Grading The Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Pool

Defensemen

Grade: C-

Notable Players: Topi Niemela, Ben Danford, Noah Chadwick, Cade Webber, Mikko Kokkonen

The Leafs lack both depth and impact in their defense prospects.

Topi Niemela looks like he still has the most upside and having just turned 22, he has some runway left to continue developing but he will have to take strong steps forward in the next few seasons.

Aside from him, the pool lacks legitimate top-four upside. Players like Noah Chadwick and recent first round pick Ben Danford are intriguing but both have flaws which could limit their impact at the next level.

Danford has yet to show real offensive potential but he is a smooth skater and has the defensive abilities to be a useful piece and if he can develop his offensives game more, he could end up being the best of the current crop. Chadwick has great size and took a very strong step on the offensive side of the game this past year but his skating could be an attribute that holds him back.

Outside of these three, most of the pool looks bleak with a few players that have limited potential. William Villeneuve showed strong offense in juniors despite some concerns with his mobility and has yet to breakout in a big way with the Marlies but has taken some strides to round out his game.

Mikko Kokkonen is the opposite in almost every way and impressed Sheldon Keefe at last year’s training camp. At this point, he will turn 24 midway through next year and will need to break through at some point soon.

Another key player is Cade Webber, the Leafs traded a sixth round pick for his rights at the deadline and have since signed him to an entry level contract that will expire at the end of next year. Given Treliving’s eagerness to acquire him it seems likely that he will be given a shot in the near future.

The D-group lacks impact players and as of right now, there are only two players I would say have legitimate second-pair potential, which that might even be a stretch. Aside from that, there are a few who do project to play primarily bottom-pair roles but there is not a lot of NHL project-ability in the pool currently, outside of a handful of guys.