Welcome to another edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Report. Throughout the NHL playoffs and off-season we will be updating you on the development, potential and realistic expectations for key Toronto Maple Leafs prospects with up-to-date stats, analysis and scouting reports.
Well Leafs Nation, as weird as it is to say considering the Toronto Maple Leafs finished dead last in the NHL… this season could not have gone any better. Assuming the Leafs win the draft lottery (T-Minus 5 Days) this will have been a season where expectations were met, and dare I say exceeded.
Going into this season management set the bar low and more or less gave the expectations that the Toronto Maple Leafs would be tanking without actually tanking. The team would play hard and learn new Head Coach Mike Babcock’s systems, but would not have anywhere near the talent level to actually be a playoff threat.
The team has hoarded draft picks over the next three seasons including five picks in the first three rounds and 12 picks overall this coming draft. The prospect pipeline which has long been a black hole for the Maple Leafs is now full of good, young talent with the chance to add even more at the draft. As far as tank jobs go, this season went down absolutely perfectly – pending a draft lottery NOT going Edmonton’s way for once.
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While the Toronto Maple Leafs all wait to see whether they’ll get to go into the dressing room next season with Auston Matthews, several other Toronto Maple Leafs prospects have had significant impact on their junior teams playoffs runs.
Continuing our breakdown of the Toronto Maple Leafs 2015 Draft class, today on the Prospect Report we’ll take a look at the potential steal of the 2015 draft;
Dmytro Timashov
Get To Know Him:
Position / Jersey Number: LW / 35
Height / Weight: 5ft10 / 187lbs
Age / Shoots: 19 / Left
League / Team: QMJHL / Quebec Ramparts & Shawinigan Cateracs
Draft Position: 125th Overall, 5th Round, 2015 Draft, Maple Leafs
I’ve written a lot about Dmytro Timashov here on Editor In Leaf and with the way he is developing that is only going to continue.
The speedy Swede, of Ukrainian birth and the Russian sounding name (a large reason he fell to the 5th round) was dominant in the QMJHL this season. Timashov started the season by scoring 18 goals and 53 points in 29 games with the Quebec Ramparts, then put in an excellent performance at the World Juniors with 7 points in 7 games for Team Sweden.
Upon returning from the World Junior’s he was traded to the Shawinigan Cateracs for a deep playoff bid, where he put up a slower but still impressive 4 goals and 32 points in 28 games. Currently in the 3rd round of the QMJHL playoffs, Timashov has picked up speed again and posted 8 goals and 19 points in 13 games – tied for 2nd in playoff scoring.
HockeysFuture.com says:
"An offensive dynamo, the diminutive-but-stocky forward Timashov plays a style of game that suits the smaller, North American ice surfaces. He doesn’t mind getting involved physically and that asset of his game contributes strongly to his offensive game, creating both time and space for him to find the open man. (Hockey’s Future)"
Timashov’s game starts with his feet and his unbelievable breakout speed. Although small in stature, Timashov has a thick lower body and uses it to accelerate to full speed in a stride or two.
He thinks and sees the game incredibly well. Timashov has a quick and efficient wrist shot that can fool goalies, but his calling card to the NHL will be his elite level stick handling that will make him an absolute weapon in the shootout.
He will generate a lot of scoring chances off the rush and can be guilty sometimes of cheating a bit in the defensive zone looking for the breakaway pass. Timashov is not an overtly physical player, but is willing to go to the dirty areas and use his lower body strength to get the puck.
He has all the markings of a legitimate top six NHL scoring winger and Leafs Nation should get to see him in action with the Marlies as early as next season.
Upside: 60+ Point Playmaking Speedster
Realistic Projection: Top 6 Sniper 15+ Goals 40+ Points
Chance Of Becoming NHL Regular: >50%
NHL Ready: 2017-2018
NHL Player Comparable: Mats Zuccarello
Next: First Step Toward The Playoffs
Check out my preview of Nikita Korostelev here, and Stephen Desrocher here.
Is Timashov a steal by Mark Hunter? Does he have a better chance of becoming an NHL regular than I’ve laid out? Do you have a better comparable for him? As always, feel free to comment below or reach out to me on twitter @TorrinBatchelor and let me know what you think.
Stay Tuned for Jesper Lindgren next time on the Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Report.