Toronto Maple Leafs Top 10 Prospects (2018)
The Toronto Maple Leafs Top Ten Prospects – 2018 Pre-Draft Edition.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a great group of prospects – even tough they’ve regularly been developing them into NHL players over the last couple of years. You’d think the quality and quantity of prospects would start to taper off, but that’s not really the case.
Sure, there’s no Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner on the upcoming list, but those are franchise players. Compared to most teams, the Leafs still have a pretty great system. And that includes the fact that, in addition to Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, the Leafs prospect list no longer includes Travis Dermott or Kasperi Kapanen.
Nor does it include Justin Holl (too old), Martin Marincin (also too old), or Calle Rosen, Frederick Gauthier or Andreas Bergeman, despite all of these players being among the best players in the AHL and more than capable NHL players. (Even Gauthier could probably make some team’s fourth line).
The last time we did this, it was Christmas. The number one prospect was Timothy LIljegren – and he was not the unanimous #1 choice of our panel this time. Six months later, and lots have changed.
And hey, if you’re super obsessive, check out parts 1 and parts 2 of last year’s top 10. It’s only been a year, but the Leafs have managed to improve – you won’t be seeing Andrew Neilson or Josh Leivo on this upcoming list.
So without further ado, here is your top ten prospect rankings for the Toronto Maple Leafs, courtesy of the Editor in Leaf staff – we polled everyone, discussed and then took turns writing out the profiles.
Dymtro Timashov
Josh Tessler
Dmytro Timashov is one of the Toronto Maple Leafs top offensive prospects. He’s a Ukranian-Swedish left winger who is currently playing in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. This season he scored 13 goals and 34 points in 67 games.
Timashov is 5’10” and 190 lbs. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft in the fifth roun, 125th overall.
The Toronto Maple Leafs saw a lot of promise in Timsahov after watching his dominant play in the QMJHL. In 123 games played with both the Quebec Remparts and the Shawinigan Cataracres, he totaled 41 goals and 134 assists.
In his 2016-2017 campaign, he registered 11 goals and 13 assists in 63 games in a Marlies’ uniform. He was able to have more success this past season, as he scored a few more goals and registered a 7 more assists.
Timashov has great wheels and some offensive ability. He’s got the talent, but it remains to be seen if he can utilize it at the NHL level. He dominated leagues as a slightly older than average prospect, and has been decent in the AHL. Andreas Johnsson is 23, Timashov is 21. Perhaps Timashov can follow a similar path of success and break into the NHL as a late bloomer – certainly his raw talent and project status suggests similarities. That said, Johnsson is an outlier and most guys who don’t make it by 23 don’t make it.
Timashov has talent, and he could still surprise. Than talent puts him slightly ahead of our number 11 pick (Yegor Korshkov) but we don’t expect an impact player. There is almost no chance he makes the team next season.
Eemeli Rasanen
Jim Tanner / Josh Tessler
Eemeli Räsänen is one of the Toronto Maple Leafs most interesting defensive prospects.
The 19 year old right handed defenseman hails from Joensuu, Finland.. He was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in round two of the 2017 NHL Entry Level Draft, 59th overall. He is 6’7 so he is an absolute monster. Also, check out the pic above – he’s not only huge, he’s super spooky!
Rasanen may be huge, but he’s not necessarily a prototypical big stay-at-home defenseman. He has a rocket of a shot, and is said to be a decent skater for his size. A player like this is a project, for sure, but an intriguing one. Gone are the days where teams draft for size, but Mark Hunter still took a shot at Rasanen last year with the hopes that he can develop into a Zedeno Chara type who can move the puck and be a good two-way defender. Good luck with that, we’ll settle for Tyler Myers!
Players like this rarely pan out, but this is another example of the Leafs taking a chance on a high ceiling player who probably won’t work out. Instead of drafting safe sure-to-be-in-the-NHL-but-nothing-special players who make scouts look good in the aggregate, the Leafs, with players like Korshkov, Timashov and Rasanen, taken out lottery tickets.
Chances are Rasanen never develops into an NHL player. But if he does, well, everyone wishes they had a seven footer on their blue line. Especially if he can move the puck, score some points and display some talent.
Although, the Maple Leafs own his NHL rights, he not yet signed to an entry-level contract. This past season, he played in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs. In 61 games played in Kingston, he registered 5 goals and 28 assists. It was his second year in the OHL and his scoring was down slightly in year two.
Rasmasen comes in at #9 because of the sheer potential of a 6’7 defenseman with skill. If he ever makes it to the NHL, he’s going to be awesome. But the odds are low, and that’s why he’s at number nine.
He has recently signed with the Finnish KHL team, and this extends the window of the Leafs owning his rights without signing him. For a project like this, you couldn’t ask for better news. Rasmasen will play in one of the world’s top leagues against many NHL level players and the Leafs have two more years before they have to decide on him.
