The Montreal Canadiens are hosting their first Prospect Showdown this weekend, and the Toronto Maple Leafs will travel to take on their Original 6 rival in a two-game set from Sept. 14-15.
For the most part, the two teams will be filled with recent draft picks and other free-agent signings for their minor league teams. However, for Toronto, the team also invited four unaffiliated players to participate and potentially earn deals to play with either the AHL’s Toronto Marlies or ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones this season.
All four players participated in development camp back in July, so the Leafs are quite familiar with them. Coincidentally, all four played in the WHL last year, with Brandon Lisowsky playing alongside top Leafs prospect Fraser Minten.
So, here’s a look at the four players the Leafs have brought on for the weekend:
Brandon Lisowsky, LW
Lisowsky is a name that most Leafs fans should remember. The club drafted him 218th overall in 2022, but they ultimately didn’t sign him and he became an unrestricted free agent earlier this year. But the Leafs have shown interest in keeping him around, having also brought him to development camp earlier this summer. He’s coming off his best WHL season to date, putting up 42 goals and 80 points with the Saskatoon Blades. Playing alongside Minten didn’t hurt, but he showed potential with a great shot, good skating and improved hockey sense.
Maxim Muranov, LW
Muranov is also coming off a career-best season, scoring 22 goals and 50 points in 63 games with the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen. He struggled early in his tenure with the Hitmen after moving over from Russia in 2021, but he became a more complete, impactful player as a 19-year-old. He has quick hands and a decent frame, although he won’t go out and crush guys out there.
Realistically, there isn’t much to note about Muranov. He has quick hands and likes to show off from time to time, but he’s also not a great skater and doesn’t do much defensively. In previous viewings, Muranov has shown flashes of brilliance, but it doesn’t happen enough to think he has much of a chance to become a quality pro player. At the very least, he’ll be an energetic, bottom-six forward for Toronto at this camp while showing how competitive he can be.
Marshall Finnie, RW
Finnie isn’t afraid to play on the edge – something already evident at Leafs camp. He has a good shot and can drive the play at times, but Finnie’s game is all about getting in your face and pushing people around any time he possibly can. At 20 years old, Finnie only has two years of major junior experience, but he was a decent contributor for the Edmonton Oil Kings.
But for the most part, this looks like a guy destined for ECHL duty while challenging the top enforcers the minor leagues have to offer. His brother, Emmitt, is a Detroit Red Wings prospect who plays a skilled, playmaker style and could actually turn out to be a decent late-round pick for the club. Marshall, however, was never drafted and doesn’t look like anything more than a shift disturber. And, hey, the Leafs are playing Montreal – you can’t go wrong with that.
It’s worth mentioning that Finnie knocked Maple Leafs’ first-round pick out of the first game of training camp with an awkward hit, making it the second year in a row that a camp invite injured one of the Leafs’ better prospects, with Nolan Dillingham injuring 2020 second-round pick Roni Hirvonen last season.
Rhett Parsons, RHD
Parsons HATES to be beaten on the ice. He doesn’t have much offensive talent, but he’ll drop the gloves with anyone and loves to get in your face. At 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds, it’s hard to miss his brute-force nature on the ice. Parsons doesn’t have a deal announced for 2024-25 but could factor into the Cyclones’ lineup. He’s not exceptional at anything with the puck, but he’s decent at keeping players away from the net and can beat players with smart, simple passes.
Parsons could be a bottom-pairing player for Toronto at this tournament, and likely not much else. He’s competitive, so he’s going to want to do whatever it takes to make an impact. Between him and Finnie, it’s almost guaranteed one of the two will look to throw their muscle around.
