Looking Back at the Toronto Maple Leafs 2022 NHL Draft

The 2023 NHL draft is just a few weeks away, so I thought it would be a good idea to take a look back at how the Toronto Maple Leafs 2022 NHL draft is progressing.

The Toronto Maple Leafs made just five picks, all on day two of the draft.

However, they all seem to be progressing well, especially given the lack of picks and only making two selections in the first three rounds.

It is way too early to hand out any concrete grades but it is always good to look back and see how things are going along the way. So, without further adieu, let us look at how each player is doing one year later.

Toronto Maple Leafs 2022 NHL Draft Selections

Fraser Minten, C/W

The Toronto Maple Leafs coupled their first round pick last season at 25th overall with Petr Mrázek to trade down to the 38th overall pick. That is where they selected Fraser Minten from the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL.

The trade seemed like a win at the time in terms of the pick value difference and the cap space the Leafs were gaining from the trade. It still seems like a win, one year later as Fraser Minten has continued his development and improved.

The biggest noticeable jump in Minten’s game is his goal scoring. He went from 20 through 67 games in 2021-22 to 31 in 57 games in 2022-23. Overall, his points-per-game (PPG) average went from 0.82 last season to 1.18 this past season.

The big jump in production comes despite Minten consistently playing all around the top-nine as a centre and wing, and only occasionally getting a spot on the top line.

The big knock on Minten was him being perceived as a “safe pick”. A player who is defensively responsible and who had a limited upside, likely being a middle-six centre at the next level. He was also praised for having a high hockey IQ which makes him a wildcard.

As well, his stats in the Memorial Cup show that he does provide value in an offensive role, being one of the top zone entry players. This skill will serve him well at the next level, in any role he carves out for himself.

Next season with the likely graduation of players like Logan Stankoven, Ryan Hofer, Daylan Kuefler, and others. He should see an increased role for the Blazers. It remains to be seen where he ends up in the future but so far, he has progressed well. (stats for this article eliteprospects.com).

Dennis Hildeby, G

Hildeby signed his three-year entry-level contract (ELC) last summer just weeks after being drafted in the fourth round, 122nd overall.

The 21-year-old netminder then was loaned back to Farjestad BK of the SHL, where he played in 21 of his teams 52 league games.

There, he showed promise as a back-up, going 11-9-0 with a team leading .918% save percentage.

After his season, he came over to North America, where he suited up for two games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL.

He struggled in those games posting a .849% save percentage and was pulled halfway through the second game after allowing three goals on 11 shots.

At this point it’s unknown whether he returns back to the SHL or stays in Canada.

It’s likely that he will continue to develop in either the AHL or ECHL starting next season but nothing is confirmed as of yet.

He will be 22-years-old at the start of next season and would benefit most from staying here in the Leafs system.

It would be nice to see the Toronto Maple Leafs develop another homegrown product like Joseph Woll, especially since he’s capable of plays like the ones below:

Nikita Grebyonkin, LW/RW

The 2023 Alexei Cherepanov award winner for KHL rookie of the year had a monster post-draft season.

Grebyonkin was drafted in the fifth round, 135th overall by the Leafs. At just 20-years-old, he already looks like a steal.

After failing to produce in seven games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL and clearly showing he was above the VHL and MHL levels, he was loaned to Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL.

There, Grebyonkin was immediately thrust into a top-six role for Amur, where he thrived. In 45 games, he scored nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points.

This was good for fourth in team scoring, despite playing at least 12 less games than anyone ahead of him.

Had he played 57 games, at his pace, he should have scored roughly 33 points, putting him second.

Not only were his stats impressive in relation to his team, he lead all U-20 players in scoring across the KHL.

Looking ahead, assuming he goes back to Magnitogorsk, he could see a drop in points next season.

One of the reasons that Grebyonkin struggled there was because of the strength of the team. In 2021-22, they made the Gagarin Cup Finals and had a strong roster this past season, making the second round of the playoffs.

As well, the already unwillingness for teams to dress young players, especially those who could leave for the NHL, these could be compounding factors.

However, if Magnitogorsk carves out a spot for him in the lineup, Grebyonkin could continue to properly develop in one of the best league’s in the world before he does, if ever, join the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. Currently, his contract is set to expire at the end of next season.

If he does pan out and does come to North America, he could prove his early label of a steal. He has a great frame at 6’2 as well as a highly-skilled toolkit and refined game with high hockey IQ on both ends of the ice. With some refining, the sky appears to be the limit for his abilities.

Brandon Lisowsky, LW

The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Lisowsky with their last pick of 2022, in the seventh round at 218th overall.

He might be the most quintessential “Kyle Dubas pick” and fittingly, it was the last he made as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The diminutive, speedy winger, has one NHL calibre trait right now, his shot.

He scored 33 goals in his draft year and this past season, he topped that, scoring 38 goals.

Like his fellow Leafs prospect in the WHL, he also saw a big jump in production from below-PPG to above. Going from 0.85 PPG to 1.09, he took a good step this season.

As a seventh rounder, his potential is limited but so far the 19-year-old has done everything right.

If he continues to develop well and sees an increase in production year-over-year he could earn an ELC sooner than later.

All-in-all, the 2022 NHL draft looks like a huge success.

As I said before, it is still too early too tell whether or not it actually is but as far as early returns go, this is about as good as it gets.

Consistent, upward trending from each player and a rookie of the year winner in arguably the best league outside of the NHL. Kyle Dubas’ Leafs drafting swan song could turn out to be his best yet.