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Ranking Prospects 2021-2022

PPP 13. Nick Abruzzese

He's older than Sandin!

TLN 8. Nick Abruzzese
herman said:
Probably going to see Abruzzese tomorrow, eh?
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Happy Nick Abruzzese day! I would probably have Abramov over Abruzzese just on age alone, but Nick is hella smart (he chose school over junior hockey for example). Marlies GM Ryan Hardy loves him, from their brief USHL time together.

He didn't play at all last year, but had a huge jump in his production coming out of his (overage) draft.
The Athletic's profile Abbruzzese's standout skill is a good read.
 
I sure hope he's put on a little weight from the 5'9 161lbs I would assume came from a year ago when he last played at 21 years old.
 
PPP 12. Mikko Kokkonen

In my mind, Kokkonen is the highest floor non-blue chip prospect we have. He plays a boring, safe, dependable style that garners minutes and accolades from his coaches everywhere he has played. He just simply gets pucks, shuttles it forward, breaks up plays coming back and repeats the process, and generally improves the condition of the puck. Most of his career has been with Jukurit, who frankly sucks. He picked up a lot of stray points as the Marlies played out the string last season, but I think Gogolev might have something to do with that.

A rare pinch below the dots leads to Kokkonen freeing up the puck for the finish
https://twitter.com/_NickRichard/status/1390396583519391744

https://twitter.com/MarkUkLeaf/status/1433161576496996353
(pour one out for Leafs legend Martin Marincin)

TLN 7. Matthew Knies

Speaking of high floors, this registered to some people as a very safe pick for the Leafs to make with their first of 3, but getting a hybrid puck digger/sniper, with a power forward's build at 57 is a coup. It feels like a lot of teams set some early season anchors in their prospect rankings.

This is a giant Nick Robertson style player: high work rate, heavy shot(s). Robertson has better vision and playmaking (underrated, given he's always with facilitators, or just injured  :'(). Knies is a better puck holder and much sturdier. They both have skating issues to build on. I think he makes the WJC and will see his stock rise in short order.
 
PPP 11. Mikhail Abramov

Ah the other Abruzzese-ish player. Higher ranking due to being younger, being more visible to the North American audience, and playing recently, and really that huge uptick in individual offense last-last season. Imagine if Mitch Marner flipped a switch one year and suddenly attacked the middle ice, unleashing a heretofore unseen ripper of a shot because there was no one else on the team who could do anything. That's what Abramov, drafted as a perimeter playmaker, accomplished the year after the Leafs picked him 115th overall in 2019 (4th rd); maintaining a similar pace this past offseason has him in the same performance tier as our 2nd rders. We're going to see more of him this year as he has graduated from the Q.

TLN 6. Roni Hirvonen

This means Topi Niemela is ranked higher (and rightfully in my opinion) probably due to how the Leafs org is currently shaped (high, high end forward core, aging and but still pretty-effective D core).

In any case, Roni is fun! Smol, but feisty. Not that fast, but wiley and persistent and opportunistic. His physical skills don't allow him to fully drive a top-6 line (skating is ok, shot is not dangerous from distance), but his brain will let him complement a top-line with ease as he can facilitate, continue, and finish plays (in tight). There's an Andreas Johnsson-sized hole in the Leafs org, and Hirvonen might be the right fit.
 
Artur Akhtyamov broke camp with the KHL team rather than the VHL.  It's temporary but that's nice to see.
 
TLN 5. Topi Niemela

I selected this guy in my heart before the draft and then we went and traded down out of the slot that we could have picked him AND THEN GOT HIM ANYWAY WITH THE EXTRA PICK.
 
PPP 10. Matthew Knies

I quite like the potential here, and the floor is still a useful player.

