Prospects Who Could Surprise at Maple Leafs' Preseason Camp

Toronto had traded away their first round picks from 2025-2027, and moved top prospects Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin, leaving Easton Cowan and a group of question marks.

For the Leafs, they'll have to hope to make lemonade out of the lemons they currently have, and hope what they have is enough to be impactful in the future to justify their lack of prospect depth.

The Leafs prospect push seemingly starts and ends with Easton Cowan. The big problem with the Leafs roster, which is far from a bad one to have, is that they have a strong amount of depth, and added a plethora of veteran depth options such as Michael Pezzetta and Vinni Lettieri that are recall grade players, and make it harder for the rookie forwards to get a shot.

Cowan, who is coming off a dominant OHL career, has the potential to be a top-six forward in his future, although he may have to wait a bit to get an NHL spot unless Toronto struggles and Cowan can prove himself quickly.

As a smaller forward who needs some seasoning, Cowan isn't going to be rushed into the NHL as soon as possible in order to prepare for the intensity of pro hockey. Cowan could still very well feature for Toronto, but he'd have to have a truly dominant preseason to earn a roster spot.

Also in contention for a look is center Jacob Quillan, who looks like he could easily project to a bottom-six role at center, and does have a pathway to a roster spot with rumors about David Kampf's future in Toronto, and how players such as Scott Laughton will do next season.

Two players who will fight for being noticed are prospect signings Luke Haymes and Borya Valis, both headed to the Marlies but hoping they can showcase their translatable skills to the pros.

Prospects Miroslav Holinka and Tyler Hopkins will likely appear, although they'll likely be sent back to the CHL early, both will have the chance to at least show some promise in their games as they too could be bottom-six options in the future.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were always weaker on the defensive end vs forward, and with the draft only walked away with one defenseman in Rylan Fellinger, a long-term project pick.

The Leafs lost defenseman Topi Niemela to Sweden, and it seems that Marshall Rifai is slowly aging himself out of a chance at the Leafs roster as some had hoped he'd fight for in the past.

Victor Johansson will be back in Sweden with Leksands as he looks to make their roster after impressing with Sweden at the WJSS, but top prospect Ben Danford should be available.

He won't make the team but will be showcasing his potential against NHLers and other experienced pros.

Also in the depth chart is college free agent signing John Prokop, who was one of the top NCAA defensemen last season, and a well-liked prospect in the organization in William Villeneuve. Both will be fighting for potential call-up opportunities.

Newly acquired Henry Thrun, brought over in a trade from San Jose, is a player who has potential as an NHL defenseman, but may need a year to reset after struggling last season in a full-time capacity.

He could battle Simon Benoit for a third-pair spot, but more likely may be a top defender for the Marlies, and could contend for a proper NHL spot next year.

In net, Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov will be looking to become real competitors to knock off Joseph Woll as the Leafs #2 goalie, or make a case for Toronto to not need Anthony Stolarz, who is up for a contract extension.

Both will also be in battle to lead the Marlies net, both having shown last season their capabilities in doing so.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will look to have young, and cost-saving, options in their roster that can help ease the load put on their high-priced stars.

As the Leafs core hits what should be the midway point of their careers, having players such as Cowan on affordable deals will be incredibly helpful to their makeup.

It'll also be an important step in analyzing where top prospects such as Cowan and Hildeby are as players and whether they can quickly make an impact on the Leafs roster soon, as well as the development growth of other top prospects more far away such as Danford.

With a lack of prospect depth that could become an issue for Toronto, seeing what they currently have taken large steps would be a major benefit for their system in feeling more secure in their future.