Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Last Week's News and Stars

I've decided I like this format, but I'll make an adjustment to include any little news or updates concerning Toronto's prospects. If they're traded, moved to a different league, injured, had their role on the team changed, etc.

But I'll still highlight the top performances, so let's get to it!

Harry Nansi

Last week: 1 goal, 8 assists (9 points) in 3 games
Season to date: 6 goals, 17 assists (23 points) in 17 games

I was pretty sure I was going to give Holinka the first star this week after he had a big 4 point game on Saturday. Then Nansi not only one-upped him with a 5 point game on Sunday, but also had a 3 point game on Wednesday to give him 9 points in only 3 games this past week. All but one of them were assists, and all but one of those assists were the primary helpers on the goal he set up.

Some of this explosion in offensive output is because he got bumped up to Owen Sound's top line, where he's shown great chemistry with Tristan Delisle, the top center. Some of it is also his continued presence on the top powerplay. Both opportunities put him around the team's best finishers, and his playmaking and ability to get open, be available for a pass or loose puck, and spot his open teammate for a pass even if he's surrounded by defenders is really shining through.

Miroslav Holinka

Last week: 2 goal, 6 assists (8 points) in 3 games
Season to date: 9 goals, 13 assists (22 points) in 15 games

Holinka may not have done as well as Nansi, or looked as effective as consistently, but he had himself a good week as well. Only two of his assists were secondary, giving him 6 primary points in the three games he played last week. Not bad at all. He also was re-united on the top line with Lukas Sawchyn and Joe Iginla after they were split up for a bit, and I'd say their chemistry just makes the most sense.

Aside from that, Holinka's role hasn't changed. He still plays on the top powerplay unit, manning the point as one of the primary puck movers or long-range shot threats – something he does well. He also plays a lot on the penalty kill and to hold leads late. He's just an excellent all-around player in the WHL now, and is a leader on the team in goals, points, and driving play.

Ben Danford

Last week: 4 assist in 2 games
Season to date: 1 goals, 7 assists (8 points) in 10 games

The big news going into this weekend was that Danford was traded, with his most common partner, from Oshawa to the best team in the OHL – Brantford. They had yet to be beaten in regulation so far this season, have the league's best offense and are close to the league's best defense. Adding Danford and Sandhu only strengthens their defense, by a lot.

On the one hand, Danford was playing a LOT on Oshawa because they didn't have a lot of other options. He was getting top powerplay time too, so he finally had a better chance to stretch his offensive wings. In fact, his 4 points in 8 games with Oshawa were all on the powerplay – but all of them were primary points. With him being moved to a loaded team that already had some older and top defensemen, including with more powerplay and offensive experience, I assumed that meant Danford would go back to being an even strength and penalty kill defensive specialist.

And yet, in his first game with his new team on Saturday, he had two primary assists – including one on the powerplay, where he set up fellow Leafs' prospect Sam McCue for another primary assist. I've been watching and following Danford's games this season, because his point and shot per game pace are noticeably higher this season, and if he maintains that powerplay time with a top offense like Brantford he could wind up with a good increase in points just because the plays he makes are more likely to become goals with better finishers.

That's how he got his assist in his second game. He made a nice play on the transition to get around the first forechecker and pass it to a streaking forward, and eventually that forward scored. Danford got a point for being involved in the play even if his contribution came well before the goal.

News & Notes

Victor Johansson — Last week, I read a prospect report article written by Josh Kloke at The Athletic. One of the details was from Leksands' GM, talking about Johansson's loan to the Allsvenskan team. The plan was said to be for him to get bigger minutes at a pro level until they thought he was ready to be recalled back to the SHL team. Wouldn't you know, on Saturday that's what happened. He played on Leksands' 2nd pair on the right side, playing 13:59 with no points. He wound up playing 7 games in the Allsvenskan league, averaging around 14 minutes and had three assists. This coming week, he's playing for Sweden in a mini-international tournament with three other European countries from the 3rd to the 8th. It will be another small chance for him to increase his standing in Sweden's eyes ahead of their final decisions for the World Juniors roster.

Tinus Luc Koblar — Koblar continues to develop with Leksands in the SHL. He's mostly playing as the 3C, sometimes on the second line or on the wing. He doesn't have a point in his last 6 games but is still getting good reviews from his coach and GM. In fact, they just signed him to some kind of contract that will extend his time with Leksands through the 2026/27 season. More points would be nice, but not that necessary for this process. The fact he's playing a meaningful role with real minutes in the SHL is nothing but a good sign for his development.

Alexander Plesovskikh — Bit unfortunate for him, he was showing good progress in refining his offensive skills. He was coming off scoring 6 goals in 5 games, and was regularly playing 18 or even 20+ minutes in six straight games as one of their most heavily used players. But after playing over 22 minutes in a 3-2 shootout loss on October 22nd, he hasn't played anywhere. I'm assuming he's hurt, so we'll see when he returns or where he pops up.

Thanks for reading!

I put a lot of work into my prospect articles here, both for the draft and Toronto's prospects. I do it as a fun hobby for me, and I'd probably do it in some capacity even if PPP completely ceased to exist. But if you like reading my work, some support would go a long way! I pay for a few streaming services (CHL, NCAA, USHL, the occasional TSN options for international tournaments that are broadcast) to be able to reliably watch these prospects in good quality streams. I also pay for some prospect-specific resources, such as tracking data and scouting reports from outlets like Elite Prospects, Future Considerations, McKeen's Hockey, The Athletic, and more.

Being able to get paid for this helps me dedicate more time and resources to it, rather than to second/third jobs. And whatever money I make here, a lot of I reinvest back into my prospect work through in those streaming and scouting services. Like I said, I'd be doing whatever I can afford for this anyway, so any financial help I get through this is greatly appreciated!