyone making ridiculous claims in there.

 

[Jojalu]

I would say your projections on both Minten and Cowan are fairly accurate. I don't think Minten has enough offensive upside to be a 2C though. I think he'll safely be a solid 3C in the mould of Dave Bolland.

Niemela - good skater, good in transition and has a crazy ability to get accurate shots through traffic to the net. Pretty good defensively. He's actually decently physical but still need to add weight and strangth. I think he'll turn into a 2nd pair guy in a few yrs. At worst, a good 3rd pair guy.

Grebenkin - this guy is so under the radar it's crazy. His production for an U20 player in the KHL is among some of the best seasons in history. He is a big, speedy winger that takes the puck to the net and has excellent playmaking ability. He might come over to NA next year, so we will get a better Guage of what his potential is. Right now he has huge top 9 potential that might make a good 3rd wheel on any of those lines. He seems like a good complimentary player.

Ty Voit - this guy is the biggest boom/bust player in our system. The kind of guy that becomes top 6 or nothing (like Bracco). Small, skilled winger who has phenomenal playmaking ability. He had a huge year in the OHL last year and was one if the top point producers. What was crazy was like 90% of his points were primary. Was supposed to play his first season in the AHL but has been injured all year. Will have to see how he progresses but he will likely end up similar to Abruzzese.

Hildeby - our top goalie prospect. He's huge at 6'7 and has good mobility. Was excellent in Sweden and is playing his 1st year for the Marlies. Started off the year dominant but has come down a bit but still having a good first year so far with a .912sv%. Looking like a good shot to be an NHL goalie with possible starter potential.

Chadwick - big D man that seemed a little raw with some possible untapped offensive potential at the draft. That seemed to be the case because he's really popped off this year in the WHL. He's gone from a .29 ppg to a .83ppg this year. Potential 3rd pair LD in about 4 yrs would be my guess.

Tverberg - this guy is interesting. One of our scouts fought for us to acquire another 7th round pick to draft this guy out of Jr.A. He went on to have 3 solid yrs in the NCAA and was near ppg player there. He also was the last cut for team Canada at the WJC which is crazy for a 7th rounder. He's near ppg in his rookie AHL season this year. He's physical, takes the puck to the net. Decent scoring touch and defensive play. Seems like a safe bet to become a good bottom 6 role player but also wouldn't shock me if he becomes what Hyman or Bunting was for the Leafs as a guy that can ride shotgun and compliment any line.

Hirvonen - smaller but stocky forward, who has decent all around skills and feisty, physical play. He's a bit of a pest who I could see being a decent bottom 6 role forward kind of in the mould of like a Nathan Gerbe. He was solid playing big minutes in pro in Finland, as well as playing a big role for Finland at the WJC with some of their top dogs. Had a rough start to his first year in the AHL this year with a couple big injuries. Will have to see how he progresses and could also get a lot faster.

Steeves - speedy forward we've been developing with the Marlies, who has a decent scoring touch. Been near ppg player all 3 yrs with them. He might be a guy similar to Lafferty who you can put in your bottom 6 and play an energy game.

Moldenhauer - speedy skilled winger with decent offensive package. Playing his 1st year in the NCAA and has pretty good production on a deep Michigan squad with 19pts in 32 games. Middle 6 potential winger but is probably a similar level to Voit as in a guy that plays in an offensive role here or bust.

Kokkonen, Villeneuve and Koster are all guys that need more development that could all be potential bottom pair D men.

Everyone else are long shots to seeing NHL action

Thanks for this!

 

[Cams]

Thoughts on Lisowsky? He's putting up pretty good numbers, but I don't know anyone who follows the W. Possibly a guy that tears it up in jr. but nothing beyond a journeyman minor leaguer......? Happens a lot unfortunately.

Also: Akhtyamov - any good honest scouting reports on him? Very good numbers as a #2 on what looks like a good team - hockeydb doesn't tell you anything more than stats though. Interesting that Kazan's #1 is Timur Bilyalov who was talked about quite often on here as potential FA to be courted - his numbers are crazy good. 1.82 GAA, 7 SO, .936 SP in 48 games......plus 30 wins.

 

[Maple Leaf]

At least the Leafs turned him into Zach Hyman.

What did the Leafs get for Hyman

 

[PROUD PAPA]

I’m looking forward to seeing how Minten fares in the playoffs this year. He was so good in 22 but struggled a bit last year.
Be pretty sweet if he batted Cowen in the Mem cup.

 

[darrylsittler27]

I think out of the ones I listed , Cowan, Minten, Niemela, Hildeby, Tverberg and Greb all make it. I think Greb being the biggest * just because we won't really know his true potential til he gets over here.