Pierre Engvall
Lauren Kelly
Age: 22 (DOB: May 31, 1996)
Height: 6’4 Weight: 192lbs
Position: LW/RW
Drafted: 7th round in 2014 (188th overall)
Another Swedish seventh round gem (the Leafs took Andreas Johnsson in the 7th round in 2013), Engvall played three seasons in Europe before joining the Marlies back in 2017.
He played in a single playoff game and did not record any points. Engvall returned to Sweden to play for HV71 in the SHL this season. In 31 games played, he tallied 7 goals and 13 assists. Engvall undoubtedly would have scored more, had he not needed surgery to repair a fractured clavicle back in October. It was enough, though, to earn a PTO with the Marlies in March.
On May 17th, 2018, the Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs signed him to an entry-level contract for 2 seasons. Engvall had 8 points in 9 regular season games with the Marlies, and 7 points in 15 games during the playoffs. Like with most European players, Engvall’s needed a bit of an adjustment as he’s playing extended time on North American ice for the first time. Turnovers are much riskier with less space, and players have to make faster decisions. However, he plays more of a shutdown role with the Marlies, and he’s performed as well as many fans can hope.
For a player of his size, one might think that Engvall’s skating could be an issue, but it isn’t. He isn’t overly physical, and has more offensive upside. Another full season in the AHL should help him develop his offense in North America properly. With the Leafs likely losing two big LWs in James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov, it’s good to know there could be a potential replacement just waiting down in the minors.
Engvall has a lower ceiling than many players on this list, but he has a good chance of becoming an NHL fourth liner (maybe higher) and so his floor his higher than most as well. He’s got a much better chance of making the NHL than Timashov or Rasenen, but also a lower ceiling.
Adam Brooks
Jack Anderson
After leading the WHL in scoring, Adam Brooks was taken as a 4th round pick, 92nd overall in the 2016 draft.He is a 22 year-old, left shooting centre. He was originally passed over in two drafts, and wasn’t drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs until he was 20.
He was drafted after spending the 2015-16 season with the Regina Pats, putting up an impressive 120 points in just 72 games. So why did Brooks fall so far? Well, a large concern was his size. Weighing in at 175 lbs and standing at 5’10 at the time of the draft, many scouts felt his measures would hinder his success as a centreman. It doesn’t matter how much proof their is that scouts over compensate for a player’s size, it continues to happen.
This is another example of the Leafs taking a flyer on a high risk, high reward prospect. Brooks is small for a centre and a late bloomer. But he’s talented. Like many players on this list, he’s a longshot to make it, but if does make it, he’ likely be very good.
Brooks had a breakout season in the year he was drafted. Prior to his season as a the league’s leading scorer, he posted 62 points in 64 games and was passed up in the draft for a second time. This season, the Winnipeg native began his AHL career with the Marlies. It did take time for him to find his footing however, but he became a key part of the Marlie’s late season success.
Though he only finished his 57 game AHL season with 19 points, this shouldn’t be a concern. Looking back at his first two WHL seasons, Brooks registered only 23 points in a collective 115 games. So it isn’t out of character for him to take his time to breakout. Adam Brooks will look to step up to a bigger role with the Marlies next season as he continues to develop. Now 22 years old, he may find himself as a candidate to contribute the Leafs’ lack of centre depth in years to come.
Jeremy Bracco
James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Jeremy Bracco 61st overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. He is a right shooting winger who is 5’10 190.
Bracco was part of an interesting set of trades back in 2015. The Leafs could have selected Travis Konecny with the 24th pick, but they elected to trade it to Philadelphia in exchange for the 29th and 61st pick. Then they took that 29th pick and sent it to Columbus in exchange for picks # 34 and #68. So instead of Travis Konecny, the Leafs got Travis Dermott, Jeremy Bracco and Martin Dziearkals. Not to shabby!
Bracco is now 21 and recently scored six goals and 32 points in 50 AHL Games. He is a talented winger with lots of upside. He has only gotten into four playoff games this spring, but the Marlies are by far the best team in the AHL and Bracco will have a much bigger role next season.
Like many prospects on this list, and in the Leafs system in general, Bracco is a smaller, skilled player who can be considered a bit of a project. The talent is there, but whether it can be put together in a way that can succeed in the NHL is the question. Bracco is said to be one of the very best skaters in the Leafs system, and he’s highly creative.
But, he somewhat struggled in his post draft OHL season and hasn’t forced the Marlies to play him every game. Given his skating and his passing ability, he’s got a very high ceiling. The question is, can he live up to it? We’re ranking him sixth, because, in our opinion, out of the five guys taking up spots 6-10 on the Leafs prospect rankings, we think Bracco has the best chance / highest ceiling combination. Rasanen has the highest ceiling, but the least chance to make it. Bracco has a lightly higher floor, and a slightly lower ceiling, but overall we think he’s the best bet.
Next. Top Prospects Part 2. dark
We will be back tomorrow with part two, but in the meantime, please enjoy our Mock Draft.
Thanks for reading.