Ranking the Maple Leafs top prospects for 2017-18

In his latest article for Last Word on Hockey, hockey writer Ben Kerr takes a look at the prospect pool of the Toronto Maple Leafs and attempts to rank the team’s brightest young players in order of who could have the biggest impact on the team in the coming years.

While youngsters like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander have obviously graduated past the prospect status and have established themselves as legitimate NHL stars, the Leafs are still loaded with talent in their prospect pool

According to Kerr, the Leafs’ top 3 prospects in order are:

Timothy Liljegren
The big, Swedish, right-shot defenseman slipped in the draft out of a projected top 10 position to the Leafs at pick #17 of this past June’s Entry Draft and the team couldn’t be happier. The talented defender is an elite level skater with tremendous poise and offensive instincts. He has all the tools to become a top pairing defenseman in the NHL.

For a taste of his talent, check out this highlight reel:

Kasperi Kapanen
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Phil Kessel trade, Kapanen finally broke out offensively in 2016-17 and stands to take an even bigger leap in 2017-18. The 21-year-old put up 18 goals and 43 points in just 43 games in the AHL last season for the Toronto Marlies and he’ll be given every opportunity to earn a full-time spot with the Leafs this fall in training camp.

Leafs fans may remember his double overtime goal in Game 2 of the team’s first round playoff series against Washington Capitals earlier this spring:

Travis Dermott
Dermott is a local kid from Newmarket, Ontario who was selected in the 2nd round (34th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old defenseman had a strong first pro season with the Marlies in 2016-17, scoring five goals and 24 points in 59 games. He’s a smart offensive player with strong defensive ability. He’ll be looking to impress at training camp and earn a spot on the Buds ahead of Liljegren, Andreas Borgman and Martin Marincin.

Check out his rookie highlight reel here: