Sign Up to PPP Today

You have to be a member to comment at PPP. Membership is free and requires only an email address.

Become a Member

This past weekend, some of Toronto's top prospects played against some of Montreal's top prospects in a mini two game exhibition tournament. The games aren't terribly meaningful, but are at least more competitive than the inter-squad scrimmages from the development camp earlier this summer.

The two games both ended in narrow one-goal victories by the baby Leafs – one in the shootout, the other with a winning goal coming with just over a minute left to play. So, after watching both games, here are some thoughts I had on the standouts, plus some miscellaneous thoughts on various players.

Easton Cowan

For the second year in a row, Cowan was the clear best prospect for Toronto. I'd argue he was the best prospect for both teams across the whole weekend. He had multiple goals and points to lead the team, and maybe both teams – I didn't bother looking up boxscores anywhere, if it actually exists. He was their primary play maker on the top powerplay unit, which was hot in both games, and one of their primary penalty killers.

Cowan wasn't perfect, mind you. He was sloppy with the puck at times, or tried to do too much and turned it over. On the one hand, this is exactly one of the nitpicky issues he still needs to fix. On the other, I would not say that he was really giving his all in these games – which is funny to say. He is too good for these sorts of games, and he only cares about preparing for the NHL camp and trying to crack the Leafs' roster. But if he really wants that, he'll have to clean up that sloppiness.

Fraser Minten

Minten was the guy just behind Cowan. They had the same production in the first game, scoring a goal, adding an assist, and scoring in the shootout. But where Cowan was driving the bus for offensive creation and had more flash, Minten was just as important. His back checking and defensive play bailed out various teammates, including Cowan a couple of times. He was just as strong in the second game before he took an awkward fall into the boards and left the game for precautionary reasons.

It was nice to see Minten flex his offensive muscles in these games. That might not be the focus of his game, but he was pulling off no-look passes through his own legs to set up a scoring chance for Cowan, or dangling the goalie in the shootout, and causing chaos on the powerplay with his movement. Hopefully whatever injury he had is only minor, so he'll be fully healthy for the NHL camp.

Nikita Grebyonkin

I was really looking forward to Grebyonkin's first game in North America, and he did not disappoint. He was on the top line with Cowan and Minten in the first game and did not look out of his depth. He was making tons of plays in the same way I got used to from his games in Russia – stealing the puck, pouncing on loose pucks, going to the net and making hard and accurate passes to set up the others. I don't think he got any points for his efforts, but not for lack of effort or lack of opportunities created.

Greb did not play the second game, which I can understand. He only just recovered enough from his injuries that he played through on his KHL championship run, no need to push him for two games in consecutive nights. Especially with how physical and, dare I say, dirty the second game became.

Cade Webber

Arguably the player that was the biggest surprise for the Leafs was Webber. He came as advertised in all the ways we've been told – he is indeed very tall, he is indeed a very good skater, and he is indeed very good defensively. He made a lot of good, simple plays to shut down rushes against him, box out opponents on rebounds, and pin puck carriers on the boards to end their cycle.

The surprises came when Webber was... unleashed with the puck, for lack of a better word. I wouldn't say he was doing it with full confidence, but dude was making plays at times. He carried it through the neutral zone, he activated off the point, and he got an assist setting up Hirvonen for the first goal of the second game. This is well beyond what we saw from his NCAA career, and any scouting report from his time there. If he has a previously hidden ability to transport the puck, that gives his NHL future a much brighter outlook. Again, he doesn't need to rack up points. But being a defensive specialist who can also move the puck out and help keep the offensive moving rather than being a sad end point to it is huge.

Miroslav Holinka

I was also quite interested to see how Holinka fared in these games, and thankfully he got into both. Holinka is a later round pick who was only just drafted, so he is both younger and also a lower ranked prospect compared to most of the other players around him. I wanted to see how he'd deal with that challenge in a more competitive environment than a scrimmage.

In short, it was not a grand success but encouraging in some ways. I think I finally saw more of the issues with Holinka's offensive game that was noted as a concern by scouts – and why they said he wasn't that effective in Czechia's pro league when he was called up. He definitely has skill and flash to his game, but his decision making with it is still immature. He tries to dangle when he really shouldn't, and turned it over a few times in both games trying to make something out of nothing.

The good part of Holinka's game came elsewhere. He created a few opportunities for his linemates by jumping into the passing lane of a clearing attempt and causing chaos in the offensive zone. He also used some aggressive forechecking to force turnovers along the boards, and fed his teammates out in front for high danger scoring chances. He did get one assist from a faceoff win, but he could have had 2-3 other assists between the two games. If he can just learn to simplify his offensive game, I still like his potential to potentially turn into another Grebyonkin kind of guy – not a line driver, but a good supporting guy with some skill mixed in.

