While they aren’t going to harken back to Cliff Fletcher’s infamous “draft schmaft” approach to roster-building, the Toronto Maple Leafs simply haven’t been in a position to make the NHL Entry Draft a top priority in recent years. That’s what happens when you’re a perennial playoff team – you select later in each round and tend to use picks and prospects as trade assets to acquire players to help you win now.
Recent drafts offer plentiful examples of this lack of emphasis. The Maple Leafs made just 11 total picks over the 2021, 2022 and 2023 drafts. Even this past summer, they re-stocked their system with eight new drafted prospects, but only one pick was in the top 120. It’s a credit to the club’s front office – under both former general manager (GM) Kyle Dubas and current GM Brad Treliving – that they’ve still managed to reap the rewards of their limited selections, adding players like Pontus Holmberg, Nicholas Robertson, Topi Niemela, Matthew Knies, and Easton Cowan in recent seasons.
Then, there’s the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Toronto faced plenty of obstacles when it came to adding young talent to their prospect pool, as the pandemic had robbed NHL scouting departments of the chance to watch draft-eligible prospects play. Furthermore, the club traded away their own first-, second-, third- and fifth-round selections, ultimately cobbling together five total picks and only two in the top-100.
Nevertheless, it’s a credit to the Maple Leafs scouting department that we are now seeing the organization reap the benefits of what appears poised to go down as a memorable, impact draft class.
Fraser Minten – Second Round, 38th Overall
Typically, using future assets to get out from under an ill-advised contract can be a significant blow to an organization’s pipeline. Look no further than when the Maple Leafs had to use a 2020 first-rounder (that ultimately became Seth Jarvis) to offload Patrick Marleau’s $6 million cap hit onto the Carolina Hurricanes. Yet, Toronto’s efforts to get out from under the last two years of Petr Mrazek’s contract seem to have yielded a nice benefit.
In dealing Mrazek to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Maple Leafs moved 13 spots back in the 2022 Draft, sending out the 25th-overall selection but returning the 38th-overall pick. While 25th pick Sam Rinzel continues to man the blue line at the University of Minnesota, the 38th pick turned into Fraser Minten, who is now making his case to stick around the NHL level amidst what has been an impressive five-game showing.
Still just 20 years old, Minten has opened eyes in the organization with his poise and production out of the number-three centre role, recording two goals and four points. Even as some of the club’s veteran forwards return to the lineup, he is making a strong case to remain in the role moving forward. If he can serve as a long-term foundational piece down the middle for the Maple Leafs, then they will have Mrazek partially to thank.
Dennis Hildeby – Fourth Round, 122nd Overall
Homegrown goaltending hasn’t exactly been an organizational strength for the Maple Leafs in recent years. However, with the development of Joseph Woll and the encouraging trajectories of Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov, things appear to be turning around.
It was Hildeby who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 Draft, taken out of the Swedish Junior Hockey League. Despite being just the sixth goalie to come off the board, the 6-foot-7 netminder remains the only 2022 prospect between the pipes to have reached the NHL.
As you might expect from an inexperienced 23-year-old, the early results for Hildeby — 1-1 with a 4.03 goals against average (GAA) and an .869 save percentage (SV%) — were uneven and inconsistent. At the American Hockey League level, though, he has followed up a strong 2023-24 campaign with the Toronto Marlies (21-11-7 with a 2.41 GAA and .913 SV%) with similar numbers thus far this season (2-1-2 with a 2.34 GAA and .910 SV%). Suddenly, the Maple Leafs seem to have an enviable cache of goaltending depth – and Hildeby stands as a big part of that.
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Nikita Grebenkin – Fifth Round, 135th Overall
How do you become a fan favourite in Toronto in just a handful of games while playing less than 10 minutes a night? Simple, just start laying people out. That seems to be working for Nikita Grebenkin, who collected seven hits over his first two career NHL games against the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club and added four more in Monday’s 4-1 win over the Blackhawks.
The 21-year-old forward’s play has led to some local media nicknaming him “Hanson-ov” in reference to the iconic, smash-mouth trio of brothers from the movie Slap Shot, may not be enough to keep him in the NHL, but it has earned him admirers.
“He’s lots of fun,” says Minten, who was also his teammate with the Marlies. “He’s a fun guy. He loves hockey. He’s really competitive.”
Grebenkin’s appeal has also come in the form of some hilarious interview soundbytes, in which his fun, engaging personality has shone right through any language barriers he may face. He still hasn’t recorded his first NHL point and more seasoning may be required before full-time NHL duty calls, but if he can offer a physical on-ice presence and a likable, endearing off-ice presence, he’s going to be popular with fans and teammates alike moving forward.
https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/1859445923538956321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1859445923538956321%7Ctwgr%5E0200840831d10279196546ea5753ceb9a43c599c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fonsi%2Fbreakaway%2Fnews-feed-page%2Ftoronto-maple-leafs-nikita-grebenkin-shares-hilarious-moment-reportersAlready with Minten looking like a future top-niine mainstay, Hildeby offering valuable insurance in net, and Grebenkin quickly growing into a cult favourite, the Maple Leafs’ 2022 class could still yield more fruit. Nicholas Moldenhauer (third round, 95th oveall) is in his second year with the Michigan Wolverines after a strong two-year stint with the USHL’s Chicago Steel, while Brandon Lisowsky (seventh round, 218th overall) has been a long-time standout for the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League.
To be fair, none of Minten, Hildeby, or Grebenkin have yet to establish themselves as full-time NHL players. Hildeby is currently in the AHL and will likely remain there barring an injury to Anthony Stolarz or Woll. Meanwhile, the return of injured Maple Leafs will almost certainly spell the end of Grebenkin’s stint with the big club and could do the same for Minten. Still, three players from the 2022 class have not only found their way to the NHL on a playoff-calibre roster, but have shown some serious promise and offered hope for down the road.
