Toronto left Victor Johansson, Ethan MacKenzie and Zac Olsen off its prospect showcase roster

Toronto is sending 26 prospects to Gatineau, but the roster matters more for who is being pushed toward pro hockey than for Gavin McKenna's presence.

This upcoming weekend's going to be the first time Maple Leafs fans get to see their team in action, albeit a much younger version as the Prospect Showcase will be held Sept. 12th-13th.

McKenna is already projected to reach the NHL this season. The more revealing names are Ben Danford, Vinny Borgesi, Hayes Hundley and Timofei Obvintsev, players Toronto can use this weekend to determine who is closest to moving beyond prospect-only competition.

McKenna is the headline, but Toronto's real forward decisions start behind him

But one player who certainly will be appearing and is going to make that leap is Gavin McKenna, as he's been listed on the roster.

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McKenna is going to have the brightest spotlight on him without a shadow of a doubt, though we can't overlook who else the Maple Leafs brought in because it gives us a good indicator of who we may see in the future.

Tinus Luc Koblar, Luke Haymes, Miroslav Holinka, Tyler Hopkins, Harry Nansi, Cooper Williams, and Landon Sim are all coming in and all have varying levels of experience and potential.

Koblar helped Norway beat Canada in the IIHF World Championships while adding 9 points, Nansi has exploded as a serious first-line playmaking option for Owen Sound with incredibly quick progression, meanwhile Sim and Haymes are Calder Cup winners with the Marlies already, and are looking to stake their claim as the first call-ups for the Maple Leafs.

In addition, Toronto brought in two free agents in Matyas Man and Parker Vaughan, the latter who was a standout at the team's development camp this summer:

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Danford and Obvintsev give Toronto two very different NHL-readiness tests

That's just up front. We also have Ben Danford, Alex Bilecki, Noah Chadwick, Vinny Borgesi and Hayes Hundley are some of the key blueliners for Toronto. Danford is their top shutdown prospect, meanwhile Chadwick could be a great offensive weapon on the backend in a few years.

Borgesi and Hundley are two NCAA signings who can offer an offensive and playmaking spark (Borgesi) or add some more toughness and size (Hundley) and Bilecki was this year's second-round pick.

In net we have Patriks Plumins, another 2026 draft pick, as well as Timofei Obvintsev, who is officially making the jump over to North America this season. Rounding the crease out is Sebastian Charvat, a Czech goaltender who is expected to play with the Waterloo Black Hawks in the USHL for 2026-27.

It's really some of the best of the best in Toronto's system, though there are some key names missing such as Victor Johansson, Ethan MacKenzie, and Zac Olsen though that's due to prior commitments to overseas teams and the NCAA respectively.

For Toronto, the weekend is less about discovering its best prospect - everyone already knows that is McKenna - and more about identifying which names behind him are ready to shorten their development timelines.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Ben Danford won a Calder Cup at 20 and Toronto's rookie showcase can no longer test him