Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings

#28: Toronto Maple Leafs

Embed from Getty Images

Number of Ranked Prospects: 32

Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 0

Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 1

Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 155th

Top Forward Prospect in The System: Minten Fraser (75th)

Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Ben Danford (32nd)

System Score: 1.5

The recent success of the Toronto Maple Leafs and their playoff runs have been chronicled in depth, but what has been most interesting from a prospect perspective has been their ability to retain top-round draft picks. Since 2018 the Leafs have used ten top-65 draft picks, including four first-round picks. Tragically, one of those picks, Russian prospect Rodion Amirov, died in August 2023 after a battle with brain cancer. The top two Toronto drafts picks from the 2018 draft are also no longer in the Toronto system. Rasmus Sandin (29th overall) was traded to Washington and Sean Durzi (52nd overall) was traded to Los Angeles, both for more experienced help on the troubled Maple Leafs blue line. Two other top picks from recent years have graduated as full- or near full-time NHL players in the Toronto lineup. Nic Robertson has played 87 NHL games, most of them last season. After struggling to earn playing time amongst the well-stocked top lines in Toronto and fighting some injury issues, Robertson looks to have finally gotten a permanent role. Matthew Knies has had better early success after two NCAA seasons. He played 80 games for the Leafs last year, with 15 goals and 20 assists and a solid physical game.

The Top of The Pool:

The highest ranked forward in the Toronto system is recently first-round draft pick Ben Danford. The 6'1, 188-ppund defenseman from the Oshawa generals plays NHL-projectible, straightforward defensive game with some offensive ability. The Hockey Prophets had Danford ranked 75th overall, and the overall pre-draft weighted rankings had him at 59th, so his selection at 31st overall came as a bit of a surprise. What seems most obvious about the draft pick is that Toronto wanted a smart, first-pass style defender who can be highly effective in his own zone, and that is what they get in Danford. He will not be a player lighting up highlight reels or the scoreboard, but he should easily become a steady middle-pair defender playing a lot of minutes at even strength and short-handed.

Center Fraser Minten (ranked 75th) and right winger Easton Cowan (87th) are the top forwards in the Toronto prospect pool. Minten was selected 38th in 2022 and Cowan 28th overall in 2023. Minten has the prototypical NHL frame at 6'2, 194 pounds, and uses his size and strength to his advantage. Although his offensive upside is limited at this point, he is on track to become--much like the other top draft picks the Leafs have made in recent years--a solid, reliable although perhaps unremarkable middle of the lineup player.

Easton Cowan is smaller than inten at 5'11, 185, but what he lacks in size he makes up for with intensity and two-way hustle. Cowan plays a non-stop, hard forechecking, always attacking style and he is coming off a fantastic OHL season with the London Knights in which he was named the top OHL player, top OHL playoff performer, and first-team All-Star. Another season like the last one will see Cowan vault up the prospects list, but he has a decent chance to graduate as an NHL player before he gets that chance. 

Topi Niemela rounds out the best of the Toronto prospects. The 2020 third-round-pick defenseman played his first full season of North American hockey last year with the AHL Toronto Marlies, where he had 8 goals and 31 assists in 68 games, placing him as the top-scoring blueliner for the Marlies. Like Danford, Niemela plays an intelligent game, playing a low-risk style with sound decisions and clean outlet passing.

Return to the Team System Rankings

Below is the full list of Toronto's ranked prospects.

Top Forwards 

Top Defensemen