Oct 17, 2013; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Josh Leivo (32) celebrates his first career goal in the second period against the Carolina Hurricanes at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
7. Josh Leivo
Leivo is another one of those players that is still young but has now been around the organization for a few years. He’s had tastes (16 games) of big league action but has so far been unable to turn the heads of the people who matter. Leivo is a good skater with a nice touch around the net and has shown flashes of brilliance at times. He had an impressive 23 goals and 42 points in 59 games with the Marlies in his rookie season before falling off a bit last year. (11-21-32)
It will be a young Marlies team next season but a look at the roster shows that it’s going to be a dogfight for minutes down there. If Leivo is unable to win an NHL job it’s easy to say that he may not see many minutes in the AHL either. Leivo can look at this as a fresh new start after the organization changed all of its coaches but with the way the Leafs are stocking the cupboards, time may be running out.
This will be the final year of Leivo’s entry-level contract. It’s time for him to make a statement or he may end up fading away like the Jeremy Williams and Kris Newbury’s of the past.
8. Brendan Leipsic
Need a reason to instantly like Brendan Leipsic? How about the fact that he was described as the most annoying prospect in hockey by The Hockey News last year? Yes, Leipsic is an “agitator” often compared to players like Brad Marchand, Steve Ott, and Sean Avery, guys who found their way onto NHL rosters usually by getting under the skin of opposing teams.
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The Leafs can only hope that Leipsic can fulfill that role with the big club in the next few years. This past season, he finished 4th in rookie scoring with 14 goals and 54 points in 74 games with the Milwaukee Admirals and Toronto Marlies earning him a spot in the AHL All-star Game .
One concern about the 5’10, 177-pound forward is whether his “in your face” style from his junior days will translate to the pro level. After two consecutive years of earning over 100 penalty minutes in the Western Hockey League, Leipsic had only 22 in his first pro season in the AHL.
If he wants to turn heads at training camp, he’ll have to revisit his past and bring his aggressive nature back into his game. (see video below) There is plenty of time left for Leipsic to make his mark having only turned 21 this past May. Unfortunately, his age is the same reason that will probably find him back in the AHL next season.
9. Nikita Soshnikov
Little is known about the 21-year old forward from Nizhny Tagil, Russia. The Leafs signed him to a 3-year entry-level contract back on March 20 of this year. Soshnikov played 57 games with Moscow Oblast Atlant of the KHL last season scoring 14 goals and 32 points, the third highest total of all players under 23. His 14 goals were all even strength making you wonder what the kid might have done with a little power play time.
Eager Leaf fans were hoping to get their first look at Soshnikov earlier this month at the Prospects Camp in Collingwood but were disappointed when Soshnikov was unable to attend due to travel-related issues. That might be the case but I also wouldn’t be surprised if Soshnikov is now having second thoughts due to the recent influx of forwards the Leafs have signed at the NHL level.
1o. Stuart Percy
It was a great story last October when Stuart Percy made his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. It got even better when he was able to record an assist in his first three NHL contests. Nevertheless, the success was short-lived as the Leafs sent Percy down to the Toronto Marlies after just 8 games. Percy pretty much fits into the same category as Nylander and the other young prospects but made the final spot on this list (over Byron Froese) because of the fact that he made the team last season.
Unfortunately, like Leivo and Carrick, Percy was mentioned by name when assistant general manager Kyle Dubas recently described how moving young players back and forth between the AHL and NHL actually hurt their development. Expect him to see big minutes in the Marlies’ Top 4 along with Brennan, Viktor Loov, and Scott Harrington.
It’s important to remember that Shanny and Lou may not be finished with the roster as it stands today. It has been rumored for months that the Leafs have been trying to move Tyler Bozak, Joffrey Lupul, and possibly even Dion Phaneuf but so far there have been no takers. James Van Riemsdyk has also seen his name in the trade rumors recently. It’s also possible that the Leafs may be inclined to deal somebody like Roman Polak or recently acquired players like Matt Hunwick or Nick Spaling if more than one of the young players impress.
Next: Final Thoughts