The Toronto Maple Leafs enter the 2025 NHL Draft holding six picks in their holster, all on day two of the draft. I already looked at defensemen that General Manager Brad Treliving and co. could be eyeing so now my sights are set on forwards.
The club has seemed to do well with drafting forwards in recent years, selecting players; Matthew Knies, Nikita Grebenkin, Fraser Minten, and top prospect Easton Cowan. Three of those players came outside of the first round, showing that the club can still find value with their current picks. Especially now that two of those forwards have been traded, the team will seek to replenish their prospect pipeline and draft at least a few more forwards in 2025.
Although Treliving's preference for forwards are a little less obvious than his leanings for defensemen but there are observations we can make from his previous selections. He tends to have a leaning towards two-way forwards, players that can fit into a variety of lines and are defensively responsible. Keeping this in mind, I have identified a few players that may interest the Leafs.
Filip Ekberg
After moving over from Sweden this year, Ekberg was utilized mainly in a bottom-six role for the Ottawa 67’s and thus, was not as productive as many would have hoped. Through 53 games the winger scored 16 goals and 29 assists for 45 points. Despite this, he continued to show many of the qualities that made him such an intriguing prospect heading into the year.
Don’t let his 5-10 168lbs frame fool you, Ekberg is not a soft player. He has an unrelenting motor with the compete level to battle along the boards, including against pro players. He also has the soft skills to drive play, using his vision and playmaking to set up teammates. He also has some dual-threat goal scoring abilities, getting to the middle of the ice to drive the net as well as having the makings of a decent shot.
Ekberg’s struggles have seen him fall down to 65th according to Elite Prospects' consolidated ranking. If he is still available the Leafs should look at him with their second or even third round pick as he could provide very good value relative to his actual skill level.
Ethan Czata
An incredibly versatile player, the 2024-25 season has been a bit of a breakout campaign for the Brampton, Ontario product. After recording 17 points in 62 games last season, he more than tripled his production scoring 21 goals and 55 points through 68 games this year. He also represented Canada twice internationally at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last summer and the Men’s U-18 tournament in May.
Czata is a center who is capable of playing up and down a lineup, at least at this level. He is defensively responsible and has been utilized as a shutdown option, logging many minutes killing penalties as well. As he’s shown this year he is also able to drive play, being slotted beside top-2026 NHL Draft pick Ryan Roobroeck. The ability to play a defensively responsible while driving play could be an intriguing combination for an NHL team.
Using Elite prospects consolidated ranking, he is ranked 58th which could make him available with the Maple Leafs second or third round selection. He is a player that should be high on the clubs' list. Especially with the team moving on from prospect Fraser Minten at the deadline, the prospect pool is thin down the middle and adding Czata would help bolster the pipeline.