THN.com/podcast. Matthew Knies [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwMTY4OTQ5NjAwNDk0NzAw/usatsi_20597223.jpg] Matthew Knies As the NHL off-season ticks on, Tony Ferrari continues to analyze each team’s prospect pool, with the Toronto Maple Leafs next up. In this series, Tony Ferrari digs into each team’s strengths and weaknesses, their latest draft class, where their positional depth chart stands, and who could be next in line for a shot at the NHL. Note that a player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for the purposes of these exercises unless mentioned otherwise. INTRODUCTION Everyone saw what Matthew Knies brought to the table in his brief run with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year. He battled physically along the boards, established himself in front of the net and made positive plays at both ends of the ice. His ability to lift his opponent's stick and strip the puck on the back check was instantly noticeable. His puck skill and offensive game were impressive, consistently proving he belonged in the Leafs' top six. After Nick Robertson made his NHL debut in the 2020 bubble playoffs, impressing fans and analysts alike, he has struggled to establish himself in the NHL because of injuries and inconsistencies. He played 17 total games last year and just 82 total games since the bubble playoffs three years ago. After scoring 55 goals in his final junior season as a 19-year-old, he was forced to jump into the AHL a year early because of the pandemic. Robertson is an intense competitor and feisty player on the ice, playing without regard for his 5-foot-9 size. His shooting talent is impressive, and his motor never stops. The 21-year-old is still young enough to reach his potential, but he needs to stay healthy and establish his role in the organization this season. Roni Hirvonen is an undersized, hard-working center who plays with intelligence. The Finnish forward is expected to make his North American professional debut this season. He plays a sound defensive game, working to establish body position along the boards to break up the cycle and reading the opposing team at a high level. Hirvonen isn’t the most dynamic player, but he is an efficient forward who stacks positive plays on top of each other. The Leafs have a physical goal-scorer in Fraser Minten. He loves to engage defenders with and without the puck, attacking them head-on. His shot is very good, and he does an excellent job of shooting in traffic as well. Minten is a growing playmaker, learning to pass out of traffic instead of forcing a shot. He could be a dangerous player in the WHL this upcoming season. The Leafs have quite a bit of depth when it comes to forwards. Ty Voit was arguably the best playmaker in the CHL last season, leading the OHL with 81 assists. His ability to find passing lanes, alter his skating path to open new lanes and feather pucks through traffic are incredibly impressive. Nicholas Moldenhauer is more of a dual-threat scorer with a very good shot, but his passing is his biggest strength. He doesn’t have the same creativity as Voit, but he has the efficiency that teams love to see from their playmakers. Moldenhauer can pass north-south or off his backhand better than most players at his stage of development. Toronto has done a good job of turning its reputation of a bad defensive team around by putting up defensive results at the top of the NHL in recent years, but most of the players integral to that haven’t been draft picks. Topi Niemela may be the best player in the system that can join the group to continue that trend. Niemela had a fantastic season right after he was drafted, dominating the World Junior Championship and putting together an incredible season in the Liiga. Last season, he took a bit of a step back, but he still showed some of the qualities that have made him a very good prospect. After a brief stint at the end of last year in the AHL, he is expected to play a full season in North America with the Toronto Marlies. William Villeneuve played his rookie year with the Marlies last year and looked more than capable of playing his game. He is an excellent passer and an intelligent shooter, moving to the middle to take his shots. He needs to clean up some of his footwork, and he must ensure his game continues to mature, particularly on the defensive end. But overall, the 21-year-old’s rookie season as a pro was promising. The Leafs have stocked up on goalie prospects, with Joseph Woll standing atop the group at the moment. He was very good in the AHL and had a healthy season, finishing the year as the Leafs' backup in the playoffs. He was very good just about every time the Maple Leafs called upon him. Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov are younger prospects who have shown promise since being drafted. Hildeby continued his strong play in Sweden, posting solid results in the SHL last year before joining the Marlies at the end of the season. He will battle for starts in the AHL this upcoming year. Akhtyamov, meanwhile, was simply dominant in Russia's second-tier VHL last season, posting a .943 save percentage over 39 games. He will be looking to take a step and play full-time in the KHL this upcoming season, continuing to prove himself as one of the Leafs’ best netminders. 