Scouts mostly agree that you don’t really know what kind of impact a player will have until he plays 250 games in the league, or just over 3 full seasons. Following that thought process, the writers here at EditorInLeaf.com have each voted for our top young Toronto Maple Leafs players following that 250 game played cap as well as an age limit of 24 by the start of the season as our only rules.
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We’ve each ranked all 43 eligible Toronto Maple Leafs players from 1 to 20, with a 1st place vote being assigned 20 points, a second place vote being assigned 19 points, etc.
We then added up each of our individual lists and the points given to each player and came up with the official final Top 20 rankings. To keep things consistent all player information and stats come from eliteprospects.com, unless otherwise mentioned.
If you’d like a full break down of what to expect, check out the Intro piece we put out here.
In today’s piece we’ll continue to tease you just a bit longer before we kick off our long-awaited Top 20 Young Leafs official rankings! We’ll continue to take a look at some players who did not make this years list that should have in my opinion.
Keep in mind this ranking is by no means the be-all-and-end-all of prospect rankings and is meant purely to help pass the time until training camp and hockey related news starts kicking back up into gear. Maybe, this will also serve to enlighten you on just how far the Leafs pipeline of young talent has come and what to expect from them.
With that in mind we start strong with our first Young Leaf that should have made our Top 20 List.
Yegor Korshkov
Age: 20
Position: RW
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6ft4 / 189lbs
Yegor Korshkov, was drafted 31st overall in the second round of this years 2016 NHL entry draft. Unlike Jeremy Bracco and Mitch Marner of the earlier years all small, all skilled draft class, Kroshkov marked the start of a run by Mark Hunter and the Leafs on overage players with size, size and more size.
Before we get started here, just have to clarify that his real birth name is Егор Коршков, but that gets translated from Cyrillic to Yegor Korshkov in Latin. Due to this, you may also see him called Igor, Egor, George, Yuri or Korchov, Korsakov and the like.
The point being, he’s one of those Russians who has many names. Yegor Korshkov did not receive a lot of love from our writers, as only one of our 7 voted him into their Top20 at #12. With only one Top20 vote, Korshkov finished 28th in our final rankings.
The always talented SEER Video channel on Youtube has a highlight package for us;
The powerfully built, but lanky winger from Russia was passed over twice in the NHL entry draft. The Leafs snagged him with their first pick of the second round in his third season of eligibility. Many may have been scared off by the fact he hadn’t been drafted the past two seasons, but as we all know most prospects take time to develop. Some may doubt how at age 20, he hasn’t filled out his massive 6ft4 frame. Considering his father Alexei Korshkov – also a professional hockey player as recently as 2012 in the Kazakhstan Men’s League – played at a healthy 6ft5 and 247lbs, Yegor has plenty of room and time to grow.
His Career Thus Far
The KHL 2016/2017 season has already started, and Korshkov now playing full-time with the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv has come out guns blazing to the tune of 6pts, 18PIMs and a Plus 1 rating through 12 games.
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Historically, younger players don’t put up crazy numbers in the higher level mens leagues across Europe like the SHL and KHL. As far as all U-24 players in the KHL go, Yegor Korshov now sits tied for 9th in scoring, while playing for a middling team that sits 4th in the Tarasov Division of the KHL’s Western Conference.
Getting a solid part of 2nd line minutes along-side former Leaf for a day Petri Kontiola and behind former Super Marlies forward Brandon Kozun, Korshkov is in a place to develop his offensive game ever further this season.
In the Russian U-17 program, Korshkov scored 22 goals, 25 assists for 47 points in only 33 games. Then netting 6 points in only 6 games in that leagues playoffs. The following year he graduated to the MHL (The Russian top Junior developmental league) for 22 points in 43 games against stronger and smarter competition.
