2026 T25U25: Ryan Tverberg is #24

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Ryan Tverberg is 24, that is the crucial point about this prospect. He's exactly seven months shy of being too old for this list, and when that's true, and you aren't in the NHL, there's a lot of prospects or players who will rank ahead of you.

Ryan Tverberg	Vitals
Age as of July 1	24.42
Position	C
Height	5'11"
Weight (lbs)	187
Shoots	R
Draft Year	2020
Draft Number	213

The Player

At 7:12 pm on October 7, 2020, the Maple Leafs swapped seventh-round picks with Boston and drafted Ryan Tverberg. That strange confluence of circumstances – that the draft was in October, that it ran that late on the second day because it was done via Zoom, and that the Leafs saw a player they wanted to snatch – led to a player from Richmond Hill getting in at least two games for his hometown Maple Leafs. Will it ever be more? Maybe. But the signs point a lot more strongly to no.

Tverberg went to the NCAA to play hockey long before that was a common practice, and he started slow like a lot of rookies, and then started to score goals. He came to the Marlies at 21 and started slow, and then settled into an AHL career sprinkled with enough injuries to have made last season's 63 regular season games and 24 playoff appearances the busiest season of hockey he's ever had.

He played in two games for the Leafs, the last two games of last season. Games the Leafs really needed to lose to hold onto fifth-last in the NHL and keep their first-round pick.

In the Dallas game at home, he played 9:07, sat in the box for two minutes for tripping Mikko Rantanen and got to watch the Leafs lose on a Dallas comeback in the third sparked by Troy Stecher's own goal. In case you've forgotten what last season was like. In the final game, a loss to the Senators, he played 10:40 without incident.

He was 5'11" when drafted, but only 175 lbs, so he's bulked up a little, and the scouting report on him then matches who he has been ever since: a player willing to engage physically – he had a couple of hits in the game against the Senators, he blocks shots, and he's an obvious energy player in the AHL – but one who gets knocked off the puck easily. That second part is less true now that he's a mature man.

No draft watchers had him ranked back in 2020 before the draft, not even the people who make absurdly long draft ranking lists. But here's the thing about him: the Leafs scouts were right. He is a much, much better player than the average 200+ pick gets you. Not quite Pierre Engvall or Andreas Johnson, but close. One guy taken in that seventh round, Chicago's Louis Crevier, has busted 100 NHL games, and Devon Levi, now with Florida, might get there too, but that's it. The odds were always really long for Tverberg, and his success is down to him and his hard work.

Fans of the Marlies are often very fond of him because of his obvious work ethic and enthusiasm. He had a great season this past year, but one point should get some attention. He played on a line with Jacob Quillan and Easton Cowan in the playoffs. And just like in the NHL, the third-best player on a line (which is polite for worst) can be pulled along in the wake of players who create offence, who have puck control skills and who tilt the ice in ways that get them points, highlight moments. These creators can make the skating speed of their third man look like it's a key ingredient for winning.

If Tverberg is lucky with injuries, he'll likely have another good Marlies season after the Leafs signed him to a one-year contract. This is his last year on this list, and maybe his last in the organization, as he will finish that contract as a Group-6 UFA unless he very unexpectedly plays 78 games on the Leafs.

The Votes

Tverberg didn't hit the T25 list until 2022, when his scoring ability got noticed. He was 22nd, then 17th in 2023, 16th in 2024 and didn't make it last year with only three voters ranking him.

Voter	Vote
Cathy	NA
Species	21
Hound Line	25
Shinson93	23
Cameron	20
Sclodiggity	NA
Brian S	NA
Svalbard38	22
Zone Entry	24
Hardev	19
Adam	18
Weighted Average	22.73
Highest Vote	18
Lowest Vote	25

The Opinions

Sclodiggity: NHL games played! He had 2 last year, the first of his career, which makes him a fully qualified tweener, a status few prospects achieve. Plus, a strong (relatively speaking) season and playoffs with the Marlies and he certainly appears to be a viable 4th liner. With that said, 24-years-old and 2 NHL games to date suggests that this is his ceiling. Potentially a regular on a weaker team, likely only call up duty for the Leafs. Impressive though this is for a 7th round pick, it has relatively little value so I had him lower than many other voters. It would be great to see a positive 20-game stint from him, but he’s a sizable step down from Duhaime, Blueger, Scissons, Lorentz, etc. so it’ll take a few injuries for him to get time. I think where people differ on him is the value of a highly-certain but low ceiling guy vs slightly higher potential but long-shot guy.

Shinson93: I had essentially written off Tverberg last season, as he seemed to struggle to find his role on the team. Looking back, I think recurring injuries played more of a role than I wanted to admit. This past season Tveberg finally got a full season and showed both how versatile he can be, and how much he can make his linemates better. Gruden used him everywhere in the lineup and constantly commented about how wherever he put him, the line got better. I love his speed and tenacity and think he can be more than just a 4th liner. His scoring was on par with Quillan and Haymes, who are slightly younger but both will be ranked higher up this list. I think this is a prospect that has maximized his opportunity.

Brigstew: I’ve always liked Tverberg, and still do, but I don’t see an NHL regular in him. At his age there isn’t major improvements coming, and he just doesn’t have the skills or tools to be something more than a good AHL player. I didn’t rank him as a result, but I’ll always enjoy watching him play on the Marlies.

Svalbard38: I love Tverberg’s story. Grew up a Leafs fan, wanted to be drafted by the Leafs, thought that dream was over when Toronto used their last pick. Then Toronto trades for one more pick and takes him in the seventh. When a team trades for your pick on draft day, you know they’re not just throwing a dart at the board because they have a dart left to throw, they want you. It’s always fun to see a 7th rounder put on the jersey and play in an NHL game, and I was happy it happened for Tverberg, but I’m not sure I see a way onto the roster for him this season unless there’s a run of injuries. He’s on my list but I don’t see him going much further than he’s already gone. Like every player I think that of, I’d love if Tverberg proved me wrong.

Hardev: I ranked Tverberg next to Villeneuve because they're identical in a lot of ways. They're both 24, got a couple NHL games during the tank to hang their hats on, played important roles during the Marlies championship run, but don't have the next level to be in the NHL. I admit he's proven me wrong in how far he's come. Since it's his last T25, I want to admit I always think of Tverberg whenever a prospect's position is listed as "F" because he was the first one I came across where sites had no idea if he was a centre or a winger.

I didn't rank him either this year or last. By outperforming his draft position, he became a fun prospect to pay attention to, but in the larger context of the rest of the prospect pool, he was never quite good enough at lower levels to really merit that kind of ranking. Time runs out eventually and every prospect gets to the end of the runway, and a man turning 25 this winter is who he is. He sure deserved to be lifting that Calder Cup, though. I hope he has another good year with the Marlies, but I can't in good conscience hope for him on the Leafs because that doesn't mean things are going well for the team or their overstuffed forward corps.

Your turn. What do you think about the Marlies second line playoff winger.

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