With the NHL preseason underway, it is that time of year where players look to earn jobs or at least make a great impression with their team. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, they would have the chance to evaluate some of the new faces that have joined the organization, as well as some of their young prospects to get an idea what impact they could potentially have in the near future.
With the NHL going with the expanded 84-game schedule for the 2026-27 season, training camp will be considerably shorter this year with only four preseason games in total slated in the schedule. As a result, the chance for the Maple Leafs young players to prove themselves become that much more minimal. Nevertheless, we will take a look at 3 Leafs prospects that could surprise in training camp.
3 Maple Leafs prospects that could surprise in training camp
G Artur Akhtyamov
Prior to the 2026 offseason, goaltending prospect Artur Akhtyamov was at most fourth on the Maple Leafs depth chart behind Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby. But with the departures of both Woll and Hildeby now, it has opened up the door for Akhtyamov to eventually be the next man up for Toronto behind star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and Stolarz.
The 24-year-old prospect is coming off a solid 2025-26 campaign in which he posted a 21-12-4 record with a 2.88 GAA and .904 save percentage with the Toronto Marlies and even played in three games with the Maple Leafs. More notably, Akhtyamov helped the Marlies win the Calder Cup by going 15-7-0 with a stellar 2.22 GAA and .923 save percentage during the AHL Playoffs. Look for the 24-year-old goalie to continue that momentum into training camp and show that he is ready for the big show if called upon this season.
D Ben Danford
Ben Danford might not be your prolific offensive defenseman from the back end. But what he could provide the Leafs in the near future is elite shutdown minutes with his strong play physically and defensively. Danford had a solid 2025-26 campaign with the OHL Branford Bulldogs where he posted two goals, 14 assists for 16 points in 37 games played in helping them to the OHL Playoffs. Of course, he was eventually also a part of the Marlies’ championship run as well. In addition, Danford was a part of Team Canada at the World Juniors Championship where he played a key role in leading Canada to a bronze medal finish.
Already shown that he could be a winner, he may actually be knocking on the door in making his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs by the end of the upcoming season. With his rapid growth and maturity in his game with his tremendous gap control and ability to move the puck, look for Danford to not look out of place during the preseason and make everyone take notice that his time could come sooner rather than later.
F Gavin McKenna
People may be wondering why Gavin McKenna would fall in this category, since many are already expecting big things from the Leafs 2026 No. 1 pick. After all, McKenna is just one year removed from his spectacular 2024–25 campaign with the WHL Medicine Hat Tigers where he compiled 41 goals, 88 assists for a whopping 129 points in just 56 games of action. Last season in NCAA, the 18-year-old winger amassed 15 goals and 51 points in 35 games for Penn State. But known for his elite vision on the ice, McKenna is expected to make an impact this season with Toronto .
But where the surprising aspect will come in is the fact that unlike other young players that may endure a learning curve before they find their game in the NHL, McKenna will prove right from the get go in training camp that he is already ready for the big show. As we witnessed in his solid play from the preseason last Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, he gave the Maple Leafs offense that much-needed spark that was missing from almost the entire 2025-26 season for Toronto. If McKenna can continue that strong and creative play from here on out, he won’t only be surprising in camp, but for the rest of the 2026-27 campaign in his rookie year with the Leafs as well in leading them to winning success.
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