Recapping The Leafs Nation’s top 20 Maple Leafs prospects

The countdown is complete and to the absolute shock of no one, Easton Cowan was named the Toronto Maple Leafs’ top prospect in the system.

The exercise of ranking the Leafs prospects was incredibly interesting as Toronto truly has Cowan and Ben Danford as two exciting skater prospects, there are two goaltenders that could pan out for the Maple Leafs, and then there are a bunch of green prospects, potential NCAA found wallets, and some scattered reasons for excitement.

For the most part the prospect pool consists of potential bottom of the lineup options and injury replacement players. And while more star talent is always the dream, this pipeline meets the immediate needs of the Leafs and aligns with what you see from other perennial contenders around the NHL.

Here’s the full list of prospects who made the list:

20. Borya Valis

From Alex Hobson:

What gives Valis a potential edge over some of his counterparts is the fact that his style of game suits that of a high-floor prospect, even if there’s not a huge ceiling. He already has the coveted size that the Maple Leafs appear to be after under general manager Brad Treliving, standing at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, and his bang-and-crash style of game makes him a call-up candidate for the Leafs should they run into any injury issues. It’s the same reason we’ve seen players like Bobby McMann earn their call-up and eventual NHL residency over smaller, all-offence players who wouldn’t necessarily work in a fourth line role.

19. Hudson Malinoski

From Alex Hobson: 

Like most young centre prospects, Malinoski has some impressive playmaking abilities but will need to improve his defensive game and add some strength if he wants to stick out a lengthy pro career. Standing at 6-foot-1 and 174 pounds, He’s got good size for his age but will need to put on some muscle if he wants to not only make it to the pros, but stay there. Still, the fact that he lost so much development time bodes well for his ceiling.

18. Cade Webber

From Arun Srinivasan:

There hasn’t been a standout quality to Webber’s game, aside from his willingness to throw his body in front of pucks. Webber recorded a goal and seven points in 60 regular season games during his first AHL season with the Marlies, and did not register a point in two playoff games. Offensive production simply isn’t his ticket to the NHL. He is a true stay-at-home defenceman but in the modern era, you need to have at least some facsimile of production, unless you’re constantly winning puck battles and possession share.

17. Sam McCue

From Jon Steitzer: 

Not surprising is that McCue’s size is how he finds success offensively in the OHL. He’s a tank. He rolls over opponents, he claims his space in front of the net, and he’s a battler. He’s capable of making space for his linemates and checks all the boxes of a budding power forward.

16. Nick Moldenhauer

From Arun Srinivasan:

The 21-year-old is an undersized offensive winger who makes up for it with outstanding speed. Moldenhauer is gifted with the puck, but it’s going to be more difficult to find the time and space he craves at the NHL level, and he needs to continuously hound down pucks if he’s going to make an impact as a professional. Moldenhauer finished tied for 14th in scoring last season with Michigan — for comparision, 2025 first-round pick Will Horcoff also recorded 10 points, in 11 fewer games.

15. William Belle

From Michael Mazzei: 

Belle’s signature attribute is motor and his eagerness to be heavy on the forecheck, either with hits or disrupting the breakout. He takes pride in that being part of his repertoire as it is when he feels he is at his best when he is being a physical presence and wearing down the opposition.

14. Ryan Tverberg

From Jon Steitzer: 

At 23 years of age and in the final year of his entry deal, there is unquestionably a need to see some progress back towards the offence in Tverberg’s game. He’s still a hard worker, he still has speed to burn, but without attention grabbing numbers in the AHL and as a seventh round pick made under Dubas and Clark, Tverberg faces an uphill battle.

13. Victor Johansson

From Filipe Dimas: 

The increase in size, scoring, and grit earned Johansson plenty of attention from both his club and international scouts. He earned a brief call up to Leskands’ senior team in the Swedish Hockey League where he played five games. Despite putting up 0 points during his stint in the SHL, and logging as little as 2 minutes of ice time during some of the games, it’s important to recognize how rare it is for young players to get an opportunity in Sweden’s senior league.

12. Topi Niemela

From Jon Steitzer: 

There is also the fact that Niemela often gets labelled as an offensive defenceman or solely as a puckmover and while Niemela’s control of the puck is a big part of what makes him a sound prospect, his strong positional play and quickness in winning races to the puck have made him a multi-dimensional asset. The drawback is that he doesn’t have the size or strength in puck battles and as a net presence or in corner battles where Niemela doesn’t arrive first, he struggles and with these being key attributes of Leafs defencemen, it is safe to say that the 2020 3rd round pick has begun to fall out of favour.

