TOP PLAYERS TO WATCH DURING TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS, MONTREAL CANADIENS PROSPECT TOURNAMENT
It’s that time of year again.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been preparing for their upcoming prospect tournament with its rookie camp at the Ford Performance Centre over the past few days. After travelling to Traverse City in Michigan the past few years as part of the Detroit Red Wings’ hosting efforts, the Leafs will instead play a two-game set in Laval against the Montreal Canadiens from Sept. 14-15.
The Canadiens have one of the deepest pipelines in the NHL (which is understandable, given they’ve finished near the bottom of the standings over the past three years), while Toronto is on the lower end of the spectrum. But both teams have talent that could look to push for full-time jobs with their respective NHL clubs in a few weeks, so it’s an interesting time.
There’s nothing really on the line in events like this other than pride – and given the opponent, there’d be plenty of it if Toronto could sweep the series. Of note, no NCAA players will participate for either team, as is the case across the NHL. Almost all of Toronto’s team are made up of currently committed prospects, so it’s a good chance to see all of them up close.
Here’s a look at the top five players to watch on each team, getting you ready for the first “NHL” action of the 2024-25 hockey season:
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS
Easton Cowan, C
Cowan is the one most fans are looking forward to watching this weekend. He easily was the OHL playoff MVP with 24 assists and 34 points in 18 games in a year which also saw him win the Red Tilson Trophy as the league’s most outstanding player. He had an incredible 15 points in just four championship series games and had at least two points in nine of his final 10 games. Since going 28th to Toronto last summer, Cowan has shown why the Leafs made the right call taking him when they did – his game has just taken major steps forward over the past year. This year, look for Cowan to potentially start the year with Toronto, but there’s still value in having him go back to training camp
Fraser Minten, C/LW
What a year it was for Minten, who started the 2023-24 NHL season with a four-game stint with the Leafs. Minten was loaned back to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers after failing to register a point in four games. The whole idea was to give him more experience against top-level competition before letting him break loose back against his own age group. He immediately put up 10 points in seven games with the Blazers before the team moved their captain to Saskatoon in the fall, hoping to chase a Memorial Cup experience. Minten had 19 goals and 38 points in 36 games, primarily playing with Leafs draft pick Brandon Lisowsky. The Blazers came short in the playoffs, but Minten capped off his fourth major junior season with 14 points in 16 playoff games – two behind his output from his draft year. While Minten seems primed for a long-term role on the third line, his attention to detail and two-way play will make him good at that.
Topi Niemelä, RHD
Niemelä just finished his first year with the Marlies, and as the season wore on, Niemelä’s confidence grew exponentially. He was the team’s go-to power-play D-man, something he wasn’t used to in Karpat. But he didn’t fold under the extra responsibility, giving him some more ‘oomph’ in his toolset. The one thing scouts have noted frequently is Niemelä’s work ethic. He’s always rushing around, pushing the envelope and fighting for the puck no matter what. And while Niemelä isn’t always successful – he lacks the pure strength you’re looking for out of a future NHL defenseman – he’s always looking to improve. This will be a good opportunity to see how much work he has done this summer.
Nikita Grebenkin, LW
This is the first opportunity to see Grebenkin playing in North America, which is quite exciting. He completed his 2023-24 KHL regular season with a career-best 19 goals and 41 points with Metallurg Magnitogorsk. He had 26 points in 52 games last year between Magnitogorsk and Amur as a 20-year-old, helping make a name for himself as a potential late-blooming steal. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound winger is a strong playmaker, seeing the ice well and finding his teammates on the rush. He has good speed but is just as effective in slow bursts in tight situations. One of the biggest areas of improvement is his net-front game. Whether it’s making a pass or just getting in the way, Grebyonkin holds his own. Look for Grebenkin to play a top-six role with the Marlies this year.
