Toronto Maple Leafs December European Prospect Update

The Toronto Maple Leafs organization have had continuous success in the development of prospects from Europe over the past few seasons. This current crop may be the most challenging to date…

The Toronto Maple Leafs are under new leadership in December and with the change has come a real change in focus. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been a skill focused team in the past few seasons and this is something that has really lent itself toward many of their previous European prospects.

The pass based focus that Keefe had instilled with the Marlies allowed players like Sandin, Korshkov, Aberg and Engvall to really thrive. Coming from the larger ice, their skill development was always the focus of their play. This change is something that the prospects still plying their way in Europe should welcome and be encouraged by.

The December prospect update sees some welcome improvements for some of the lesser known prospects alongside some real disappointing news for one. We also seem to finally be seeing the return to form of our 2019 third round stud, Mikko Kokkenen.

All information for this article has been sourced from: hockeydb.com, eliteprospects.com, KHL.ru, Liiga.fi and SHL.se

If you haven’t read the previous European Prospect articles they can be found here:

• October Update
• November Update

As with every European Prospect update, we will begin with our juniors over in Russia.

Russia – VHL

Vladislav Kara
Drafted – 2017, Round 4, #124
Age-21, Winger, 6’2, 205lbs

Vladislav Kara has been a real cause of optimism over the past month for his KHL side Ak Bars Kazan. Since earning his call-up from the VHL, he has notched a very respectable 8 points (4-4-8) in just 15 games.

Considering Vladi only put up 5 points in the KHL last season, having played 41 games, this is a huge improvement in his numbers already. Kara’s deployment is very much that of a bottom 6 forward but considering his team sit comfortably atop the KHL standings, he is in a good position going forward.

If Kara can maintain his role with Kazan, he would surely be drawing the interest of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization for the beginning of next season. Given the Toronto Maple Leafs track record of breaking Europeans in with the Marlies, Kara has an opportunity to go from a forgotten pick to a name of interest.

 
Semyon Kizimov
Drafted – 2018, Round 7, #211
Age-19, Right Winger, 6’0, 179lbs

Kizimov’s season began horribly, at the end of October he had only managed 2 points in 19 games in the VHL. Numbers like that wouldn’t be good enough for a spot on the Newfoundland Growlers, let alone consideration anywhere else.

At the beginning of December Kizimov is at a slightly improved 5 points (3-2-5) in 27 games. His regression this season makes it difficult to see how he holds any value to the organisation, especially considering his game is that of a scoring winger.

This is another wait and see, likely with a lot more waiting than seeing.

Nikolai Chebykin
Drafted – 2016, Round 7, #182
Age-22, Winger, 6’4, 216lbs
Chebykin sat at 8 points from his first 20 VHL games when we last wrote about the European prospects. Over the past month he has continued to improve, adding another 8 in his last 10 appearances.

That has his currently sitting at 16 points (4-12) in 30 games. Whilst that certainly isn’t anything the write about, Chebykin has consistently improved across each month, notching three, five and eight points in each respective update (each update has been across a 10 game span).

As mentioned in the previous article though, Chebykin likely holds little to no value to the Toronto maple Leafs organization.

Vladamir Bobylyov
Drafted – 2016, Round 5, #122
Age-22, Winger, 6’3, 205lbs
Vladimir Bobylyov is the last of our current group of Russian junior league prospects. Bobylyov, who plays on the same team as Nikolai Chebykin, has added 6 points in his 10 appearances this past month.

Bobylyov has fewer points than his teammate at 15 (9-6-15) yet likely holds a tiny bit more value than Chebykin when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bobylyov has North American ice experience and a physical edge to his game that Chebykin can’t match. However, at the age of 22 it’s unlikely this duo see any time with any of the Toronto Maple Leafs affiliates considering their production in a junior league at their current age.

VICTORIA , BC – DECEMBER 31: Pontus Holmberg #29 of Sweden versus Kazakhstan at the IIHF World Junior Championships at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on December 31, 2018 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images)

Professional – SHL & KHL

Pontus Holmberg
Drafted – 2018, Round 6, #154
Age-20, Centre/Winger, 5’11, 179lbs
Pontus Holmberg has had a slow November and early December. So slow in fact, that he has been held pointless in his last 8 games, dating back to the second of November. Yet, despite his lack of production, Pontus has seen little to no change in his usage.

Pontus is an interesting prospect for the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Whilst never being an offensive weapon, he has been a mainstay at the SHL level from the year he was drafted, a rarity for a late pick.

Prospects plying their way in any men’s league provide a much higher likelihood for success, especially considering the SHL and KHL are the best leagues outside of North America.
Holmberg is the kind of prospect who likely could be a Marlie come next season and provide additional centre depth within the organization.

Eemeli Rasanen
Drafted – 2017, Round 2, #59
Age-20, Right handed Defenceman, 6’7, 225lbs

It’s just one wrong step after the other for this big lumbering defenseman. It has almost become a comedy of errors if it weren’t so sad to watch.

Rasanen was recently loaned to Denmark, after a failed spell in the KHL with Jokerit, then in the Mestis with Kiekko-Vantaa. Rasanen has appeared in 2 games with the Frederikshavn White Hawks without a point.

Eemeli Rasanen legitimately presented as a high risk, high reward type of prospect. When you mismanage a high-risk prospect as abhorrent  as Rasanen has been, there is little surprise there is no reward seen.

It’s difficult to know where the blame lies with this players development, likely with many people, but the opportunity to potentially have had a 6’7 right shot defenseman who could play all situations and produce looks to have disappeared.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have done a phenomenal job of their management of prospects and development of the past few years. Rasanen exists as a real stain on what has otherwise been a very positive system.