11. Jacob Quillan

From Nick Richard:

Quillan was a bit of a Swiss army knife for head coach John Gruden, playing up and down the lineup, and helping to tilt the ice in his team’s favour while chipping in with some secondary scoring, but he got more productive as the season progressed. He posted just one goal and three assists in his first 21 games of the season, but he put together a six-game point streak in December and took off from there with an increased role down the stretch, finishing his rookie year in the AHL with 18 goals and 19 assists in 67 games.

10. Luke Haymes

From Alex Hobson:

Factor in his goal-scoring knack complemented by his NHL-ready shot, and he’s got good defensive instincts too? Safe to say that if he gets off to a good start with the Marlies, he’ll be one of the first people to look at. And who knows? The Maple Leafs have tons of depth options right now, to the point where it’s a bit of a good problem, but the volume of candidates for the bottom-six also means that it’s entirely up to the player as to who runs away with the job.

9. William Villeneuve

From Michael Mazzei:

Villeneuve found his footing offensively with 40 points (four goals and 36 assists) in 55 games played along with two assists in two playoff games. A big part of what helped him explode on the offensive size of the ice is his hockey IQ and strong awareness of where to send the puck, as he does well in spotting an open skater to either start the breakout or create a rush-scoring chance.

8. Miroslav Holinka

From Jon Steitzer:

Holinka’s first year in North America went statistically well. He didn’t put up obscene numbers you’d hope to see from a forward in their post draft year but adjusted well to the new situation on a middle of the road iteration of the Edmonton Oil Kings. Holinka also continued his success in international play, again not taking on a star power type place in the lineup, but showing that he can be reliable contributor.

7. Tinus Luc Koblar

From Arun Srinivasan:

Koblar is one of the youngest players in the 2025 class, celebrating his 18th birthday on July 21. The 6-foot-3, 187-pound centre posted eight goals and 21 points for Leksands IF of the Swedish Junior League during the 2024-25 campaign, which aren’t eye-popping numbers, but Koblar did post four goals in seven playoff games and appeared to show continual, major improvement as a scorer during the second half of the year.

6. Tyler Hopkins

From Nick Richard:

The attention to detail that Hopkins showed in defensive zone coverage, supporting the puck, and effectively utilizing his teammates helped him quickly earn the trust of the Frontenacs’ coaching staff, propelling him to more prominent minutes for the rest of the 2024-25 season. He became a reliable and sneakily dangerous penalty killer, took a regular shift on Kingston’s second power play unit, and finished his draft year with 20 goals and 31 assists in 67 games.

5. Artur Akhtyamov

From Filipe Dimas:

While his numbers regressed to a more sustainable average over the course of the rest of the season, finishing the year with an 11-8-4 record and a .901 save percentage, the regular flashes of brilliance from a goaltender who’s still only 23 years old has left many wondering if goaltending has suddenly become a position of noticeable strength for the Maple Leafs organization.

4. Noah Chadwick

From Filipe Dimas:

Defensively, he’s not afraid to use the size found in his 6-foot-4 frame to cut off angles and finish checks but does noticeably play without the sort of snarl one would expect from a defender who towers over most of the opposition, especially in the WHL where many younger players can be significantly smaller. If Chadwick is to make the jump to the NHL, learning to take full advantage of his size both with and without the puck will be an asset moving forward.

3. Dennis Hildeby

From Steven Ellis:

It’s hard to find goalies with a 6-foot-7 frame like Hildeby. But he’s more than just a big dude. His ability to push off quickly in his crease with little effort allows him to get himself where he needs to be. Hildeby has active footwork and some quick hands, too. He is prone to some mid-level shots beating him below the glove, but we’ve seen some progress there over the past two years. The size obviously helps cover the top of the net, but he doesn’t rely on it as much as he used to at a younger age in Sweden.

2. Ben Danford

From Arun Srinivasan:

Danford told reporters at this summer’s development camp that he’s looking to emulate Chris Tanev’s game. It’s not a bad comparison for a strong puck-mover with strong skating ability, but his offensive game continues to be work in progress. And he should receive plenty of opportunities to test his game against elite-level peers. Danford is projected to make Canada’s World Juniors roster, where he could operate as a shutdown defender in a third-pair role.

1. Easton Cowan

From Steven Ellis:

Cowan is very tenacious. When he’s at his best, especially in the playoffs, he really wants to get a hold of the puck. He’s going to take it off you because he’s always chasing. He’s got that speed to make it work and he’s got notable offensive skill.

No Votes | Honourable Mentions

Thanks for joining us on the countdown of the top Leafs prospects. Now it’s time to have your say. Here’s a link for ranking your top 20 prospects and we’ll roll out the fan vote in early September.