Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Pyramid – Beginning 2024-25 – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs officially begin the Auston Matthews era as he takes over as captain this week, and with it, he becomes the next leader in a succession of teams with little talent.

Some of those players have already started their NHL careers – like Nick Robertson and Matthew Knies – while others are still walking the streets salivating for the chance to be called up to the next big team.

Once again, in the 2024 NHL Draft, Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs made some noise and traded from their first round selection and finally drafted Ben Danford 31st overall from the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. They are focused on accumulating draft funds that they have not had in recent years.

Although the team recently saw some of its personnel jump ship and join the Pittsburgh Penguins – most notably Wes Clark – the future is bright for the Maple Leafs with some quality prospects in the next wave of young talent.

Defining Hope

For this particular project, prospects will be eligible as players drafted or acquired by the Maple Leafs who are under the age of 25 and have yet to play a full NHL season. These players are playing or have played in other professional leagues or are still eligible to play in the minors or in the NCAA.

Related: Maple Leafs’ Easton Cowan Set to Make NHL Roster

As for goalies, if they have played 50 NHL games and are under the age of 25, they will be eligible for this list. That means that while Dennis Hildeby remains optimistic by these standards, Joseph Woll has officially made the jump to being a full-time NHL player.

Levels of the Pyramid

For those who haven’t seen a prospect pyramid before, it’s a way to evaluate a team pool based on tiers rather than an individual ranking system. Different opinions will result in a variety of different lists when it comes down to the top 20, while the tower allows for more focus where the ceiling of prospects can be based on overall talent.

The classifications, will help reveal whether a player is at the NHL level as a top talent or will use his draft career. With that, here’s how it breaks down.

Category 1 – Elite or top line, top talent

Division 2 – Forward six, back four forward, starting with the goalkeeper

Tier 3 – Third line forward, full back, backup goalkeeper

Division 4 – Role players, forwards, deep defenders or forwards

Section 5 – A minor league player is used to being called up

Section 1

Elite or Top-Line, Top-Pair Talent

It’s safe to say that the Maple Leafs still don’t have that kind of hope. Auston Matthews has been the team’s best player for a while and, well, he jumped right into the NHL. Since then, the Maple Leafs have had only five first-round picks and only three of those are still within the organization.

While there is excitement about players like Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten and what they will add to the Maple Leafs roster if they make the jump, they are not yet in this elite player category. Let’s face it, it’s not every day that a player of this caliber comes along and the Maple Leafs haven’t seen him since 2016.

Section 2

Top-6 Forward, Top-4 Defender, Starting Goaltender

Last season we had Matthew Knies in this category. However, he has made the jump to the senior team and should continue to develop into a true top six striker. In this case, both Cowan and Minten should find themselves on the second level of this pyramid.

Cowan has proven himself in the OHL and should see another improvement in his production this season if he is back with the London Knights. That said, the 19-year-old would be better off at some point developing in the AHL if that’s possible. He is coming off a 96-point season in 54 games for the Knights and was the league MVP.

His speed and set-piece ability will make him a huge asset when he makes the jump to the NHL and while he may not be a first-line goal scorer, his elusiveness will make him a legitimate top-six role player.

Artur Akhtyamov is another name that has moved up the Maple Leafs pipeline. A fourth-round pick in 2020, Akhtyamov took his time coming to North America, but he made gains along the way. In his last two seasons, he posted goals against averages of 2.51 (2023-24 in the KHL), 2.00 (2023-24 in the VHL) and 1.74 respectively. His save percentage never dipped below .921 in that span and he made the jump to the KHL in 2023-24 with the Kazan Ak-Bars.

Assuming his play can translate well to the North American game and Akhtyamov could be one of the best home goalies for the Maple Leafs in recent memory.

This category also includes Fraser Minten, Ben Danford, Topi Niemelä and Dennis Hildeby.

