My rating of the top 10 prospects for the Toronto Maple Leafs is complete, the link to which can be found below. Toronto’s top prospect is forward Gavin McKenna, who leads a resurgent Leafs’ pipeline going from bottom-dweller to middle of the pack in a very short time-frame. McKenna is projected to plug the massive hole left by Mitch Marner’s departure by becoming the primary catalyst for top pivot Auston Matthews.
Obviously, there has been much excitement and anticipation surrounding McKenna’s arrival in Toronto. However, McKenna is not the only high-end prospect the Leafs possess. The performance of goaltender Artur Akhtyamov (106th overall in 2020), the Leafs’ #2 prospect, made goaltender Dennis Hildeby available for a trade to Tampa (for which Toronto received elite defensive forward Nick Paul), and is expected to join the Leafs at some point this season. In addition, exceptional-skating and high hockey IQ d-man Ben Danford (31st overall in 2024) is expected to be with the Leafs in 2027-28 after a year of seasoning in the AHL.
The Leafs’ pool also possesses still-developing assets as well, adding more firepower to the Toronto lineup beyond this season. Norwegian forward Tinus Luc Klobar is competing in Sweden’s highest pro league this season as a 19-year-old, fresh off helping his country win bronze at the 2026 World Championship (Norway’s first-ever medal at the event). Rounding out the Leafs’ top 5 prospects is d-man Ethan MacKenzie (69th overall in 2026), who enjoyed a breakout, point-a-game season in 2025-26 with Edmonton in the WHL. He will join fellow high-end NHL D prospects Carson Carels (6th overall in 2026 to CGY) and Keaton Verhoeff (9th overall in 2026) to form a powerhouse blue-line this season at the University of North Dakota.
https://thehockeylawyer.net/team-stats/toronto-maple-leafs/