How NHL-ready are the Maple Leafs’ top prospects?

When it comes to the Toronto Marlies, there is no shortage of players looking to make the jump to the NHL this season and prove their worth. William Villeneuve, Jacob Quillan, Bo Groulx, and Marshall Rifai are among the Marlies that are easy to list off.

When it comes to the players that have been included in the prospect rankings, the NHL readiness drops. We’ll start with the most obvious when it comes to ranking the Maple Leafs prospects by their NHL readiness.

Won’t play a game in the AHL

Something would have to go wrong at this point for Gavin McKenna to play in the AHL. It’s not to say that it couldn’t happen, these are the Leafs after all, but it is extremely unlikely. McKenna has been benefiting from slightly older competition in the NCAA for the past season and ideally that eases his jump into pro.

There has been plenty of talk about McKenna as Mitch Marner’s replacement but there need to be some brakes pumped here. He’s not going to be a point per game player out of college. Rookies haven’t done that with any regularity in the NHL, including Matthews or Marner. He’s going to need time. He will likely get a permanent place in the top six, but if Jim Hiller shelters him a bit, that’s not McKenna failing to live up to expectations, that’s giving him a proper development curve.

When it comes to NHL readiness, it doesn’t matter if McKenna is or isn’t ready, he’s going to be tossed into the deep end.

Likely to get a look

Sergei Bobrovsky’s age and Anthony Stolarz’ durability opens the door fairly wide for Artur Akhtyamov to get a solid taste of the NHL. The Calder Cup run led by Akhtyamov’s stellar performance in goal should have fans excited to see more of him and for him to make his case as the Maple Leafs goaltender of the future. A fellow Russian netminder helps with the learning curve, as does having John Gruden on the Maple Leafs bench this season to give him a sense of familiarity of the defence in front of him.

As for any other prospect that is likely to get a look, Luke Haymes is probably the highest on the list. He’s put in a solid rookie season with the Marlies and had a four game trial run with the Maple Leafs already. He might not be ready to be a full time NHLer, but the case is there for him being one of the first forward callups, especially if help is needed at centre.

Could push for it

Ben Danford making a case for being a Maple Leaf would be a dream situation. It’s a big ask to have him make the leap from junior to the NHL without a bit of a taste of the AHL, but a solid 16-game run with the Marlies during the playoffs might be enough. The Leafs would at least have had a solid development plan in place for the summer and spots on the third pairing should be up for grabs.

I’m not sure Danford is NHL ready, but he might be able to make a case for learning on the job. That’s a luxury he has a right shot defenceman and having less competition.

The field

Tinus Luc Koblar has been playing against men in the SHL and while he might require time to adjust to North American ice, it’s too early to dismiss him making it.

Noah Chadwick is an interesting option on the Maple Leafs blueline and if he builds off his rookie year in the AHL, maybe he can leapfrog some of the experienced depth later in the season.

Miroslav Holinka is a player I regularly sing the praises of, and I’d love for him to make a case for the NHL early. Like most of the prospects, it is probably too much to expect at this point and seeing what he can do in the AHL first makes sense.

As for the rest, the Maple Leafs have a number of interesting longer shot prospects that could surprise.