Section 3

Third Line Forward, Two-Under Defense, Backup Goaltender

This is where most of the Maple Leafs’ pipeline resides – at the mid-range prospect level. Good enough to crack the roster at some point and maybe have a legitimate role late in the season or in the playoffs, but it will come down to that depth situation.

If the main roster sees an injury to a key player, that’s when the Maple Leafs will find a fill-in — unless they’re likely to make a trade to make a band-aid fix.

Alex Steeves is a player who may have arrived at this mid-level. He’s had a few brief chances with the big club, but he’s still waiting for that long-awaited shot. He had his best season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies last season with 27 goals and 57 points in 65 games. With the Maple Leafs, he has one assist in seven games in the NHL – however, consistency and ice time contribute to discomfort at that rate.

Some believe he has a legitimate shot to earn an extended run with the Maple Leafs this season, but that won’t happen without an injury to one of the regulars — which won’t bode well for the club.

Nikita Grebyonkin is another player who lives between the second and third tiers, as his game has not had the chance to reach North America yet. That said, he finished with 41 points in 67 regular season games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk in his first full KHL season as a 20-year-old – making the front office optimistic when it comes to Grebyonkin’s future.

This category also includes Nick Abruzzese, Roni Hirvonen, Ryan Tverberg, Ty Voit, Cade Webber and Vyacheslav Peksa.

Section 4

Role Players, Full Forward, Deep Defender or Forward

Newly returned from the Maple Leafs program, Nicolas Mattinen leads this ranking as questions remain regarding his return to North America. During his OHL career, he was a very productive offensive defenseman. He went on to play at the University of Ottawa and then with the AHL’s Laval Rocket – he never played the same role in the offense.

Two years overseas, including 46 points in 52 games with the Straubing Tigers of the DEL and returned to a program looking for a chance at NHL time. That, however, also puts him in this category as a depth defender who is likely to change as the season progresses.

Related: What Can Maple Leafs Fans Expect From Nikita Grebenkin?

Nicholas Moldenhauer and Noah Chadwick are two other players who come to mind to enter this stage of the pipeline. Neither has made that next push to further their development on the road to the NHL. That doesn’t mean that it won’t happen, it means that there are others ahead of them who are in the stage to go up to the big stage.

Moldenhauer could easily be a third-tier player and jump to that second level depending on how his sophomore season with the University of Michigan goes. After a 75-point campaign with the Chicago Steel, his 21 points in 41 games at Michigan looked like a small step to some. Still, he has the potential to climb that ladder faster than others give him credit for.

This category also includes Sam McCue, William Villeneuve, Victor Johansson and Timofei Obvintsev.

Section 5

Minor Leaguers Use Call Ups

Small moves, additions, call them what you will, but this is a class of prospects who may find their cup of coffee in the NHL at some point down the road and it may not be with the Maple Leafs. Let’s also note, that just because they are in fifth place right now, it doesn’t mean they can rise above that title.

This year’s draft class could increase their number and the team’s former picks, but these players are likely to fill one to two games if needed throughout the next season or two.

Joe Miller is a player who falls into this category. Drafted in the sixth round in 2020, he had some great seasons at Harvard in the NCAA, including 27 points in 32 games in 2023-24. But there are players who have jumped him on the team’s depth chart.

Hudson Malinoski is another player who has a few question marks over his game and how much he will be able to improve his skills. That said, he is also a player who could be a pleasant surprise for this team and could be one of the hidden gems in the organization if he can put it all together.

Remember, just because they started the year at this level doesn’t mean they’re still stuck there. It’s the first place.

This category includes Miroslav Holinka, Jacob Quillan, Braeden Kressler, Wyatt Schingoethe, Vladislav Kara, Kirill Slepets, Mike Koster and Nathan Mayes.

While it’s not the best plan to break down the Maple Leafs prospects individually, this does provide a quick look at where the team’s future stands when it comes to their pipeline of draft picks and prospects.

Some of these names may have a large group in the near future, it is often familiar with them. Besides, where would you place your favorite Maple Leafs prospect? Agree or disagree, let us know what you think.