Welcome back for another edition of the Maple Leafs Prospect Roundup here at TheLeafsNation. It was a busy week for many of the Leafs’ up-and-comers, so we’re going to dive right into it.
Easton Cowan
Cowan has been a dominant force in the OHL for more than a full calendar year now, and he continued his stellar play, as well as his regular season point streak in a pair of games this past week. Following a couple of goals in Friday’s 5-3 win over the Sarnia Sting, along with another goal and assist in a 4-0 victory over Guelph, Cowan’s point streak is now at 51 games, dating back to last season. The Leafs’ 2023 first-rounder also dropped the gloves in defence of a teammate in Saturday’s game, though he ended up on the losing end in that battle. Now with 13 goals and eight assists in just 15 games, Cowan continues to be a big reason that the London Knights have been so dominant over the last couple of seasons, and they got a bit more help this past week as San Jose Sharks prospect Kasper Haltunnen was reassigned to junior. The pair of Cowan and Flyers prospect Denver Barkey made plenty of noise last year, particularly while shorthanded, and Haltunnen was a key cog in their powerplay, so there is plenty of firepower in place for the Knights to make another run at the Memorial Cup next spring.
Tee it up @EastonCowan 🤠@MapleLeafs | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/OWsw405pZT
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) November 16, 2024
Fraser Minten
A high-ankle sprain suffered during the Prospect Showcase back in September delayed Minten’s start to the season, but he has hit the ground running with the Marlies. He notched his first professional goal in an overtime loss to Cleveland last Wednesday and followed it up with another against Belleville on Saturday, giving him four points in his first four AHL games. There is an argument to be made that he actually deserves more after a couple of scoring plays where he wasn’t credited with an assist, including a gorgeous individual effort by Nikita Grebenkin off a faceoff win by Minten on Saturday. Minten’s strong play so far with the Marlies begs the question, could he have pushed for a spot on the Leafs’ roster out of camp had he been healthy? The Leafs have a clear lack of depth down the middle of the ice, and Minten’s refined style of play and pro-level habits could make it enticing for the Leafs to give him a look at some point, but for now, continuing to see big minutes in all situations and developing his game further with the Marlies will be the focus.
🚨 MINTS 1ST PRO GOAL ALERT🚨 pic.twitter.com/hA84LBWvx8
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) November 14, 2024
Nikita Grebenkin
Speaking of Grebenkin, his goal against Belleville on Saturday showcased his ability to make difficult plays in tight areas as well as his ability to beat goaltenders cleanly. Through his first 13 games in the AHL, Grebenkin is up to four goals and six assists and sits in a tie for second in team scoring.
OH NIKITA THAT WAS NASTY 🔥 pic.twitter.com/lcmBM9QoDk
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) November 16, 2024
Grebenkin has been a key part of the Marlies’ offensive attack early in the season, and he has also maintained his strong physical play. Like Minten, the Leafs will likely want Grebenkin to continue gaining experience at the AHL level, but he could end up seeing NHL action as the season wears on.
Nikita Grebenkin with a big hit for the #Marlies behind Belleville’s net. pic.twitter.com/6jgaN3gvYn
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) November 16, 2024
Ben Danford
Defence comes first for Danford, but he has gotten off to a slow offensive start in a season where he needed to take a step in that area. He did register an assist in each of Oshawa’s two games over the weekend, bringing him to two goals and six assists through 19 games, but he will have to find a way to be a more consistent contributor on the scoresheet if he is going to surpass his offensive output from his draft year.
KRUSTY KRAB EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH 🏅#OSHvsKGN pic.twitter.com/4JXrvUj362
— Oshawa Generals (@Oshawa_Generals) November 17, 2024
Topi Niemelä
Niemelä looked to have fallen down the organizational depth chart in training camp despite an impressive rookie season in the AHL, but he has continued to be an offensive driver from the back end for the Marlies in the early going of this season. He tallied a pair of assists on Wednesday against Cleveland, and added another on Saturday against Belleville, bringing him to seven points in 11 games. While the offence has been there, Niemelä has appeared more prone to questionable decisions with the puck than he was as a rookie, perhaps trying to do too much at times, and he had a turnover lead directly to a goal against on Saturday. Known for his composure and vision as a puck mover, Niemelä will have to do a better job of striking a balance between pushing for offence and taking better care of the puck if he is going to put himself back into the conversation as a potential NHL option.
MINTS 🚨 ALERT pic.twitter.com/PkUVVyrA3x
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) November 16, 2024
Noah Chadwick
Chadwick broke out in a big way last season, and he has continued his ascent to becoming a legitimate NHL prospect so far this season. He scored his fourth goal of the season in a shutout victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings last Monday and is now up to 16 points through 17 games on the season. Chadwick is on pace to surpass his point total from a year ago, and he could force some difficult decisions as Canada assembles their blue line for the upcoming World Juniors.
#LeafsForever prospect Noah Chadwick jumps into the play from the blueline and snipes it for his fourth goal of the season. He’s up to 15 points in 16 games this season.pic.twitter.com/ZVIlz3oM7u
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) November 11, 2024
Artur Akhtyamov
After a couple of less-than-stellar appearances, Akhtyamov was outstanding in leading the Marlies to a 2-1 overtime victory against Rochester on Sunday. He stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced and now owns a 5-0-1 record to go along with a 1.95 GAA and .926 SV% through his first six games in North America. There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Marlies’ crease, but Akhtyamov has been their best goaltender so far this season, and he could end up wrestling away more playing time if he keeps this up. Considering his track record at various levels in Russia since he was drafted in 2020, there’s little reason to doubt that he will.
Charlotte player tried to pull the Michigan on Akhtyamov and he was ALL OVER shutting it down. Saw it from a mile away, didn’t get any space along the post/crossbar.#LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/wrTtjQo2Hv
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) November 10, 2024
Sam McCue
The Leafs have to be pleased with the early returns on their second of three seventh-round picks from last June’s draft. The 6’2″ winger was drafted on the strength of his physical game, but he has been an offensive force for the Owen Sound Attack so far this season. He picked up a pair of goals and added a helper over the weekend, bringing him up to 12 goals and seven assists in 19 games. McCue has remained an imposing physical presence at the junior level, and he is on pace to shatter his offensive totals from last season. Like any late-round pick, he is very much still a project but McCue looks like a player who is trending up in a significant way.
THE ATTACK GET ANOTHER 🚨@MapleLeafs prospect Sam McCue collects his 12th goal of the season to put the @AttackOHL up 2-1 late in the first period!#OHL | @CHLHockey pic.twitter.com/krphTrTJuQ
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) November 17, 2024
Statistics from EliteProspects.com
