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6 Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects to Watch in NCAA Frozen Four

By Mike Jack

Apr 10, 2021; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The U.Mass Minutemen celebrate after defeating the St. Cloud State Huskies to win the championship game of the 2021 Frozen Four NCAA hockey tournament at PPG Paints Arena. The Minutemen won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2021; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; The U.Mass Minutemen celebrate after defeating the St. Cloud State Huskies to win the championship game of the 2021 Frozen Four NCAA hockey tournament at PPG Paints Arena. The Minutemen won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs didn’t move any of their top prospects at the recent NHL Trade Deadline.

The Toronto Maple Leafs currently have eight prospects playing in the NCAA and six of them will have their skills on display during the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four tournament.

This year’s tournament will take place in Boston, Massachusetts and features the top 16 teams from US men’s college hockey beginning on Thursday, March 24 with the finals taking place on Saturday, April 9th.

The six  Leafs prospects will be playing on these four teams:

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers

Forward, Matthew Knies, and defenseman, Mike Koster, are both Toronto Maple Leafs prospects playing for the University of Minnesota.  The Golden Gophers are seeded #2 in their pool and will play #3 seeded UMass Minutemen in their first round matchup.

Matthew Knies was a 2nd round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021 NHL Entry Draft.  He scored a goal in the only game for Team USA in the 2022 World Juniors tournament and had a goal and an assist in four games during the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.

Knies had 12 goals and 29 points in 30 games with the Golden Gophers this season and was named to the NCAA B1G All-Rookie Team and NCAA B1G Second All-Star Team. (Stats from EliteProspects.com)

Mike Koster was a 5th round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and was named to the 2021 NCAA B1G All-Tournament team.  He had three goals and 14 points in 33 games with the Golden Gophers this season.

The Harvard University Crimson

Harvard University also features two Toronto Maple Leafs prospects with centre, Nick Abruzzese, and defenseman, John Fusco. The Crimson are seeded #4 in their pool and will faceoff against #1 seeded Minnesota State University Mavericks in their first round game.

Nick Abruzzese was a 4th round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. In 2019, he led the USHL with 80 points in 62 games and was named to the USHL First All-Star Team.

In 2020, Abruzzesse led the NCAA ECAC with 31 points and was named to the NCAA All-USCHO Third Team, NCAA East Second All-American Team, NCAA ECAC All-Rookie Team, NCAA ECAC First All-Star Team, NCAA New England D1 All-Stars and NCAA All-Ivy League First Team as well as being awarded NCAA ECAC Rookie of the Year and NCAA Ivy-League Rookie of the Year.

Abruzzesse scored a goal and four points in four games with Team USA at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing.  He scored nine goals and 32 points in 27 games as captain of the Harvard Crimson this season and was named to the NCAA ECAC First All-Star Team.

John Fusco was a 7th round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.  He had a goal and an assist in 25 games with the Crimson this season.

The St. Cloud State University Huskies

St. Cloud State University is home to right winger, Veeti Miettinen.  The Huskies are seeded #3 in their pool and will take on the #2 seeded Quinnipiac University Bobcats in the first round.

Veeti Miettinen was a 6th round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.  In 2021, he was named to the NCAA NCHC All-Rookie Team and NCAA NCHC Second All-Star Team as well as being awarded NCAA NCHC Rookie of the Year.  He scored 10 goals and 23 points in 36 games with the Bobcats this season.

The Western Michigan University Broncos

Western Michigan University is the top seeded team in their pool and will play #4 seeded Northeastern University Huskies with centre, Wyatt Schingoethe.

Wyatt Schingoethe was a 7th round selection by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.  He went without a point in 20 games with the Broncos this season.

Next. Leafs Prospect Pool. dark

Forward, Ryan Tverberg (University of Connecticut), and defenseman, Ryan O’Connell (Ohio State University), are the two Leafs NCAA prospects that aren’t participating in the Frozen Four Tournament. Tverberg was named to the NCAA Hockey East First All-Star Team and was a
Nominee for the Hobey Baker Award this season.

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