3 Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects Lighting Up the NCAA
The Toronto Maple Leafs have some exciting prospects playing in the NCAA right now displaying talent that may lead to NHL futures.
It actually seems as though the NCAA may be the Toronto Maple Leafs favourite league to draft from in recent years. With eight current NCAA prospects, the only league currently carrying more Maple Leafs hopefuls is the AHL.
There have been some great players emerging from the NCAA in recent years include Toronto Marlies standout, Alex Steeves, who was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer and is currently on a point per game pace in his AHL rookie season.
The Leafs system as a whole has taken a few years to recover from graduating their current top-of-the-draft star players, and the combination of Mark Hunter’s weak drafting, low picks, and trading picks to be competitive has seen the team’s prospect depth suffer over the last few years.
Dubas has been trying to improve the Leafs system, and one way in which he’s tried to do that is through the NCAA. Here’s a look at a few Toronto Maple Leafs prospects turning heads in the NCAA this season:
(All stats from EliteProspects.com)
Matthew Knies – University of Minnesota
As a freshman with the University of Minnesota, Matthew Knies has racked up 7 goals and 14 points in 14 games.
Those are amazing numbers for a 19 year old in the NCAA, and they’re good enough to lead the University of Minnesota in goals and points.
Matthew Knies is projected to be a top line talent for Team USA at the 2022 World Junior Championship after showing his skills at the World Junior Summer Showcase last summer where he was the highest American scorer with 4 goals and 7 points in 5 games.
Knies was ranked 3rd in goals and points during the WJSS behind other Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Roni Hirvonen (2nd) with 8 goals and 10 points in 6 games.
Though some scouts projected a first round selection, Matthew Knies was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2nd round (57 overall) in the 2021 NHL Draft after he scored 17 goals and 42 points in 44 games with the Tri-City Storm in the USHL.
Ryan Tverberg – University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut centre, Ryan Tverberg, is having a breakout season with 9 goals and 16 points in 13 games.
Tverberg leads the University of Connecticut in goals and points and currently ranks 9th in goals and 16th in points in the NCAA.
This is a huge improvement for the sophomore who tallied 7 points in 14 games last season. Tverberg is still just 19 years old and if he can continue to improve, he may elevate himself up the Maple Leaf’s prospect depth chart.
Ryan Tverberg was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 7th round (213 overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft out of the OJHL.
Nicholas Abruzzese – Harvard University
After missing the entire 2020-21 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Harvard Crimson returned to the ice on November 1st 2021 for the first time since March 2020.
Despite the long layoff, team captain and leading scorer, Nicholas Abruzzese, looks like he hasn’t missed a beat while racking up 12 points in his first 8 games.
Harvard has played fewer games than most of the other NCAA teams, but Abruzzese ranks 7th in the league for points per game.
Nicholas Abruzzese was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 4th round (124 overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. In 2020, he was named NCAA Ivy-League Rookie of the Year, was named to the NCAA All-Ivy League First Team and lead the ECAC with 31 points.
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During the 2018-19 season while playing with the Chicago Steel, Abruzzese led the USHL in points (80) and assists (51).