Impressions from Game 2 of the Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Tournament

Yesterday, some Toronto Maple Leafs prospects hit the ice to take on the Chicago Blackhawks in their second game in the Traverse City Prospect Tournament.

It was a chance to see prospects like recent Toronto Maple Leafs 2019 draft pick Nick Robertson play for the first time.

After watching the game, I’d like to share my thoughts and feelings about some of the prospects in both systems.

Before that, I’d like to run down the Toronto Maple Leafs roster for game two.

Robertson, SDA, Korshkov, Abramov, Kral, Loponen, and Bouthillier are all Leafs draft picks.

Duszak is signed to an NHL contract.

Elynuik, Brazeau, Sapego, and Zhukov are all on AHL contracts

Hamblin, Conrad, Woods, Carroll, Simoneau, Moore, Pepin, and Staios are all on tryout contracts

Now, we can get onto player evaluations.

We start off the evaluations with some players on Toronto’s roster that both impressed and disappointed this game.

LW Nick Robertson:

Robertson was excellent this game to say the absolute least. He possesses fantastic skating ability and hands. The shifty winger can very easily dangle through several players, which he showed multiple times this game. He also uses his speed to sneak through the neutral zone in anticipation of a rush, which he lead on several occasions.

The Leafs’ 2019 second round pick scored his third goal of the tournament this game.

LW James Hamblin:

Hamblin was aggressive all game. His excellent speed and stick checking ability combined for an annoying, pest-like style of play that constantly got him involved in physical battle, many of which he lost. To be honest, Hamblin reminds me of Connor Brown, which is a good thing, but I find it hard to see as much of a future in Hamblin.

LW Joe Carroll:

Carroll was like a combination of Elynuik and Hamblin, aggressive and on the puck, but almost always in key offensive position. Carroll was often trying to create plays rather than finish them, which had ultimately ended some nice plays that were forming for the Leafs at times.

C Hudson Elynuik:

I’ve liked Elynuik since his days as a Canes prospect, but it’s been almost two years since then. At 22 years old, Elynuik is very much reaching the “This is what he is” stage of prospect development, and considering the fact he played most of last season with the ECHL Newfoundland Growlers, I wasn’t expecting much.

Elynuik was decent this game, tallying two assists and was often in ideal offensive position, but he was extremely snake-bitten, missing wide open nets and clear scoring chances. Other than some bad luck, he was solid.

C Semyon Der-Arguchintsev:

SDA, a fan-favourite prospect from the 2018 draft, was one of the more oddly inconsistent players in this game.

At times, you’d see his impressive speed and confidence in transition and other times it’s like you’re seeing a ghost wearing his jersey. He was just simply not involved enough in my opinion, often hanging back or looking lost in the O-zone, which is a shame because he is dangerous when he’s involved.

RW Yegor Korshkov:

Yegor Korshkov looked really good against the Hawks. The Russian winger was consistently involved in play, aggressive on the puck and always looking for offensive opportunities. Toronto’s 2016 second round selection picked up an assist in yesterday’s action

D Filip Kral:

Kral was probably the best all-around defender in yesterday’s game. Kral was positionally sound, made very few mistakes. The Czech defenseman often jumps into offensive plays, typically in ideal set-up or shooting position, although passing could be improved.

D Joey Duszak:

Duszak is a personal favorite of mine. An offensive defenseman in it’s purest form, Duszak enters the offensive zone with great confidence, and loves to show off his hands and speed.

Outside of the O-zone is less fun for Duszak, as I caught him being a bit lackadaisical in puck battles and caught him puck watching a few times.

D Kalle Loponen:

Loponen, who was added to the roster fairly recently, impressed me quite a bit. His hustle to get back and sound positioning made for an interesting impression of a defensive defenseman. Passing needs some work.

Nate Staios/Marc-Antoine Pepin Pairing:

This defensive pairing was actually good, having good chemistry, completing crisp D-zone passes and worked well at the point. That being said, Pepin and I spent just about the same amount of time watching the play, and Staios takes far too many risky passes, many of which were through the middle of the ice, which is a basic “Don’t do that” of hockey. The pairing was fine, just had a few brain farts too many.

G Maksim Zhukov:

Zhukov was the most surprising player at this tournament in my eyes. The former fourth round pick started the game off a little shaky, often biting on plays a little too early, but he quickly eased into a calm and steady goalie.

Zhukov was very effective at stopping shots in tight and down low, and often utilized his 6’3″ frame to stop Chicago’s systematic cross-crease passing plays. Zhukov only allowed one goal, which was an absolute beauty from Philipp Kurashev, and was otherwise very impressive.

At only 20 years old, Zhukov could very well have a bright future ahead of him, hopefully with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

That concludes my impressions of some  Toronto Maple Leafs prospects, now onto Chicago.