Which Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects Will Make the Jump

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in the early stages of the 2023 off-season. So far, they have fired general manager Kyle Dubas and lost assistant general manager Jason Spezza.

While Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan searches for a new GM, it’s important to remember all the players.

As pending unrestricted free agents like Alex Kerfoot or Justin Holl search for new teams this off-season, prospects are waiting to take their place.

Depending on how many prospects move from the Toronto Marlies to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Marlies will have a few roster spots available. Prospects from the ECHL will try to move up to the Marlies, and prospects who finished with their junior team are looking to turn pro.

The Leafs and Marlies both saw players make temporary jumps this season.

Time will tell if any of those players can take the next step and earn a permanent spot next season. With the Leafs looking for a new GM, it’s unknown if head coach Sheldon Keefe will return. It is hard to predict which players will excel when we don’t know who the head coach will be.

The same goes for the Toronto Marlies, who fired their coaching staff. Until a new head coach is appointed and an understanding of what the team is looking for, it will be hard to guess which prospects get full-time spots in the AHL.

Here is a look at the prospects with the best chance of advancing to the NHL or AHL for the 2023-24 season.

Prospects Joining Toronto Marlies

Ty Voit

During his first season (2019-20) in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Sarnia Sting, Ty Voit registered eight goals and 20 assists for 28 points in 49 games.

The 2020-21 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, so when the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Voit in the fifth round of the 2021 NHL draft with the 153rd overall pick, they only had his 2019-20 stats to go by. (Stats from eliteprospects.com)

Toronto got lucky and drafted a player who might exceed expectations. Voit has torn up the OHL since being drafted. In the 2021-22 season, he recorded 26 goals and 54 assists for 80 points in 67 games. This season was even better, with 24 goals and 81 assists for 105 points in 67 games. Voit was also a point-per-game in the OHL playoffs last season and this season.

Voit joined the Toronto Marlies for their AHL playoff run but never saw any game action. He’ll be looking to be a full-time Marlie next season.

Topi Niemela

Topi Niemela is a right-shooting defenseman from Oulu, Finland. Toronto drafted Niemela in the third round of the 2020 NHL draft with the 64th overall pick. He has spent the past four seasons playing for Karpat in the Finnish Elite League (Liiga). This season, Niemela registered eight goals and ten assists for 18 points in 58 games with Karpat.

Niemela joined the Toronto Marlies near the end of their season on March 29th, 2023. He registered a goal and an assist for two points in six games. During the Marlies AHL playoff run, Niemela recorded two goals and three assists for five points in seven games. He’ll be looking to be a fixture on the Marlies blueline next season.

Ryan Tverberg

The Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Ryan Tverberg in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL draft with the 213th overall pick. He has developed nicely since then, with three seasons in the NCAA for the University of Connecticut. This season he registered 15 goals and 15 assists for 30 points in 35 games.

Like Niemela, Tverberg joined the Marlies late in the AHL season. He played seven games but recorded zero points. The Marlies did not use him in the playoffs. Tverberg is hoping to be in the Marlies lineup regularly next season.