A look at the next group of potential Toronto Maple Leafs.

Brett Slawson of The Hockey Writers knows Toronto and their rebuild almost as well as the guys steering the Blue and White ship. The rebuild coming along faster than expected, in large part thanks to their prospects doing the sam

Here are the five Toronto prospects that we will likely be seeing as Maple Leafs rookies next season:

Brendan Leipsic

He’s unheralded treasure from the trade that saw Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli go to Nashville for Oli Jokinen, Leipsic and a 1^st-Round Draft Pick. Leipsic had an outstanding season with the Marlies, amassing 15 goals and 30 assists for 46 points in 43 games. The 5’9, left-shooting 22-year-old is just waiting for a chance to get into the NHL.

Kasperi Kapanen

The trade that send Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh is seeing dividends, most notably in 20-year-old Finnish sensation Kasperi Kapanen. A point-per-game season with the Marlies has proven this 6’0, 181 lbs winger can step up his game. He played in 3 NHL games this season, and 9 games in 2015-16, but has improved drastically with each passing year. It’s only a matter of time before he’s an NHL regular.

Andreas Johnsson

The prize of the 2013 Draft, Johnsson was taken 202^nd overall in the 7^th Round by the Maple Leafs. The 5’10 Swedish winger got little press at the time, but he’s getting a whole lot more now after his first season with the Marlies. 20 goals and 25 assists in 69 games so far has been enough to get speedy forward noticed. The 22-year-old had 57 goals and 104 points in 158 games in the Swedish Hockey League.

Andrew Neilsen

Cited as having “top-pairing potential at the NHL level”, Neilsen is probably Toronto’s most promising blueline prospect, and one we can expect to see playing for the big club very soon. He’s as good defensively as he is offensively, scoring 13 goals and 37 points in 68 games with the Marlies while holding a plus-7 +/- rating.

Garret Sparks

Calling any goalie the future number one for Toronto is always…risky. Sparks saw some time in the NHL when he played 17 games in the 2015-16, including his amazing shutout debut. While he couldn’t secure the backup spot for the Leafs this season, his continued improvement in the AHL suggests he could be ready come September.