Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects Update: Voit, Knies and Minten

The Toronto Maple Leafs have quite a few prospects that are having strong seasons.

Now that we are into December, it’s a good time to check on the players in Toronto’s pipeline.

The Leafs have used more prospects this season that anyone expected. Nick Robertson made the team out of camp, but had trouble sticking because of the team’s depth.

Additionally, Pontus Holmberg, Mac Hollowell, Semyon Der-Arguchintsov, and Philip Kral have all made their NHL debuts so far this season.  I don’t think anyone foresaw a situation were one of the NHL’s top teams was breaking in five different prospects, but the injuries have been pretty significant for the Leafs to date this season.

As for their prospects not in the NHL, the majority have played at least 15 games or more, which might not be a good sample size for statistical analysis, but does give us a good idea of how their season are going so far.

This article will focus on three of the Toronto Maple Leafs prospects, Ty Voit, Matthew Knies, and Fraser Minten.

All three players are off to a good start in their 2022-23 season in their respective leagues. The future looks promising for all three. They might not be ready for the NHL yet, but they’re close. Matthew Knies is probably the closest to making the NHL out of the three players mentioned in this article.

Hopefully, all three players will pull the blue and white Toronto Maple Leafs jersey over their heads someday. Until then, we watch them work their way up and wait for their opportunity. They are already proving that Toronto has some good players in its prospect pipeline.

A Look at Three of the Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects

Ty Voit

Ranked 5th on our list of the Toronto Maple Leafs Top 10 Prospects, Voit is a 19-year-old forward who plays center or left wing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Voit in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL draft with the 153rd overall pick.

He is 5’9 150 Lbs, but don’t let his size fool you.

Voit is a point-producing machine that plays a creative style of hockey. With nine goals and 39 assists for 48 points in 27 games, Voit is leading the OHL in scoring.

He had 80 points in 67 games last season. Current projections have him finishing the season with around 120 points. (Stats from eliteprospects.com).

There was recently some controversy as Voit was left off the Team USA World Junior roster, with many vocal Leafs fans thinking he deserved a shot.  It’s hard to understand why he wouldn’t get one, considering how much he’s scoring.

Voit look like an absolute steal for a 5th rounder, but keep in mind that the most recent NHL drafts were even more crapshoots than usual due to players missing so much time due to the Pandemic.

Matthew Knies

Matthew Knies is a 20-year-old left-winger playing in the NCAA.

He is 6’3, 209 Lbs power forward. Knies is not afraid to hit and battle for pucks.

The potential to be a star in the NHL is there. Fans could see him play for the Toronto Maple Leafs as soon as this season, although a rookie breaking into the NHL on one of the best teams after the trade deadline is possibly a little far fetched, but he’s so good there is a chance it actually happens.

Knies was the Leafs second best prospect entering this season, and if Nick Robertson sticks in the NHL, that makes him the teams Top Prospect.

There is a ton of speculation that Knies will join the Maple Leafs once his NCAA season finishes, as fans of the team salivate at the possibility of a Tkachuk-style power-forward joining the team.

Let’s consider the rarity of those players, however and keep expectations somewhat in check.  Knies is an extremely exciting prospect, but he’s no blue-chipper.

Still, the Toronto Maple Leafs are overdue in finding a star player outside the top of the draft, and this may be their best chance at doing it.

He is in his second year at the University of Minnesota and has 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points in 18 games. Last season he had 33 points in 33 games.