Round-up of Every Pick the Toronto Maple Leafs Made at the Draft
The 2020 NHL Draft is officially over and the Toronto Maple Leafs have restocked their prospect depth by taking 12 players across all seven rounds.
The majority of Toronto Maple Leafs draft picks came in the final two rounds, but the organization has added a number of truly promising players to a prospect pool that was beginning to look surprisingly thin after a number of promotions over the past couple of seasons.
The Leafs had a pick in every single round this year, with multiples in rounds four, six and seven and some of the players they landed were expected to be gone long before Toronto’s number was up.
With so many new faces being brought into the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, we take a look at every player they have selected in the 2020 NHL Draft.
First Round
The Leafs first pick in the draft came courtesy of the trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that saw Kyle Dubas land the 15th overall pick and prospect Filip Hallander (plus extras) for Kasperi Kapanen (plus extras).
With that pick, the Leafs selected 19-year-old left winger Rodion Amirov out of Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League.
The 6-foot-1, 180lbs winger had a solid year playing in the Russian junior system, registering ten goals and 22 total points in just 17 games with Tolpar Ufa. This showing saw Amirov earn 21 appearances in the top overseas league, where he earned two assists in the process.
Some people have focused on his lack of production in the KHL as a reason for concern, but it is extremely rare for 18-year-olds to play extended amount of time in that league and, having a look at his performances so far this year, where he already has three goals and five points in ten games, should show people that this guy has plenty of room to grow and certainly already seems to be doing that.
The general consensus on Amirov is that he would be taken around the Toronto Maple Leafs pick, so the selection of the Russian, who has represented his country at a number of levels internationally, should not be a surprise and should be welcomed. (All stats for this article Eliteprospects.com).
Second Round
The Toronto Maple Leafs originally held the 44th overall pick in the second round, but made a draft day trade with Ontario rivals the Ottawa Senators, who jumped up to select Tyler Kleven with the pick.
In exchange, the Leafs acquired the 59th overall pick as well as the 64th overall pick, which was the second pick in the third round. With the 59th pick, the Leafs selected a player that was generally ranked far higher – defensive centreman Roni Hirvonen out of Ässät of the Finnish SM-Liiga.
The 5-foot-9, 170lbs forward had the unique experience of having his name called while he was in the middle of playing a game, as his side overcame HPK 4-3 with the game requiring a shootout to decide.
Hirvonen already has plenty of professional experience despite his young age, having played in 52 regular-season games last year with five goals and 16 total points while he has added three more appearances to his resume so far this season, with one assist to date.
He is defensively reliable and moves the puck with great pace, able to pick out teammates with smooth passes. He projects to be more of a defensive centreman in the NHL and was a surprise early drop on day two of the draft.
Third Round
After selecting one Finnish player that had a surprising drop, Dubas did the same just five spots later when he selected right-handed defenseman Topi Niemelä with the 64th overall pick.
The general consensus on rankings for Niemelä prior to the draft was early second round, so for him to fall into the Leafs’ lap a full round later gives Dubas a great, high-value young defensive prospect to develop.
Like Hirvonen, Niemelä already has plenty of professional experience after playing 47 games with Kärpät in the SM-Liiga – registering a goal and seven total points.
Niemelä is viewed as a skilled, defensively responsible puck-moving defenseman who could do with filling out his 6-foot, 163lbs frame, but could easily outperform his draft position after initially having rankings around the 40th pick mark.
Like his fellow countryman, Niemelä will continue his development in Finland, having already registered four points (1G, 3A) in the Finnish junior league this season, but could find himself brought over to North America sooner rather than later.
For fans calling out for the Leafs to add defensemen to their system, they have done so and he may be one of the steals of the draft with the position he was taken, potentially moving over to the AHL as early as next year.
Fourth Round
A number of talented goaltenders were available in the middle rounds of this draft, with the Toronto Maple Leafs opted to take Russian Artur Akhtyamov with the 106th overall pick.
Akhtyamov plays his hockey in his hometown of Kazan and has been nothing but dominant in the Russian minor and junior leagues over the past couple of seasons, including this one.
In the 2018/19 season, he played in 54 games in the Russian junior league and posted an impressive 2.30 goals-against average and .921 save percentage. The 18-year-old followed that up with an astonishing 1.80 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in 46 games last season, and it appears as if this form is continuing into the early stages of the 2020/21 season.
He has split time so far with Irbis Kazan of the MHL (juniors) and Bars Kazan of the VHL (minors), where he has a 1.67GAA/.926Sv% and 0.98GAA/.957Sv% respectively – showing that he is more than ready to take on more responsbility.
The Leafs have some promising goaltenders in their system with the likes of Joseph Woll and Ian Scott, but adding a young prospect such as Akhtyamov, who is already posted great numbers in Russia and could get a look in the KHL over the next year or two, is a sensible decision for the team.