Noah Chadwick

I was a bit surprised by Chadwick's play this weekend. I wouldn't say he was a huge standout for his play, on either side of the puck, but I was finally starting to see evidence of that improved defensive play and skating that has been noted by some other people in the hockey community. He was confidently step up on puck carriers to disrupt their zone entry attempts, he would close and physically challenge them in the defensive zone along the boards – not as good as Webber, but better than I can remember seeing. Most importantly for me, the times I noticed him doing something good may not have been spectacular, but I can't remember noticing him for many bad things or any big bad things.

Chadwick's offensive play was more understated, but effective. He's a different kind of offensive defenseman than, say, Niemelä. He likely won't ever have a similar rate of production, but he is an above average puck mover and offensive facilitator. I thought his skating – specifically the quickness and coordination in his feet as he changed speeds and directions – did look better even than earlier this summer. I consider him a mild standout for the weekend, especially considering the beating he took throughout both games.

Ryan McCleary

I sung McCleary's praise from his development camp, and was pleased he got an AHL deal. Outside of Toronto's three top defensive prospects (Niemelä, Webber, Chadwick), I liked McCleary's game the most out of those next guys. He had good retrievals, made smart passes to exit the zone, and was using his mix of size and skating to good effect. He was not a defensive or offensive juggernaut, but was effective on both sides of the puck. I was hoping to see this kind of game from him, because I know how easy it is to be fooled by one intersquad scrimmage.

The Marlies' defense will be pretty stacked this year, so I'm guessing McCleary will see more time in the ECHL. But I kind of expect him to be one of that team's best defenders by the end of the year, and I hope we can see him getting some AHL time if they need call ups.

Jacob Quillan

Quillan was used as Toronto' 2C in the two games, and was on their secondary powerplay and penalty kill units. He played a responsible defensive game, which is what I was expecting from reading his scouting reports after his last season in the NCAA. His offensive play was... lacking, but not bad. He has some good things going for him – he skates well, he works hard, he forechecks hard, he was pretty good at forcing turnovers and stealing the puck, all that good stuff. He's not bad at carrying or passing the puck, but he didn't seem as effective as I was hoping to see from him. He did make some plays, but not in any game breaking way. He's a guy I considered a mild standout, because this was my first real opportunity to see him in a competitive game.

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Topi Niemelä – Honestly, I somewhat liked Niemelä's play this weekend but I really want to temper that statement. He had five points in two games, which if he could manage that in the NHL that would be fantastic. But my main problems with him for the last year or two has always been twofold: 1) His offensive skills are not good enough to make him an NHL regular as a glass cannon with no other strengths to his game. He's not a Quinn Hughes, Adam Fox, Cale Makar or whatever. 2) He has not made any meaningful improvements to the very real weaknesses that can and will hold him back from making the NHL. He still is not strong enough and gets pushed around easily in his own end, he is still not fast enough to be able to influence a puck carrier once he gets beat, and his defense is still not good enough so he will and does get beat too often. Something in the balance of all of that needs to change for the positive, and not just a bit, for him to be a viable everyday NHL defenseman.

Roni Hirvonen – Even with his two goal game on Sunday, Hirvonen had a somewhat understated weekend. His game is not the easiest to appreciate, because a lot of it are smart, little decisions that can help the team out but is difficult to notice. He doesn't have a lot of flashiness to his game, but he doesn't necessarily need it. I just want him to stay healthy this year and see what he can do with an extended run, especially with a much stronger team in the AHL around him this year.

Braeden Kressler – Kressler scored a goal, was visible (in a good way) fairly often, and threw a massive hit against a guy who's like a foot and many pounds bigger than he is. There are often plays he makes where I like the decision he made, and I liked the things he did or at least tried. But I just don't see any part of his game being at such a high level that I can see anything but a useful AHL pro in his future.

Brandon Lisowsky – At this point, the only reason why I wouldn't give Lisowsky an AHL contract is because the Marlies are going to be pretty loaded and there won't be much room for him. But I do think Toronto should explore having him return for his final overage season in the WHL, then give him an AHL deal once that's over. And it's not because of his offense, it's more that I am seeing more effort and ability beyond his shot. I still don't think any of it is high enough level to make him an NHL guy, but I think he could be a good AHL pro and those have value.

Nathan Mayes – Honestly, Mayes wound up being like a lesser version of Webber for me. He wasn't spectacular or all that great, but he showed surprisingly good skating and ability with moving the puck. He was more turnover prone and didn't execute plays every time, where Webber was much stronger in that area, but it's still a good sign that he can be a defensive specialist – which, for me, also means being able to retrieve dump ins, get the puck back in your own end, and get it out of your end safely. I can see the hints of something there, and I'm curious to see where it can go from here.

What did you all think? What players stood out for you this past weekend, and why?

PPP Runs on Your Support

If you enjoy reading PPP Leafs, and want to see it continue, please consider becomming a paid subscriber. We want to keep all our content open to all users, but to be a sustainable site, we need more support from paid members.

Subscribe Now
Maple Leafs Prospects