2025 Leafs Prospect Rankings, No. 7: Jacob Quillan

In 2023, Jacob Quillan scored the overtime winner 10 seconds into the extra frame in the Frozen Four to lead the Quinnipiac Bobcats to their first NCAA championship over Matthew Knies' University of Minnesota. At the conclusion of the season, Quillan signed with the Leafs on a two-year entry-level contract. With strong play with the Marlies, Quillan earned his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators and the No. 7 ranked prospect in Editor in Leaf's Top 10 rankings will look to continue to emerge in 2025-26.

Quillan had an outstanding college hockey career in the NCAA with Quinnipiac. On their way to the Bobcats national championship in 2023 Quillan scored two goals to advance to the final in a game against Michigan. His sophmore season in college saw him put up 38 points in 41 games and in his final season of college hockey he was over a point-per-game player with 46 points in 39 games played.

In the 2023-24 season, Quillan won the Gladiator Best Defensive Forward Award in the ECAC conference of Division I NCAA hockey. He was also a second-team All-ECAC player that season and was the Most Outstanding Player at the Frozen Four in 2023.

Quillan is a center who can also play on the wing and the 6'1" 204lbs Dartmouth, N.S., native is a promising prospect in the organization after a first season with the Toronto Marlies that earned him a call-up for the Leafs for one game in January of 2025.

What they did last season:

Last season was Quillan's first full season of professional hockey after a brief Marlies stint to end the 2023 season. The 23-year-old was a standout for the Marlies appearing in 67 games with 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points as a rookie. His strong play earned him a call-up to the NHL as on Jan. 25 against the Ottawa Senators. Quillan skated on a line with Fraser Minten and Ryan Reaves but was limited to just 5:21 in icetime after collliding knee-on-knee with Senators forward Nick Cousins.

Quillan caught the eyes of Leafs management to earn his call-up last season and with the Marlies he showed that he possess the skills at both ends of the ice to be a strong NHL player at some point. The 2024-25 season showed the Quillan is ready for pro hockey, now it's about taking the next steps in his career.

We we expect this season:

This season, Quillan is expected to continue to take the next steps in his career. The Leafs have a logjam at forward as Brad Treliving brought in the likes of Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua, who will be locks for the NHL roster. Meanwhile veteran forwards Michael Pezzetta, Travis Boyd and Vinni Lettieri all played NHL games last season and 2023 first-round pick Easton Cowan will make the jump to pro hockey. The Leafs are deep on offence and Quillan will likely start the season with the Marlies but if he can build off of the success that he had last season he'll prove to Leafs management that Quillan is the most worthy candidate of all call-up.

His play in the offensive and defensive zone is expected to continue to grow throughout the season on a Marlies team that has a good mix of young players and veterans. Tranning camp will be important for Quillan, especially as the Leafs have added Scott Laughton since the last time Quillan with in the NHL. Laughton is a player who Quillan plays a similar style to in terms of versatility and two-way play. If Quillan can play a similar style with the Marlies this season and continue it in the NHL if he earns another call-up to the Leafs as this season is all about improving his game and taking the next step in his career.

How does Quillan fit the Leafs plans?:

Quillan has the potential to be apart of the Leafs plans in both the short and long term. The Leafs have three forwards who are pending unrestricted free agents as Laughton, Bobby McMann and Calle Jarnkrok's contracts are set to expire on July. 1, 2026. This season the goal for Quillan should be a prove that he can replace one of the three forwards in the lineup during the 2026-27 season. He possess the tools that a player needs to be successful in the NHL with a good mix of size, skill and defensive play. He's shown yearly improvements throughout his career and if he continues to do so, he has the potential to be a great find as an undrafted free agent for the Leafs. When the Leafs called up Quillan in January, Head Coach Craig Berube spoke very highly of the young forward.

""I love his speed and his strength... PK and checking type of player. In camp and in the games, he had a pretty good hockey IQ.""

Craig Berube

Quillan will look to continue to impress Berube and his staff in camp and throughout the season. He's a player that the organization clearly likes and see's as a part of the future if he continues to develop this season.

What is Quillan's NHL ceiling?

Quillan's NHL ceiling appears to be a bottom-six forward with strong two-way skills, defensively responsible and can produce offensively at a bottom-six rate. He has the potential to win over the hearts of not just management and the coaching staff but also Leaf Nation. A direct comparable for his NHL potential is Washington Capitals forward Nic Dowd. Dowd, 35, continued to improve in each of his four season at St. Cloud State in the NCAA before joining the Los Angeles Kings, who drafted him in the seventh-round in 2009 at the end of the 2013-14 season. Dowd has had a solid NHL career with 582 games played and 176 points. Dowd has been a staple in the Washington Capitals bottom-six since he signed with them on July. 1in 2018.

His offensive numbers in the NHL don't stick out with a career high 27 points in 82 games this past season but he plays a strong game at both ends of the ice and is an extremely reliable on the penalty kill and in a bottom six role as he's adapted his game to play a role at the NHL level after being a strong scorer in the NCAA. A similar outcome from Quillan would be great for the Leafs, who have often found themselves look for players like what Quillan has the potential to be at the trade deadline and in free agency in years past.

Quillan possess the tools to be a contributor for the Leafs one day and this season is all about taking another step forward. He is a name to watch in tranning camp and on the Marlies this season and he's a prospect that Leaf Nation should be excited for what the future could look like for the 23-year-old.