The most NHL ready Maple Leafs prospects and the likelihood they play in 2025-26

The Maple Leafs might not have a ton of high end prospects but they aren’t short on prospects that are close to getting a taste of the NHL. The complication here is that the Maple Leafs aren’t short on veterans standing between prospects and the NHL as well.

The current state of the Maple Leafs has 17 forwards with NHL experience on their depth chart. There are 10 defencemen with NHL experience, and only in goal does there seem to be a promising path to the NHL, as after Stolarz and Woll there presently isn’t an experienced NHL option.

Here is the breakdown by position of potentially NHL ready prospects and the likelihood we see them in 2025-26:

Forwards

The excitement around Leafs prospects begins and for some people ends with Easton Cowan. Cowan has been an absolute standout over the past couple of seasons in the OHL, whether it’s his point streak, multiple World Junior appearances, Memorial Cup MVP status, or being named to the 3rd CHL All-Star team, Cowan’s junior hockey resume is complete.

That said, it is premature to call him NHL ready. He had a strong training camp last year and arguably pushed the Leafs to the point of considering giving him a look. There is a likelihood that there is a door being held open for him in training camp, but it is far more likely requiring Cowan to barge through it rather than walk right in.

As much as there would be a benefit in getting Cowan playing in the NHL and adjusting to the speed of the game in real time, his waivers eligibility and lack of guaranteed icetime will create barriers to starting in the NHL. That doesn’t mean that’s the last we’ve heard of him until 2026-27.

The fact that Cowan doesn’t require waivers and the fact that he represents the greatest opportunity for upside out of any of the Maple Leafs prospects likely point to Cowan getting at least a couple of looks in a Leafs jersey this season. As much as Brad Treliving has operated under a “tie goes to the veteran” mentality throughout his time in Calgary and Toronto, Cowan is one of the few potential scoring options and solutions for if Toronto’s top six is depleted at points this year.

Jacob Quillan got his cup of coffee last year and could very well receive a similar opportunity this season. Since this is the last year of Quillan’s contract, it is a bit of a put up or shut up situation and he’ll need to play his way ahead of Travis Boyd and Benoit Olivier Groulx to get a look likely in a sheltered fourth line role for the Maple Leafs. It goes without saying that training camp will be critical for him to establish that younger legs make a difference over AHL veterans.

If Toronto moves on from David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok, talking about Quillan in the NHL this season is a possibility but as things stand right now, it’s a tall order that is only aided by his waivers exempt status. The fact that Quillan will also be competing with the next player on this list doesn’t make things any easier.

Luke Haymes is in the same situation Quillan was last year. He two years left on his deal and is a year younger than Quillan, but after joining the Marlies last season he put up six points in nine games and that goes some way towards believing he could leap frog Quillan and potentially establish himself as a diamond in the rough.

Waivers exemption will once again play a part in whether Haymes makes an appearance with the Leafs this year. Calling Haymes or Quillan up when a player is questionable for a game will make more sense than risking waivers on veterans, so potentially some one off work is in the cards depending on who is the hot hand and who better fits the Leafs need in that moment.

Defence

While the Leafs lack the excitement of an Easton Cowan type prospect, the offensive upside of William Villeneuve might make him the most interesting player to watch on the Marlies blueline. The Maple Leafs are wanting to improve their puck moving and secondary powerplay from a defensive standpoint and while Villeneuve now faces some competition from Henry Thrun in staking claim to that role, Villeneuve’s right handed shot could be beneficial.

Villeneuve is not only behind 10 established NHL veterans on the blueline but has to contend with the fact that Marshall Rifai could very well be a priority call up over him too. Villeneuve’s offensive talent is what separates him from the pack and could see time in the NHL to fit that very specific need.

Cade Webber at 24 is pushing the boundaries of prospect and may be settling into an AHL defensive defenceman role instead. With a log jam in front of Webber training camp will be critical to making a case for Webber being the priority over players like Rifai, Mermis, and even Benning after the Myers, Thrun, Benoit depth has already been exhausted.

John Prokop is joining the Marlies on a one year deal and won’t have a lot of time to prove himself. It seems like 2025-26 will be about Prokop getting back to his 2023-24 hyped season form and if not making a case for the Leafs this season, being re-signed to take a serious run at a depth role after some of the current depth incumbents depart from the Leafs.

And it seems only fair to mention the absolute wild card that is Ben Danford. Danford is the most anticipated defensive prospect and while making a jump from the OHL to the NHL isn’t common in 19 year old defencemen, especially when the blueline is as deep as it is, the presumed upside of Danford at least warrants a mention here as he could be a wonderful surprise but certainly a long shot at this point.

Goaltending

As mentioned above, there is an absolute certainty that one of the Leafs goaltending prospects (if not both) will receive a callup from the Marlies this season unless Brad Treliving adds a veteran depth option for the explicit purpose of not rushing either prospect.

Even with Matt Murray as buffer last season, Dennis Hildeby found his way into the Leafs net for six games and although the results weren’t always ideal, they certainly aren’t a barrier in considering Hildeby a strong option for work in the Leafs’ net this season.

Artur Akhtyamov could just as easily make his case for appearances in the Leafs net. Last year was his first season in North America and didn’t look out of place. If his results are a bit more upward than Hildeby’s have been, Akhtyamov could be the one seeing NHL time. The complexities around workload and health in the AHL also make it so that merit when comparing the third and fourth goaltenders on the depth chart might not matter as much as the right choice in that exact moment.

Given that neither Stolarz nor Woll have exceeded half a season worth of work in the NHL, there are games to go around, and even if it is a repeat of the eight starts handed out to Marlies netminders last season, the work would be welcomed.

When talking about NHL readiness for goaltenders it is different than discussing whether or not they’ll get that time in the net. The guarantee of playing in the NHL is there but at this point it seems unlikely that either Hildeby or Akhtyamov could be NHL regulars next season. That isn’t a criticism of either netminder just a reality that in most cases more time is needed to develop and opportunities to prove yourself are far less predictable than with skaters.