With their next pick in the fourth round (122nd overall), the Leafs opted to add another defenseman to the system in William Villeneuve out of the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.
A 6-foot-1, 181lbs right-handed shot, Villeneuve was the highest points-producing defenseman in the Q last season with nine goals and 58 total points in 64 regular-season games before the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic shut the season down.
Villeneuve received mixed ranking prior to the draft, with some leaving him out of their top 100 while some had him sitting around that century mark. Either way, the Leafs have added a right-handed defenseman to their prospect pool and one that seems to have plenty of offensive upside.
Due to the bubbles being operated by the QMJHL, Villeneuve was unable to celebrate being selected with his family due them being located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, while he is in the Atlantic bubble.
He will continue his development in the Q with the Sea Dogs and already has an assist to his name in two games played so far this season. Improving his defensive game will be the focus on his development now that he has been drafted, but his offensive tools certainly interested the Leafs enough to take him.
Fifth Round
With the 137th overall pick, the Torotno Maple Leafs selected Russian forward Dmitri Ovchinnikov, who had just over a point-per-game season in the junior leagues last season.
In 54 regular-season games, Ovchinnikov registered an impressive 24 goals and 55 total points while playing for the Siberian Snipers (Sibirskie Snaipery) of the MHL.
His impressive showing last season saw him earn two appearances with Sibir Novosibirsk in the KHL, and his great start to the 2020/21 season (3G, 4A in 7GP in the MHL) has already seen him make three appearances in the majors this time around.
The 5-foot-11, 163lbs left-shot forward has great offensive senses and seems to put himself in the right places at the right times and uses his pace effectively. He will require some further development and will likely do so in Russia for the foreseeable future, until the Toronto Maple Leafs determine he is ready to make the move over the North America..
Sixth Round
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a trio of picks in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, with the first of them being Veeti Miettinen with the 168th overall pick.
Miettinen has spent the past two seasons dominating offensively in the Finnish junior leagues, registering 134 points (69 goals, 65 assists) in his past 100 regular-season games at that level.
The 19-year-old Espoo native is taking his talents to North America to continue his development, playing for St. Cloud University in the NCAA – giving the Leafs a chance to follow his progress more closely when the college hockey season eventually gets underway again.
Miettinen has a lot of offensive upside against his peers, now it will be a test to see him go toe-to-toe with players slightly older and closer to the professional level than what he experienced in his home nation.
Nine picks later, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected another Finnish defenseman in overager Axel Rindell out of Jukurit of the SM-Liiga.
Rindell played 47 games in the top tier of Finnish hockey last season and registered an impressive 22 total points with six goals and 16 assists.
The 20-year-old already has two assists in two games with Jukurit again this season and, due to his age, could be viewed as being ahead in his development – likely earning a shot at moving over to the AHL as early as next season if he continues to impress during the 2020/21 Liiga campaign.
Another right-handed shot, the Leafs have added yet another impressive talent to their prospect pool that could develop into something if he is handled the right way.
Three spots later and the Leafs selected one of the youngest players in the entire draft in Joe Miller, who turned 18 just last month.
Miller, who registered 59 points (25 goals, 34 assists) in just 25 games in one of the American High School leagues, is set to play for the Chicago Steel of the USHL this season before heading to college for the 2021/22 season – where he will play for the University of Minnesota.
Miller is currently 5-foot-9 and 146lbs, but he is younger than any other player chosen by the Toronto Maple Leafs in this draft and will have plenty of time to fill out his frame and grow as he continues to develop his game in America.
Seventh Round
All three players the Toronto Maple Leafs selected in the final round of the 2020 NHL Draft will develop their game in university either this season or next.
With the 189th pick, the Leafs took right-handed defenseman John Fusco after a strong 31-point season as the captain of Dexter Southfield in the US High School Prep League.
Fusco is already committed to Harvard University for the 2020/21 season and will continue his development in the NCAA when college hockey officially begins, with the Leafs able to keep a close eye on his progress over the next few years.
Six picks later and the Leafs selected 5-foot-11, 201lbs centreman Wyatt Schingoethe out of the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL.
Schingoethe is committed to the University of Denver but will not head there until the 2021/22 season and will likely continue playing in the USHL during the 2020/21 campaign after registering 17 goals and 38 total points in 47 regular-season games last time out.
With their final pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs went closer to home with the selection of Richmond Hill native Ryan Tverberg out of the Toronto Jr. Canadiens of the OJHL.
In 47 games last season, Tverberg registered 51 points (26 goals, 25 assists) and he will also be taking his talents to Havard University in the 2021/22 season, joining Fusco a year into his development by that point.
Next. Leafs Top 10 Prospects. dark
With Tverberg unable to play in the OHL due to his commitment to Harvard, it’s likely that the Canadian centreman sticks around in the OJHL and continues to put up big numbers before heading across the border to college.