Toronto Maple Leafs superstar center Auston Matthews took the ice for the club's optional morning skate on Saturday. But when will he return to game action? Fraser Minten potted his first professional goal on Wednesday night with the Toronto Marlies. The Toronto Maple Leafs prospect scored the Marlies' first goal of the game in Cleveland. He was centering AHL Toronto's second line with fellow prospect Nikita Grebenkin and Alex Nylander on his wings. It's the forward's third AHL point in as many games after beginning the season late due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered during the Prospect Showdown in Montreal in September. Minten's AHL debut came in a 4-3 win over the Charlotte Checkers on Nov. 9. His assist — the forward's first professional point — was on the Marlies' first goal of the game, scored by the team's captain Logan Shaw. "It was a long time sitting on the sidelines, coming off basically May, right? It’s probably the longest I’ve gone without playing a game except the one in Montreal," Minten told Marlies play-by-play commentator Todd Crocker [https://youtu.be/d-ZJegumqFE] after his Marlies debut. "It feels like a long time ago, so it was very fun." After a strong pre-season last fall, Minten made the Maple Leafs out of training camp. The forward played four NHL games at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, averaging 11:26 centering Toronto's third line. He didn't register a point. Seven games into his WHL return, Minten was traded from the Kamloops Blazers to the Saskatoon Blades and scored 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) in 36 games. He had eight goals and six assists in 20 playoff games with Saskatoon last spring. Minten captained Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors, scoring one goal and two assists in five games. Canada fell in the tournament quarterfinal to Czechia, losing 3-2 and going home without a medal. The Maple Leafs selected the Minten in the second round (38th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft. The forward signed his three-year, entry-level contract with an annual average value of $816,666 on Oct. 13, 2022.
