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CHECK OUT RUSS COHEN’S NHLDRAFTBUZZ.COM FOR INFO ON PROSPECTS AND NEWS IN THE HOCKEY WORLD
The Toronto Maple Leafs organization has drafted and developed a number of youngsters currently playing in the NHL (Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander), but the focus of prospect development under former GM Kyle Dubas and the last few seasons under Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark seemed to be on skill players, while GM Brad Treliving has begun to transition with a focus on young players with size.
As we did last year, we will rank the club’s top prospects over the upcoming weeks based on their progress in either the NCAA, CHL, Europe, ECHL or AHL and their potential to make the Leafs roster and contribute in the future.
Youngsters like Bobby McMann, Joseph Woll, Nick Robertson, Pontus Holmberg, and top-rated Matthew Knies have graduated, but here is a list of players eligible for the list who have not played more than 40 NHL games and are 25 years old or younger:
#40 - Wyatt Schingoethe – C (Western Michigan – NCAA)
#39 - Zach Solow - RW (Toronto - AHL)
#38 - Semyon Kizimov - RW -(Yekaterinberg - KHL)
#37 - Robert Mastrosimone – LW. (Toronto – AHL)
#36 - Marko Sikic – RW (Sarnia – OHL, Newfoundland/Norfolk – ECHL)
#35 – Jacob Bengtsson – D (Boston College – NCAA)
#34 – Nicolas Mattinen – D (Straubling – Germany-DEL)
#33 – Matthew Barbolini – F (Miami(OH) – NCAA, Toronto – AHL)
#32 – Nathan Mayes – D (Spokane – WHL)
#31 – Braeden Kressler – C (Flint/Ottawa – OHL
#30 – Jacob Frasca – C (Barrie/ Sault Ste. Marie.- OHL)
#29 – Chas Sharpe – D (Mississauga – OHL, Toronto – AHL)
#28 – Hudson Malinoski – C (Providence – NCAA)
#27 – John Fusco – D (Dartmouth – NCAA
#26 – Semyon Der-Argushintsev (Chelyabinsk Traktor – KHL)
#25 – Ty Voit – RW – (Newfoundland, ECHL, Toronto – AHL
#24 – Mikko Kokkonen – D – (Toronto – AHL)
#23 – Matt Lahey – D – (Nanaimo – BCHL)
#22 – Sam McCue – LW (Peterborough/Owen Sound – OHL)
#21 – Victor Johansson – D (Leksands Jr. – Sweden)
#20 - Alexander Plesovskikh - LW (Yugra - VHL)
#19 - Miroslav Holinka – C (Trinec Ocelari HC U20 – Czechia)
#18 – Roni Hirvonen – C (Toronto – AHL)
#17 – Timofei Obvintsev – G (CSKA Red Army Jr. – MHL)
#16 – Vyacheslav Peksa – G (Newfoundland – ECHL)
#15 – Cade Webber – D (Boston University – NCAA)
#14 – Ryan Tverberg – C (Toronto – AHL)
#13 – William Villeneuve – D (Toronto – AHL)
#12 – Alex Steeves – C(Toronto – AHL / Toronto – NHL)
#11 – Joe Miller – C (Harvard - NCAA)
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a dozen picks in the 2020 NHL Draft and all of the half dozen picks in the sixth and seventh rounds were players either bound for four years in the NCAA or a longer development track in Europe. With their third pick in the sixth round (180th overall), Toronto selected center Joe Miller.
A late 2002 birthday, Miller was the youngest draft-eligible player in the 2020 Draft and a prospect of the USHL’s Chicago Steel, who was recruited and scouted by former Toronto Marlies head coach Greg Moore. A scoring star at Blake High School in Minnesota, Miller scored 59 points (25 goals, 34 assists) in 25 games in his senior season and 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) in 40 games with the Steel in 2021. Last year, in his second full season with Chicago, the 19-year-old averaged over a point per game, with 68 points (23 goals, 45 assists) in 62 games.
“(Miller) is a really underdeveloped young man, with blazing speed, can score.” Former Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting John Lilley said. “Just has a lot of upside, a lot of growth his game. We just value the speed and the skill.”
Miller is on the small side (5’10”, 165 lb.), but according to the HockeyProspect.com Black Book “can overcome some of his physical attributes with his willingness to go to and navigate in the high traffic areas. He has good hands and quick stickhandling ability, and he thinks the game quickly offensively (and) can expose gaps in coverages and thread passes through tight spaces to find teammates in the offensive zone and can beat defenders one-on-one with his skill.”
Originally committed to the University of Minnesota, Miller headed to Harvard University, following in the footsteps of former Steel alum and current Leafs prospect Nick Abruzzese, and as a freshman finished fifth in scoring behind linemates Sean Farrell and Matt Coronato, with 28 points (13 goals, 15 assists) in 33 games. In his sophomore campaign, the 22-year-old led a subpar Crimson squad with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in 32 games.
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