Toronto Maple Leafs November Prospect Update Vol. 2- AHL
November is here and the Toronto Maple Leafs farm team remain undefeated in regulation, under the helm of Sheldon Keefe.
The Marlies have been fortunate to get the Toronto Maple Leafs “roster run-off” As a result, the Marlies have toyed with its opponents at times.
There is no doubt that the Leafs have a lot of borderline NHL players who couldn’t quite stick with the team on the Marlies current roster: Nic Petan, Kevin Gravel, Jordan Schmaltz and Rasmus Sandin just to name a few.
The Marlies are able to run a wave of offense against every team they face, tiring them out with a barrage of speed, skill and strong forechecking.
The Marlies roster is fantastic, but it’s not just the borderline NHL players that make it good. The Toronto Maple Leafs have incredible prospect depth considering the quality of their team at the NHL level.
In this part of our monthly Leafs prospect series, I will look at the AHL Prospects the team currently has.
C; Adam Brooks, 23 5’10, 181
If you were disappointed to see that Connor Brown was traded away this previous off season, then I give you his replacement, Adam Brooks. Their careers are so similar that it makes you think if we are living in an alternate universe. Both are undersized forwards, who went under the radar and later dominated in their draft + years. Adam Brooks was also taken late in the draft like Brown.
Stylistically, Brooks and Brown are very similar too, they like to buzz around the offensive zone and create havoc. Both are dependable defensively, being trusted by their coaches for defensive assignments. If Brooks were a few inches taller, he would probably be in the NHL right now.
The road of Brooks’ development has been a bit rocky, but that is in large part due to Toronto’s immense offensive depth. Brooks was given 4th line duties in his first season on the Marlies in 2017-18, but then worked his way into a top 9 role last season.
Brooks now being 23, is entering the “he is, what he is.” stage, where what we see is what we get from Brooks. This is the issue about taking overagers in a draft, it’s all about the amount of development curve/control you can get out of the prospect.
From putting up 40 points in 61 games to posting 4 points in 4 games this season, Brooks has worked his way into the Leafs potential future plans. Due to Brooks being a center, he has a shot to make the Leafs but his ceiling is limited at this point in time.
ETA: 2020-21
Scouting report; Versatile, blue collar, bottom six center, who could be shifted to the wing
C/LW; Pierre Engvall, 23, 6’5, 214
Being 6′ 5, Pierre has a giraffe like stride, where he has such a strong presence in the middle of the ice, using his long reach and speed.
Engvall being drafted in the 7th round in 2014, wasn’t given much of a chance from the beginning, but that size always stood out. Engvall was able to take his time and develop in his home country, Sweden and as a result, Toronto could have yet another valuable forward on their hands.
Seeing how Engvall is doing this season is quite encouraging, putting up 9 points in 10 games, while playing center too. Management brought in Pierre as a left winger, which is one position of need, but felt it was better to utilize Pierre’s size down the middle. Pierre has a lot of speed, skill and size and as a result, seems to have a legit opportunity to eventually crack the Leaf’s roster.
Like Adam Brooks, Engvall is approaching the “he is, what he is” stage. Pierre’s value remains limited, but his size gives him a bigger window for the Leafs.
ETA; Now/ 2020-21; Pierre could be in the NHL right now, but Toronto is developing him slowly on center. Realistically, Engvall could make it next year.
Scouting report; Versatile, big forward with skill and speed, capable of contributing on special teams.
RW; Jeremy Bracco, 22, 5’11, 185-
Trying to see what exactly Bracco is, is pretty simple. He is a power play specialist, who excels in creating and making plays for his linemates.
What Bracco struggles with, is being held accountable in the defensive zone. Bracco was given heavily protected minutes and as a result, Bracco posted 79 points in 75 games.
Playing the right wing, Bracco is climbing an uphill battle on the depth chart. With the likes of Marner, Nylander and Kapanen taking up the top 9, the only spot is the 4th line spot.