You can't trust the main board either. It's literally just flooded with people shitting on anything Leafs.

At least the Marlies thread on our board is full of people who actually follow and watch our prospects closely. I don't usually see anyone making ridiculous claims in there.

Tre said it. "The cupboards are bare." It means it's a weak pool and none of the other Gms want these prospects. Usually a new Gm will have no allegiance to the last guys picks and then starts dumping i.e Verhaege. Outside Cowan and maybe Minten whom we can't afford to trade.We have really bad depth in some critical areas i.e defense and center and as usual have a lot of wingers plus Hildeby who I think will be at least a good backup. One of the weakest pools in the league with no high picks. In short, failure once again dressed up as a success to win one round.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

Tre said it. "The cupboards are bare." It means it's a weak pool and none of the other Gms want these prospects. Usually a new Gm will have no allegiance to the last guys picks and then starts dumping i.e Verhaege. Outside Cowan and maybe Minten whom we can't afford to trade.We have really bad depth in some critical areas i.e defense and center and as usual have a lot of wingers plus Hildeby who I think will be at least a good backup. One of the weakest pools in the league with no high picks. In short, failure once again dressed up as a success to win one round.

I agree about C and D, we are definitely thin. I think there is something to be said about your prospects being more valuable to you than to other teams. We have a ton of forwards who look like they can fill out the roster and be role players for us. Replacing guys like Kampf, Gregor, Bertuzzi etc. on cheap contracts, where we can then allocate cap to the Defense in FA.

Those prospects just don't hold much value in trade discussion for big fish like Hanifin, Guentzel etc. The higher end prospects like Cowan are not being made available and I think that's rightfully so.

We don't have a top 20 prospect pool like teams that have been drafting high but we do have a depth as far as guys that look like they could play games. Compare it to other contending teams like say Tampa, Boston and Colorado and we look to be in much better shape than them.

 

[Prominence]

Thoughts on Lisowsky? He's putting up pretty good numbers, but I don't know anyone who follows the W. Possibly a guy that tears it up in jr. but nothing beyond a journeyman minor leaguer......? Happens a lot unfortunately.

Also: Akhtyamov - any good honest scouting reports on him? Very good numbers as a #2 on what looks like a good team - hockeydb doesn't tell you anything more than stats though. Interesting that Kazan's #1 is Timur Bilyalov who was talked about quite often on here as potential FA to be courted - his numbers are crazy good. 1.82 GAA, 7 SO, .936 SP in 48 games......plus 30 wins.

I think lisowsky will struggle with pace. When I saw him early in the year, he was not dominant as a draft plus two. His skating needs another gear. He has good hands though. 70 points in 60 games for a prospect in his cohort is not great.

 

[mjd1001]

The Leafs have no legit top prospects, and none likely coming in the forseeable future. I doubt any of the guys are mid-level prospects, but that is OK.

The main club is the main club. Nothing in the pipeline is going to change that, nothing in the pipeline is going to become an impact player on this version of the Leafs.

On a team like the Leafs prospects only serve 2 rolls: 1.) You trade them to get veteran help around the deadline. 2.) They become 'cheap' 3rd and 4th liners that don't take up cap space but fill out your roster.

It would be good if the Leafs had more of those guys for either reason, but they don't. This roster doesn't 'need' top high end prospects to break into the lineup. You have the top end guys. The team is the team. Despite how up and down the Leafs are, they have a GREAT 2 year window to win the Cup (well, not great but I think this year and next year they are a top-5 team/favorite). If you need to use the prospects to supplement this roster and empty the prospect pool, go at it.

If this team doesn't go REALLY far in the playoffs this year or next, you are looking at a retool-rebuild anyway, so empty the cupboard of picks and prospect to make this years team and next years team as good as you can.

 

[darrylsittler27]

I agree about C and D, we are definitely thin. I think there is something to be said about your prospects being more valuable to you than to other teams. We have a ton of forwards who look like they can fill out the roster and be role players for us. Replacing guys like Kampf, Gregor, Bertuzzi etc. on cheap contracts, where we can then allocate cap to the Defense in FA.

Those prospects just don't hold much value in trade discussion for big fish like Hanifin, Guentzel etc. The higher end prospects like Cowan are not being made available and I think that's rightfully so.

We don't have a top 20 prospect pool like teams that have been drafting high but we do have a depth as far as guys that look like they could play games. Compare it to other contending teams like say Tampa, Boston and Colorado and we look to be in much better shape than them.

They have cups.