Toronto Maple Leafs: First prospect roundup of the season

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Prospects in the NCAA

Joseph Woll – G (Boston College)

2017-18 Stats: 3 GP / 2.59 GAA / .905 Sv%

The likelihood of seeing Joseph Woll in blue and white anytime soon is slim. The 2016 third-rounder is rounding out his form with the Eagles and will be competing for the NCAA National Championship every season.

At only 19, he’s got lots of time to grow as a goaltender, which he’s doing in his sophomore season.

Woll has started all three games for BC this season. His strongest performance came in their last game, where he finished with 31 saves on 34 shots to help the Eagles beat Providence 4-3 in overtime.

Woll — along with many prospects in the 2016 Leafs draft class — was overshadowed by Auston Matthews. The American goaltender has been impressing over the past two seasons, first at the World Juniors, and now in the NCAA.

He’s going to have a long road to the NHL, but when he finished college, he could be ready right away to make the roster or the very least take the starting job with the Toronto Marlies.

J.D. Greenway – D (Wisconsin)

2017-18 Stats: N/A

Just wanted to touch on Greenway quickly. He has yet to play a game for the Wisconsin Badgers this season due to an undisclosed personal issue.

He finished last season with a goal and seven points in 34 games.

He will return to the ice at some point in the future, and he’ll look to improve on last season when he does get back with the Badgers.

Dakota Joshua – C (Ohio State) 

2017-18 Stats: 3 GP / 1 G / 0 A / 1 Pt / 2 PIM / +1

Joshua is a prospect for the Leafs that isn’t spoken about enough finishing last season with 35 points in 33 games with the Buckeyes last season.

The power forward has one goal through the first three games of this season. The 2014 fifth round pick is playing on the second line for Ohio State this year and should have another great showing during his junior campaign.

He’s a dark horse to keep an eye on over the coming months, and even years.

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Prospects in Europe

Carl Grundstrom – LW (Frolunda HC)

2017-18 Stats: 6 GP / 2 G / 1 A / 3 Pts / 0 PIM

Barring any major setbacks, the 2016 second-rounder is going to have a great shot to make the Toronto Maple Leafs roster next season.

Playing on a Frolunda team that features a mix of former NHL players and top prospects, Grundstrom has played a solid two-way game and has produced at a decent level. He’s not tops in scoring, but he’s playing his game, which is high energy and efficient.

Grundstrom has three points in six games, good for ninth in team scoring currently. He is bound to score more, but expectations should be tempered for his output this season. He’s playing on the third line for Frolunda, so he’s being asked to play more of a two-way game and not focus solely on his offence.

He’s going to be a huge talking point this season as many (including myself) believe that due to the Leafs cap situation, Grundstrom will replace Leo Komarov on the team next season.

Grundstrom was very impressive in the preseason, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store over the rest of the year.

Vladislav Kara – C (Bars Kazan)

2017-18 Stats: 9 GP / 4 G / 2 A / 6 Pts / 0 PIM / -1

Now, to the enigma that is Vladislav Kara. The Leafs 2017 fourth-rounder was a virtual unknown when he was drafted. He didn’t even have a hockeydb page.

The Russian forward is playing for Bars Kazan — the affiliate of the KHL’s Ak Bars Kazan — this season. So far, he has four goals and six points in nine games in the VHL.

He has played three games in the KHL but has not registered a point.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to find any footage on Kara from this season, and the footage from last year is scarce. The only highlight pack on Youtube has been copyrighted by the KHL, so it appears as though the Leafs “Man of Mystery” will continue to stay that way for the time being.

Nonetheless, he’s had a positive start to his season.

Yegor Korshkov – RW (Lokomotiv Yaroslavl)

2017-18 Stats: 23 GP / 4 G / 4 A / 8 Pts / 16 PIM / +2

While hockey is just kicking back into gear in North America, the KHL season is already in full swing.

Maple Leafs prospect Yegor Korshkov has already appeared in 23 games with Lokomotiv this season. The 21-year-old has eight points in that span while playing on the second line alongside Alexander Polunin and Pavel Kraskovsky. He’s also the top scorer on that line so far this year.

Korshkov has displayed his great shooting ability on multiple occasions this season. He has scored two great goals off one-timers so far.

Korshkov was the Leafs second selection in the draft after Auston Matthews. At the time, not many knew who he was, however, he is going to have big expectations on him as he progresses in his career. It will be interesting to see when he comes over to North America and what he can do with the Leafs in the coming years.

Nikolai Chebykin – LW (SKA-Neva St. Petersburg)

2017-18 Stats: 5 GP / 1 G / 4 A / 5 Pts / 8 PIM / +4 (Between VHL & MHL)

The 2016 seventh-round pick has played in the minor systems of Russian hockey so far this season.

He has had good showings with both SKA-Neva St. Petersburg as well as SKA-1946 St. Petersburg of the MHL so far.

Another good late round pick that could pan out for Toronto in the future. We just have to wait and see what he turns into down the road.

Next: Tip of the Tower Podcast: The Boys are Back in Town

Are there any other prospects that you think got off to a good start to the season? Who are your favourite prospects coming up through the Leafs system? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!