In order for Bracco to be an NHL regular, which he absolutely could be anywhere else, he has to develop his defensive game. Bracco has the potential to be in a protected NHL role, but will have to become a dependable back checker first.
This season, Bracco has picked up where he left off, registering 10 points in games. Considering his great season last year, I thought Bracco should have taken another step this year, but that might be asking for too much from the young forward.
ETA; Now- he has the skill for the NHL, but depth charts and lack of defensive game hold him back.
Scouting report; Top 9 forward, power play specialist
LW/RW;Yegor Korshkov, 23, 6’4, 214
The International man of mystery. This is a big understatement to many, as Yegor came packed with questions and not many answers. Playing hockey in a completely different time zone and on a team that was not all that good, didn’t bode well for his first impressions amongst Leaf fans.
What is clear, Yegor plays like a Zach Hyman/ Tomas Holmstrom type. He likes to be a big presence on the cycle and around the net. Posting eight points in ten games, it looks as if Korshkov has made the right choice coming over from Russia.
Korshkov already plays a North American based game, so his transition shouldn’t be too strenuous.
Luckily for Korshkov, he is a versatile winger, who plays on both special teams. He has an active motor and a long reach that is a nuisance to play against. He is a Babcock style player, so his chances of reaching the NHL remain very strong, as long as he keeps up his production.
ETA; 2020-21- Next year looks to be a safe bet for Korshkov to crack the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup after another impending crap crunch. Plus a full year of development on North American ice wouldn’t hurt either.
Scouting report; Versatile forward who can play up and down the lineup. Has special teams abilities, which help his case to make the NHL as well. Size and cycle ability is what will help his case for a roster spot.
D; Timothy Liljegren, 20, 6’0, 193
At the time of the pick, Leafs nation were overjoyed with the fact, management managed to snag Liljegren in the first round, at the 17th pick.
Fast forward 2 and a half years, Liljegren’s development has been nothing short of polarizing. Liljegren was known as a high octane offensive defenseman. Heading into his draft year, he was projected to be a top 3 pick, but a case of Mono tanked his draft stock. Timothy being a right handed defenseman was nothing short of the perfect fit and best player available strategy pick for Toronto.
Being from Sweden, Liljegren was able to afford Toronto extra control on his development, close to headquarters. Timothy had his minutes controlled and was eased into the lineup. This allowed Timothy to develop and hone his game, to where he could be adequate in the Leafs lineup right now.
Liljegren has had an interesting development curve, he was protected in his first season and then was pushed hard to round out his defensive game last season.
This has given many fans the wrong impression of Liljegren and many have written him off. Seeing as Timothy is 20 years old and having played against men for the past 4 years (including Sweden), his development is going just fine.
We need to remain patient and confident about Liljegren, this season, he has seen an uptick in production, putting up 8 points in 10 games. Liljegren hasn’t posted more than 17 points and if he stays healthy this year, he will absolutely smash that benchmark.
Keefe has shown plenty of confidence in Liljegren, playing him on the top pair, alongside Rasmus Sandin.
ETA: 2020-21
Scouting report; Puck moving defenseman with a strong hockey IQ. Liljegren has an ability to log a lot of minutes as well. He has a solid frame for the NHL, but will need to continue to improve his speed and strength.
D; Rasmus Sandin, 19, 5’11, 183
Rasmus Sandin was largely unknown at the time he was picked last off season, but Leafs nation knows who he is now. Sandin has a smaller frame for the NHL, but he makes up for that with a smart stick and positioning.
Sandin has shown that he can dominate the lower levels, using his smarts and skill. Rasmus isn’t a speedster by any means, but has a superior understanding of how each play will unfold, to allow him time and space.
Sandin plays a style and way that makes it look easy to play 25+ minutes a night and not break a sweat. Sandin is calm under pressure and knows when to jump into a rush or to hold back.
This past pre-season, Sandin looked so good that he forced management’s hand into keeping him on the Leafs. Eventually Sandin began to wear down, being sent down to the Marlies, where he has seven points in seven games.
