The Toronto Maple Leafs, along with every other NHL team, have prospects playing in different leagues around the world. For some of those prospects, their 2022-23 regular season is finished.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have prospects playing in North America, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and other parts of Europe. Some European leagues have completed their regular seasons, and so has the NCAA in North America. Players will now shift their focus to the playoffs if their teams qualify.
Now is the perfect time to evaluate how prospects did during the season in their respective leagues. Not every prospect has a good season, but some do, and others have outstanding seasons. In this article, I will focus on four of the Maple Leafs prospects.
Here is a closer look into how the 2022-23 regular season went for Toronto prospects Nikita Grebyonkin, Matthew Knies, Artur Akhtyamov, and Slava Peksa.
Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects Season Reviews
Nikita Grebyonkin
Nikita Grebyonkin finished his rookie season with Amur Khabarovsk in the KHL. He ended the season as the top-scoring U20 player with nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 52 games. It was the 7th-most single-season U20 points in KHL history. Not bad for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ fifth-round pick from 2022.
Matthew Knies
Matthew Knies is considered to be Toronto’s top prospect. He just completed his second NCAA season with the University of Minnesota. Knies finished the 2022-23 season with 21 goals and 18 assists for 39 points in 34 games. He helped the University of Minnesota clinch the top seed for the NCAA BIG Tournament. Knies is expected to join the Toronto Maple Leaf’s lineup once his playoff is over.
Artur Akhtyamov
Artur Akhtyamov finished his 2022-23 season with Neftyanik Almetievsk in the VHL in Russia. He ended the season with a 20-12-6 record with six shutouts in 39 games. The 21-year-old Russia finished the regular season with a 1.74 GAA and a .943 SV%. He was drafted by Toronto in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL draft.
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Vyacheslav (Slava) Peksa
Slava Peksa recorded decent numbers despite his 13-19-6 record in 40 games. He finished his first pro season with a 2.34 GAA and a .921 SV% with two shutouts. The 20-year-old was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL draft. He will be looking to make the jump from the VHL to the KHL next season.