Things are heating up with the NHL trade deadline just a couple of days away, and there is sure to be plenty of focus placed on the Leafs’ prospect pool as GM Brad Treliving looks to upgrade his current roster with an eye on a deep playoff run. The Leafs don’t rank near the top of the league in terms of their prospect capital, but they do have a number of players who continue to improve their stock as we head into the stretch drive.
Let’s get to it.
Easton Cowan
Another week and another pile of points for Easton Cowan. The Leafs’ first-rounder notched a pair of assists in Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to Oshawa, scored his 30th goal of the season in an OT loss to Kitchener on Friday, and then extended his franchise-record point streak to 29 games with three assists while firing 10 shots on goal in a 4-3 victory over Flint on Saturday. Cowan is now up to 30 goals and 53 assists in just 47 games this season and is tied with Quentin Musty for the OHL lead with 1.77 points per game. He continues to be a menace on the penalty kill as well:
Cow and Cue team up for the Donaldson Highlight of the Week!#Knights pic.twitter.com/mKp2Q47O56
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) March 4, 2024
Fraser Minten
Minten hasn’t been lighting it up offensively this season, but he snapped a three-game pointless drought with his 19th goal of the season in a 4-0 win over Brandon on Saturday. Minten now has 31 points in 28 games since being traded to Saskatoon, but his strong two-way game has been a big part of the Blades’ continued success as they march towards home-ice advantage in the WHL playoffs.
#LeafsForever prospect Fraser Minten with the tap in on the powerplay for his 19th of the season pic.twitter.com/ibiw2h1Osf
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) March 3, 2024
Nikita Grebyonkin
Magnitogorsk wrapped up their regular season with a clutch victory over Avangard Omsk on Monday, securing first place in the KHL’s Eastern Conference in the process. Grebyonkin served as captain for Magnitogorsk as they rested a couple of players, and he stepped up with a goal and an assist in the winning effort, finishing the regular season with 19 goals and 22 assists in 67 games. Magnitogorsk is matched up with Grebyonkin’s former team, Amur Khabarovsk, in the first round and the Leafs’ prospect got on the board with an assist on the game-winner to give Magnitogorsk a 2-1 series lead on Tuesday.
#LeafsForever prospect Nikita Grebyonkin sets up #Blackhawks prospect Roman Kantserov for the game winner, giving Magnitogorsk a 2-1 lead over Khabarovsk in their first round playoff series pic.twitter.com/9LFWBych6y
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) March 5, 2024
Noah Chadwick
Chadwick snapped a five-game pointless streak with a three-point night against Calgary last Sunday and is now riding a three-game scoring streak after registering a pair of assists against Saskatoon on Friday and adding another helper in a win over Prince Albert on Saturday. Chadwick has been one of the biggest risers in the Leafs’ prospect pool this season, and now has 11 goals and 38 assists in 57 games on Lethbridge’s blue line this season.
Brandon Lisowsky
Like Minten, Lisowsky had a three-game pointless drought that coincided with a rare three-game losing streak for Saskatoon. He got back on the scoresheet in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Brandon, scoring twice and adding an assist. Lisowsky is now up to 35 goals and 35 assists in 60 games – one point shy of his WHL career-high with eight games remaining on the regular season schedule. Look for Lisowsky and the Leafs to come to terms on an entry-level contract in the coming weeks.
Brandon Lisowsky buries his second of the game and 35th of the season. Would be shocked if he didn’t earn an ELC with the #LeafsForever this spring. pic.twitter.com/2frcwbfJra
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) March 3, 2024
Artur Akhtyamov
Akhtyamov carried his strong play from the regular season into the VHL playoffs, and he was a star as Neftyanik swept St. Petersburg in the first round. He made 53 stops in a double overtime victory in game one, stopped 31 of 32 in game two, gave up three goals on 28 shots in game three, and closed out the series with 37 saves on 40 shots in fame four. Akhtyamov will carry a 2.43 GAA and a .930 SV% into round two.
Joe Miller
Harvard lost a lot of key pieces from last year’s team, and Miller has stepped up to continue carrying the offensive load with a lot less help around him. He notched three assists over the weekend as Harvard beat Yale on Friday and skated to a tie (remember those?) against Brown University on Saturday. Miller now leads the Crimson in scoring with 11 goals and 14 assists in 28 games this season.
Pucks on net ➡️ Tie Game
📺https://t.co/LOycvfcLF7
🌎https://t.co/i63oY193Wk
📊https://t.co/WDIppfYQDT#GoCrimson | #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/d78qj9btzK— Harvard Men’s Hockey (@HarvardMHockey) March 2, 2024
Veeti Miettinen
It was a tough weekend for St. Cloud State as they were blown out in back-to-back games against Denver, but Miettinen added to his point totals with an assist on Friday before finding the back of the net himself on Saturday. Miettinen is in tough to earn an ELC before his exclusive rights expire this summer, but he is making a case with a new NCAA career-high of 15 goals.
Braeden Kressler
After a couple of injury-riddled seasons, Kressler has finally stayed healthy this year and is enjoying the best season of his OHL career. He has settled in since an early-season trade to Ottawa, and notched three points in three games for the 67s last week. Between Flint and Ottawa, Kressler is now up to 25 goals and 38 assists in 55 games. He is expected to join the Marlies and serve as a black ace whenever his OHL season comes to an end.
It’s 11:11, make a wish!
We wished for a Braeden Kressler goal, and he and Will Gerrior delivered 🫡#CapitalTerritory | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/2dIGgCwtjo
— Ottawa 67’s (@Ottawa67sHockey) March 2, 2024
John Fusco
Fusco got off to slow start offensively but he has been hot in the last couple of weeks. With a goal and an assist in Friday’s win over Brown and two more assists in Saturday’s victory over Yale, Fusco now has seven points in his last five games. For the season, his 14 points are the second-most among Dartmouth defencemen.
Statistics from EliteProspects.com
