Leafs Top Prospect Stuns Scouts With Shocking Transformation and Dominant Tournament Performance
Photo credit: The Athletic
The Toronto Maple Leafs' Victor Johansson impressed quite a few people in the World Junior Summer Showcase, and how quickly he's grown in only a couple of years.
While a lot of attention has been thrown on the Maple Leafs' offseason plans thus far, they have a lot to be excited about regarding their future. Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, and Artur Akhtyamov are all potential game-changers and could be mainstays for years to come.
But another player who is getting quite the look right now is defenseman Victor Johansson. Although he was seen as undersized, that was due to a medical condition and his growth both on and off the ice is turning some heads.
Invited to Team Sweden's World Junior Showcase, Johansson has earned high praise from his head coach although he's just excited to even be a part of things to begin with.
Leafs' Development Pipeline Continues to Deliver Surprises
However, it's not just the coaches and teammates that he's impressing, but scouts are quickly learning how good he could be.
For analyst and host of The Prospects Podcast Chris Peters, he was stunned by the progression of Johansson and was praised for his offensive presence as well as his uber-competitive nature:
Perhaps one of the most pleasant surprises of this tournament, Johansson is 20 pounds heavier and a lot stronger than he was when Toronto picked him in the fourth round in 2024.
On top of that, his offensive game has really come along, with solid hands and an ability to get pucks through. He has deft touch on the puck, making good passes and escaping pressure.
Johansson also had several big hits, showing his willingness and eagerness to use his improved strength to make opposing forwards uncomfortable. He said he is motivated to not just be a good defenseman, but to be the best.
There's still a long way to go there, but how can you not like that motivation?
On top of that, his offensive game has really come along, with solid hands and an ability to get pucks through. He has deft touch on the puck, making good passes and escaping pressure.
Johansson also had several big hits, showing his willingness and eagerness to use his improved strength to make opposing forwards uncomfortable. He said he is motivated to not just be a good defenseman, but to be the best.
There's still a long way to go there, but how can you not like that motivation?
Although he can charm you with his boyish and innocent smile, he's as focused and aggressive as can be when he laces up the skates, and if he can tighten up his defense a bit more while bulking up; he could be dangerous.
A Late-Round Pick Is Forcing His Way Into the Leafs' Plans
While there is a lot of talk about other potential defensemen in the system like Noah Chadwick, Cade Webber and the aforementioned Danford, Johansson is quickly establishing himself as part of the team's future.
Which is great news considering the Maple Leafs have an aging defensive core and could certainly use an injection of youth.
While he's not ready yet, if Toronto wants they can use a guy like Chris Tanev or Jake McCabe to mentor Johansson; and he can step in to replace Oliver Ekman-Larsson later down the line.
But if you had to look at Toronto's potential defensive groupings down the line, it could be a very intriguing mix of players:
Johansson - Danford
Webber - Villeneuve
Chadwick - Thrun
This is a grouping that in four or five years could be absolutely a threat in the NHL and gives Toronto a great mix of offensive prowess, defense, size, and most importantly youth.
He's going to head into training camp with a big chip on his shoulders and though he likely won't head to North America this year, any chance he can get in front of big-name competition he'll take it.
For now though, Johansson has to be all smiles considering he put his name on the map in only a couple of weeks.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 3 | 2495 ANSWERS Leafs Top Prospect Stuns Scouts With Shocking Transformation and Dominant Tournament Performance Do you think Victor Johansson will make the Maple Leafs next season? | ||
| Yes | 775 | 31.1 % |
| No | 1720 | 68.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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