2023 NHL DRAFT CLASS Round 1, 28th overall - Easton Cowan, RW, London (OHL) Round 5, 153rd overall - Hudson Malinoski, C, Brooks (AJHL) Round 6, 185th overall - Noah Chadwick, LD, Lethbridge (WHL) When you are gunning to win the Stanley Cup (or get out of the first round), you trade a lot of your draft capital to bolster your roster every year. That left the Leafs with just three draft picks, and the first-rounder they had wasn’t even their own. After moving their own first-round pick in the Ryan O’Reilly trade, the Maple Leafs acquired Boston’s from Washington when they moved Rasmus Sandin. With that pick, Toronto made one of the biggest surprise picks of the first round by taking London Knights winger Easton Cowan, a player routinely ranked anywhere from 55 to 115. Cowan’s season was an intriguing one, however, as he consistently found ways to get better. While he seemed to be playing second fiddle to Denver Barkey, a fellow draft-eligible forward, throughout the regular season, Cowan began driving the bus in their run to the OHL final. Cowan’s creativity as a passer and impressive work ethic allow him to make an impact on every shift. His skating is fairly average, which may be a roadblock for the 5-foot-10 forward, but he doesn’t rely on his speed to attack. Rather, he is a tactician who generates high danger-scoring chances. The story of Hudson Malinoski [https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/pick-malinoski-thriving-after-surgery] is an interesting one. After falling off his roof as a thrill-seeking 13-year-old, Malinoski suffered a torn vertebral artery, which is the main supply of blood to the brain. A rare surgery allowed him to continue living his life after a lengthy recovery. This led to him taking an unorthodox path to being drafted, playing AAA hockey through his draft year and then joining the Brooks Bandits of the AJHL prior to last season. Now committed to Providence College, Malinoski will have to refine his game and improve his tools as a late bloomer who had a growth spurt as a 16-year-old. His shot is very good, using it as a weapon at every level, and his playmaking has improved as he’s matured. He works hard on the forecheck and the backcheck as well. The biggest issue with Malinoski is that between his injury and the pandemic, he missed two years of development. The college route is perfect for him to develop and refine his skills and skating. Noah Chadwick shows flashes of a puck-mover who can contribute at both ends of the ice, but they are very inconsistent. He has size and is a willing hitter, but he isn’t a guy who blows opposing players up. Instead, he pins them to the boards and takes the puck. At 6-foot-4, he uses his length well and defends by leading with his stick. He has a good shot but doesn’t always get himself into shooting lanes or high-to-medium danger areas, instead settling for outside shots. His skating is his biggest red flag, and that should be an area of focus for him over the next couple of years, but he is a very interesting swing in the sixth round. STRENGTHS The wing is easily the Leafs' strength. They have players at both wings who project to be NHLers. Knies will be a fixture in the lineup this upcoming season, while Robertson and Nick Abruzzese could easily factor in at points this year. Abruzzese is a smart playmaker who has a nice blend of puck skills. Cowan, Voit and Moldenhauer are all a couple of years away, but they look like NHL-caliber players as well. Even deeper into the pipeline, a guy like Ryan Tverberg has taken massive strides since being drafted and plays the game with a ton of energy, so he could be a solid fourth-liner. Dmitry Ovchinnikov is one of the most intriguing players because of his two-way game and incredible speed. He is expected to play in the AHL this year after an additional year in Russia last year on loan. WEAKNESSES The defensive pipeline was once viewed as a strength with Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren leading the way. But now, with Sandin in Washington and Liljegren fighting for minutes on the Leafs' third pair, the pipeline has weakened. Niemela and Villeneuve are solid prospects. Mikko Kokkonen has some upside as a defensive stopper. Michael Koster has been a very solid NCAA defenseman at the University of Minnesota. After that, the prospect pool is basically barren. The Leafs must find a way to get some young defenders in the system, and the next couple of draft cycles will be the way to do it. Joseph Woll [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwMTY4OTIzMjkzODIwMDEy/usatsi_20654164_168400847_lowres.jpg] Joseph Woll NEXT MEN UP: MATTHEW KNIES AND JOSEPH WOLL Despite adding veteran netminder Martin Jones, Woll still has the inside track at the backup job for the Maple Leafs. His poise last season and his ability to come in and show he’s ready for the NHL was enviable. He was finally able to put it together last season at 24 years old. Now, he’ll have his shot at a full-time NHL gig. With Matthew Knies, the Leafs could have one of the best young players in the NHL. He plays with power, shows impressive puckhandling ability and understands he has to play at both ends of the ice. Knies is a gritty player who will go into the corners and battle for loose pucks or get to the net and deflect in shots from a distance. As he displayed on his first NHL goal, he also has insane body control, and his feet and hands can work independently of each other. Although Chicago’s Connor Bedard and Arizona’s Logan Cooley (a former linemate of Knies in college) will get most of the pre-season attention as a Calder Trophy favorite, Knies is a dark horse to challenge for the annual award to the NHL's top rookie. PROSPECT DEPTH CHART NOTABLES LW: Matthew Knies, Nick Robertson, Nick Abruzzese, Dmitry Ovchinnikov C: Roni Hirvonen, Fraser Minten, Hudson Malinoski RW: Easton Cowan, Ty Voit, Nicholas Moldenhauer, Ryan Tverberg, Veeti Miettinen LD: Mikko Kokkonen, Mike Koster RD: Topi Niemela, William Villeneuve, John Fusco G: Joseph Woll, Artur Akhtyamov, Vyacheslav Peska, Dennis Hildeby On Aug. 14, 2023, Rodion Amirov passed away after being diagnosed with a brain tumor two seasons ago. Amirov was a talented young hockey player who was selected 15th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2020 NHL draft. His battle with the brain tumor was inspiring to so many as he remained cheerful and positive throughout. During last season's home-opener, Toronto introduced Amirov as an honorary member of the Maple Leafs [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/rodion-amirov-introduced-as-honorary-member-of-maple-leafs-home-opening-night-roster] in a gesture that would strike an emotional chord with the hockey world as a whole. Amirov’s KHL club, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, will be retiring his No. 27 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/salavat-yulaev-ufa-to-retire-rodion-amirovs-jersey-number-following-passing] next season in honor of his life, career, and fight. Amirov was just 21 years old. Amirov’s family, friends, and teammates are in the thoughts of everyone at The Hockey News.