Noah Chadwick, LHD
It’s extremely rare to see a sixth-round pick sign an NHL contract six months after getting drafted, but that’s exactly what happened to Chadwick. And it’s understandable – it’s early, but he’s looking like a legitimate steal. Chadwick had 20 points as a rookie but blasted to 44 assists and 56 points in 66 games this past year, showing value as a puck-moving blueliner with good hockey IQ. He’s also 6-foot-4, and while he needs to move his feed more frequently, he’s got the raw talent to be a serious contender to make the team one day. Chadwick should be in the hunt to make Canada’s World Junior Championship roster, which had to have been a pipedream just 12 months ago for the young defender.
MONTREAL CANADIENS
Lane Hutson, LHD
Habs fans are so pumped about Hutson, and for good reason. He finished his sophomore campaign with the NCAA’s Boston University Terriers with 15 goals and 49 points in 38 games, a single point more than his freshman total last year. Since 2019-20, only two defensemen have more points than Hutson’s 97 – Zach Metsa’s 117 and Jackson LaCombe’s 99. The difference? They played double the games, and nobody came in spitting distance of Hutson’s 1.28 point-per-game average. From an early age, his offensive instincts were top of the class. You won’t find defensemen with Hutson’s creativity often – he’s so slick, often taking the puck from a standstill and creating a chance in close, a la Cale Makar. Hutson is a human highlight reel – he spins with ease, and with quick footwork, he’s so difficult to stop. He’s incredibly deceptive, using head fakes to lure you in before making a high-impact move. His first few NHL games were a good start, and now I’m excited to see what happens to him in 2024-25. If he goes to Laval, that won’t be a bad thing – smaller defenders rarely go straight to the NHL out of college.
David Reinbacher, RHD
To say it was a difficult season for Reinbacher is an understatement – and a lot of it was out of his control. After playing heavy minutes for EHC Kloten in the top league in Switzerland in 2022-23 – something you rarely see in any European pro league from an 18-year-old – injuries and a lack of quality support in the team’s lineup hindered the Austrian defender’s campaign. He saw his offense cut in half, but his ice time never wavered, often sitting between 18-20 minutes most nights. No Kloten defenseman was used more in 5-on-5. Reinbacher looked a lot more comfortable with the puck once he returned from his knee injury midway through the NL season, but those are two valid issues still to this day. At 6-foot-4, he’s got the size all NHL teams crave. And we’ve seen enough great moves with the puck to suggest he can put up points at the pro game – he just needs to break out of his shell and play with a bit more urgency. He has top-pairing potential, but adjusting to life in Laval will be crucial.
Logan Mailloux, RHD
Mailloux would be the top defenseman on many teams’ pipelines, but that just shows you what the Canadiens have near the top of the crop here. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound defender had a monster AHL rookie season, registering 47 points in 72 games before also getting a point in his first NHL game. He’s very difficult to contain because of his pure power and his confidence in carrying the puck, which is one of the things that’s easy to love in his game. For now, he needs to work on being more defensively responsible and also limit how many times he makes a bad read with and without the puck. Now that he has proven what he could do in Laval as a high-end producer, it’s time to see if he can make the push to become a full-time NHLer as soon as next month.
Owen Beck, C
You need players who can do multiple different jobs deeper down the lineup, and that’s what makes Beck so good. He had a great second half with Saginaw, helping them win the Memorial Cup on home ice. Beck had 18 goals and 51 points in 32 regular season games and was a point-per-game player at his second Memorial Cup, which is a great sign for a 20-year-old. While he is an excellent playmaker who can also make smart moves around the net, it’s his defensive play that makes him more valuable. He’ll likely become a bottom-six forward who plays a reliable two-way game while killing penalties and working hard along the boards. Anything he does with the puck is a nice bonus.
Florian Xhekaj, LW
Yep, there’s another on the way. Drafted as an overage winger in 2023, Xhekaj had a breakout 2023-24 season with 34 goals and 65 points with the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs before getting his first taste of pro hockey to close out the AHL season. Like his brother, Arber, Xhekaj is a human wrecking ball that does whatever it takes to make as much noise he can possibly make on the ice. But it’s hard to not ignore just how good his shot is and how dangerous he is around the net, too. It’ll be interesting to see who he inevitably drops the gloves with on Toronto this week, and it’s going to be hard to miss him out there.
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