Sandin has now proven that last season was no fluke, he is able to handle and dominate the AHL. Given his age of 19 years old, it seems as if the sky’s the limit for Sandin at this point. Right now Sandin needs to become stronger and gain more experience, he will be in the NHL sooner than later.
ETA; 2020-21, but could be called up again this season.
Scouting report; Top four defenseman, who can step into a top pairing role and provide valuable minutes. Has special teams abilities as well.
D- Jesper Lindgren, 22, 6’1, 176
Jesper Lindgren has had a fairly quiet start to the season, but sometimes no news is good news. When watching defenseman play, if you don’t notice them, that is a good sign, if you notice them, that can only mean one of two things- they are either lighting it up, or are a complete trainwreck.
We can’t truly pin Lindgren under any sort of judgement, as he is coming over from Europe to play full time on North American ice. Jesper plays a skilled, puck moving game, where he is very mobile and can join the rush.
What is going for his chances of reaching the NHL, he is a right handed defenseman, something Toronto is desperate for. If Lindgren can show improvements across the board as the year goes on, he will continue to get opportunities on the Marlies.
ETA; 2022-23, It’s hard to project Lindgren’s development here, he plays the Leafs style of hockey and is a right handed defenseman, both bode well for him.
Scouting report; Lindgren plays a silky smooth game, he is mobile and smart with puck moving. He’s a hybrid of Anton Stralman and a poor man’s Erik Karlsson
D- Teemu Kivihalme, 6’0 180
The start of this season has been quiet to say the least for Kivihalme, as he has gone pointless in 8 games so far. It will be tough for him to steal minutes away from the top 4, as he continues to adjust to a new team.
Teemu has to show that he can keep up with the pace of the AHL, or his tenure with Toronto will be a very quick one. I like his overall game and what he brings to the Leafs organization, but he’s another left handed defenseman.
Being a defenseman in Toronto is a great problem to be in- the media is hard to deal with, but the payoff of playing well, is huge. Teemu has shown that he can battle through adversity in Finland and university hockey with Colorado. Now that Teemu is in Toronto, he is going to have to show why it was worth it to take a chance on him.
ETA; To be quite honest, I don’t think Kivihalme has much of a shot cracking the Leafs at this point in time.
Scouting report; A dependable, puck moving d-man, who is capable of eating up important minutes for the Marlies
G- Joseph Woll, 21, 6’4, 203
Joseph Woll has had an impressive journey to being the Toronto Marlies’ backup. He has been dubbed as the “Brick Woll” and has the challenge of living up to that moniker in Toronto.
Trying to assess goalies is always a struggle, as we have seen countless times that if you count them out, more often than not, you will eat those words.
Over the past years since Woll was drafted, Joseph has shown gradual improvements. Finally getting an opportunity in front of management, Woll gets showcase what he has learnt.
In the 5 games Woll has appeared in, he has posted a 2-0-3 record, with a 3.36 GAA and .897 save percentage. These numbers may not be all that impressive, but let’s not forget that Woll is 21, playing against men, in his first season in the AHL.
ETA; 2022-21, Like Lindgren, Woll being a goalie is hard to predict when he could make the jump to the Leafs full time. I am simply basing this off of the fact that Frederik Andersen could potentially leave via free agency in 2 years.
Scouting report; Woll possesses a large, projectable frame.
Concluding Thoughts
Stats and information for this article: AHL.com, Eliteprospects.com, hockeydb.com
The Toronto Marlies seem to be heading towards another deep Calder cup run. They are deep on forward and defense, so deep in fact, that several players had to be sent to the Growlers to make room. goaltending still remains to be a bit of a question mark, however.
Next. Leafs Canadian Hockey League Prospects. dark
The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has become a development factory for all sorts of prospects and it is quite exciting cheering for the Blue and White, being able to follow these prospect’s journey’s to the pros.