Explaining Ilya Samsonov’s arbitration case with the Toronto Maple Leafs and why letting it get to that point is a loss for the club. Ty Voit is the first skater revealed in The Hockey News - Toronto's Maple Leafs prospect rankings. [gallery ids="4536,4537,4538,4539"] During a 10-day period that will span from August 7-18, I will be releasing my rankings (from 10-1) of who I believe is the closest prospect to playing full-time NHL hockey with the Maple Leafs. TY VOIT (TORONTO MARLIES) 20, RW, FIVE-FOOT-10, 161 LBS The 20-year-old had a very successful final year in the OHL, where he scored 105 points (24 goals, 81 assists) in just 67 games. He led both the Sarnia Sting and the OHL in assists. Voit had an impressive playoff, too, scoring 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 16 games. "I'm definitely happy with the strides I took this year," said Voit earlier this summer at Maple Leafs development camp. "I'm just trying to build off of those for the years coming up." The 20-year-old is a playmaker through and through. His vision to spot open players is impressive and it's an attribute that's gotten him to where he is today. What's just as fascinating is his smarts. A lot of his points last season did come from finding his teammates, but they also came from him being in the right place at the right time, to either put the puck into the net or feed it to someone else. One attribute that I believe is underrated is his shot. When you're facing a playmaker, you might think he's just going to pass the puck. However, there are instances, like in the clip below, where Voit wires a sneaky shot into the back of the net. While Voit carries all of these impressive attributes, the one drawback is his size. Standing at five-foot-10, it's likely that he'll be one of the smallest players on the Marlies next season. The biggest step he'll need to take this year is learning how to play through the difficult contact that can be found at the AHL level. It's something he says he's been working on. "I'd say being able to use my body a little bit to push off of guys," said the 20-year-old. "Not getting flat-footed as much. I find that maybe last year, I'd take a little bump and then lose my footing a little bit, kind of figure out where I'm going. "But now, I know how to take that contact, I know where I'm going after it, I know I'm accelerating into the spot." [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HASrY4G6Cm0[/embed] There are a lot of reasons to be excited about Voit. Every offensive attribute he carries will likely bring him success at the AHL level. It's just the defensive game and the physicality that he'll need to worry about. The 20-year-old will likely begin his professional career in the middle-six of the Marlies' forward group. With that being said, it'll be up to him to take every opportunity and run with it to make his NHL aspirations a reality. Related Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings #8 - Dennis Hildeby [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-prospect-rankings-8-dennis-hildeby] Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings #9 - Keith Petruzzelli [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-prospect-rankings-9-keith-petruzzelli] Maple Leafs Prospect Rankings #10 - Artur Akhtyamov and Vyacheslav Peksa [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-prospect-rankings-10-artur-akhtyamov-and-vyacheslav-peksa] News from THN.com Defensive Dominos: Catching Up on the NHL's 2023 Off-Season Blueline Adjustments [https://thehockeynews.com/news/defensive-dominos-catching-up-on-the-nhls-2023-off-season-blueline-adjustments] 2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool Overview: Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/news/2023-24-nhl-prospect-pool-overview-nashville-predators] Will the Maple Leafs Hang Onto William Nylander for This Season? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/will-the-maple-leafs-hang-onto-william-nylander-for-this-season]