His sophomore season in the MHL netted better results, scoring 13 goals and 28 points in only 23 games before being called up to the KHL for the first time. As an 18-year-old in a league of men, Korshkov managed only 3 points in 24 games before being sent back down to the MHL for the playoffs where he dominated again with 13 points in 14 games. He was also selected to be part of the Russian team for the Subway Super Series against Canada, he potted 3 points in 4 games.
Related Story: Top 20 Young Leafs: Why Bracco Should've Made The Cut
Yegor Korshkov started this past season in the MHL but after posting 6 points in only 4 games, it was deemed he was ready for the KHL on a full-time basis. Starting in a depth role, he struggled initially before being allowed to attend the World Juniors U-20 tournament, where he led Team Russia in scoring with 8 points in 7 games.
Upon returning to the KHL he ended up with a very respectable 12 points in 41 games, and worked his way onto the teams 2nd line by seasons end. When Yaroslavl was bounced in the first round of the playoffs, Korshkov was sent back to the MHL for their playoffs where he played first line minutes and tore up the league for 19 points in only 15 games to win the MHL Championship.
Korshkov’s Future
There is no doubt about Yegor Korshkov’s skill, and he is not afraid to use his giant frame to drive the net hard. Besides that he will hit, drive the net and go to any area of the ice to get the puck, one of the most exciting things about Korshkov is that his defensive game is already so polished. Yegor is a full 200ft player already and in many ways is on a career path almost identical to former Leafs defensive stalwart Nikolai Kulemin.
The fact he has essentially been playing in a full mens league for most of the past 3 seasons means his development is light years ahead of other players his age. He’s under contract in the KHL for a few more years which will allow him to fully acclimatize to playing against men at the highest level outside of the NHL. The Leafs can bring him over for a season with the Marlies when they believe him to be ready, and essentially have 4 years of free development in the KHL unit they have to sign him or risk losing his rights.
To invest such a high pick into Yegor Korshkov, the Leafs brass are clearly being his development curve will continue to accelerate and he’ll be an asset a lot sooner than later. He’s proven he can dominate inside his own age group, this season in the KHL will be an excellent indicator if he’ll be able to realize his potential as an NHLer.
Ben Kerr from LastWordOnSports puts it nicely:
"Korshkov has excellent size, but will need to add some muscle to his frame. He is an excellent play maker, as he uses excellent stick handling skill to slow the play down and wait for teammates to get open. He is strong on his skates, and has the agility to go with his stick-handling and beat defenders one-on-one. Korshkov uses his body to win battles on the boards, and to protect the puck in the cycle game. This should get even better as he grows into his body and gets stronger. He has high end hockey IQ and almost always seems to make the smart play with the puck on his stick."
He has the skill set and the speed to make it in the NHL. If he can continue to elevate his offensive game, work on making his acceleration more explosive, and continue to fill out his 6ft5 frame, the Leafs have a potential stud on their hands.
NHL Projections:
Potential Ceiling: 65+ Point Top 6 Two Way Power Forward
Realistic NHL Role: 30+ Point 3rd Line Defensive Winger
NHL Player Comparable: Nikolai Kulemin
Chances of Reaching Ceiling: 50%
NHL Ready: 2018-2019
Yegor Korshkov should have made our Top 20 Young Leafs List here at Editor In Leaf, but the fact that he didn’t should tell you what kind of depth our beloved organization has accrued under the Shanaplan. Get excited Leafs Nation, we’re witnessing the beginning of something special here!
We can’t wait to share our official rankings with you and get some discussion going about who exactly our top young players should be? Who made our rankings that didn’t deserve too? Who was left off that should have made it on? Should Yegor Korshkov have made the cut?
Next: Why Bracco Should Have Made The Cut
A lot of opinions to share and a lot of discussion to be had is coming up over the next few weeks. Please feel free to join in on the discussion on Twitter @TorrinBatchelor @EditorInLeaf or in the comment thread below! Also, stay tuned for more pre-ranking articles like this one and get ready to get excited about all the talent in the Leafs organization!