TLN 4. Timoth Liljegren

Will he make it this year? He's up against Alex Biega and Brennan Menell, and to some extent Travis Dermott. It would not be the worst idea to rotate Dermott, Sandin, and Liljegren in the bottom pairing until something sticks out in a good way. If we're really cheeky, I'd give Muzzin and Holl a game or two off once in awhile because they have broken down at the end of the season/playoffs previously.
 
herman said:
TLN 5. Topi Niemela

I selected this guy in my heart before the draft and then we went and traded down out of the slot that we could have picked him AND THEN GOT HIM ANYWAY WITH THE EXTRA PICK.
Click to expand...
Great move by Dubas to get both Hirvonen and Niemela. Both have great potential.
 
herman said:
If we're really cheeky, I'd give Muzzin and Holl a game or two off once in awhile because they have broken down at the end of the season/playoffs previously.
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Just make sure to give them the same game off as Holl is a disaster without Muzzin
 
PPP 9. Travis Dermott

Graduated to the NHL with some fanfare but hasn?t been able to force his way into the top-4 as a regular, because he?s basically a golden retriever.

He's got almost all the physical tools needed to be an elite modern playdriving defenseman: 4-way skating, aggressive gap control. What he's missing at the moment is what separates the good from the great: knowing when to leverage his assets and assert his skills. Dermott vacillates between his usual (over) exuberant self, and a hyperconservative make-no-mistakes caricature of what a coach wants a 3rd pair defenseman to be. He needs to find that Zen balance we see in Muzzin and Brodie (and Niemela).

TLN 3. Rodion Amirov

I actually think Amirov has the higher potential of the top three on this list. The skill set is more complete but just not as realized at this point compared to the other two.
 
PPP 8. Roni Hirvonen

Roni on the Spot is the new Johnny on the Spot

TLN 2. Nick Robertson

:D but I really hope he gets some decent dev time this season (fully healthy) to truly work out some of the wrinkles in his decision making (game be fast), and his skating posture (which is scary as his head is hunched into hip level).
 
PPP 7. Topi Niemela

Everyone is pretty excited for Rasmus Sandin. May I present, for your consideration, the right shooting version with better skating? One of the areas that Travis Dermott and Timoth Liljegren seem to have struggled with is layering their offense back on the safe-defense mandate. Sandin and Niemela are quicker to move through those progressions (at their respective levels).

TLN 1. Rasmus Sandin

Showed some warts in his NHL stint (playoffs turnover :( ), but the flashes of brilliance were there in equal or greater parts. More time with Muzzin and Brodie (in practices) this season and acclimatizing to NHL pace/players will do a world of good for Sandin's growth. With the puck, I'm not super worried, as he is very smart with distribution and not just ripping potshots. Where he could make a big difference with development is on those pivots when wingers take the play wide with speed.
 
https://twitter.com/kyle_cush/status/1436782598806704133
Nazem Kadri energy
https://twitter.com/itsbigboyszn/status/1436785012347654151

https://twitter.com/Kyle_Cush/status/1436776915591913477
Barrie would've shot it.
 
PPP 6. Timoth Liljegren

Of the higher end D prospects we have, Liljegren is the one who actually plays DZ defense the best, which is a hat tip to the dev team and the Marlies. Now, they had to neuter his offense to begin with, but he is working towards layering that element back into his game. Playing with better forwards will help. More minutes against NHL speed will help. I?m hoping he gets a decent regular rotation into the bottom pair to demonstrate how far he?s come.
 
herman said:
https://twitter.com/kpapetti/status/1426217574023548937
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Amirov was sidelined after this hit with what was reported to be a broken collarbone.
He posted an IG story over the weekend on the Stanley Cup's visit to the GoldStar agency (Dan Milstein's group) showing the sling was off.

He's back on the ice now (#27) practicing with his team
https://twitter.com/hcsalavat/status/1437375626537750531
 
herman said:
PPP 6. Timoth Liljegren

Of the higher end D prospects we have, Liljegren is the one who actually plays DZ defense the best, which is a hat tip to the dev team and the Marlies. Now, they had to neuter his offense to begin with, but he is working towards layering that element back into his game. Playing with better forwards will help. More minutes against NHL speed will help. I?m hoping he gets a decent regular rotation into the bottom pair to demonstrate how far he?s come.
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Somewhat taking the Stralman path, which I totally support (except for the trade, that is.)
 
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