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Welcome to the August 2019 edition of the DobberProspects 31-in-31 Series! This month, we will be diving into the depth of each organization, looking at their Top 20 prospects, risers, fallers, and recent graduates. Let’s dive in!

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Graduating players

We were 99% certain they would graduate last year, and they did. Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson did not disappoint, and will be top-nine mainstays on the Maple Leafs.

Same goes for Travis Dermott on defense, who has played well enough to be a third-pairing d-man at worst for the big club (once he returns from injury).

A surprisingly consistent presence on the 4th line, Freddie Gauthier held his own. His role is far from safe (as is the case with most fourth-line players), but he made the jump last season and stuck, making him a tentative prospect graduate. At worst he will be in the press box – his AHL days should be behind him.

On the bubble is Marlies standout Trevor Moore. He spent most of the 2018-19 campaign in the minors but was an especially notable energy-producing machine for the Leafs in the post-season. Prior to free agency he looked like a lock to graduate this fall, but the incoming depth means he will be battling for a bottom-six spot. I like his odds. The other AHL standouts from 2018-19 however (Pierre Engvall, Rasmus Sandin) will be hard-pressed to graduate to the big club this season thanks to all the newcomers more suited for depth roles.

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Risers

• Mac Hollowell skyrocketed onto peoples’ radars in 2018-19 thanks to his smooth skating, a ton of points, and . If he can roll this momentum into a full-time AHL gig, he can continue that trajectory.

• Ian Scott went from being an average goaltending prospect to a WHL Champion, Goalie of the Year, and Playoffs MVP winner. He has suddenly become a viable option for the Marlies as soon as 2019-20 if he can earn it.

• Rasmus Sandin was a first-round pick, so he had a fair amount of pressure from fans. His rookie AHL campaign took those expectations to new heights as he proved to be more than capable handling big minutes and contributing more offensively than expected in the process.

Fallers

• Semyon Der-Argunchintsev had a strong enough training camp last fall to earn an ELC and look like an immediate draft steal. His D+1 OHL season was lacklustre in production however, and his pro tryout in the ECHL wasn’t as much of a coming-out party as many had hoped. He’s still extremely young and raw so be patient with this talent.

• Kasimir Kaskisuo almost saved himself from this list with an outstanding playoff run with the Marlies, but his regular season was horrendous and this rise of prospects Scott and Woll in the crease make his ceiling with the organization an AHL splitting-starter.

• Eemili Rasanen chose to play in the KHL after appearing somewhat stagnent in the OHL, which turned out to be a poor decision. He saw very little ice time, only got into 12 games, and he appears to be sticking around for 2019-20. There might be too much depth ahead of him to turn this around.

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Top 20 Prospects

This will surely be a point of contention for fans. Rankings are based on worthiness of fantasy ownership – a mix of upside, NHL-readiness, and NHL certainty.

1. Rasmus Sandin
2. Jeremy Bracco
3. Timothy Liljegren
4. Nicolas Robertson
5. Trevor Moore
6. Ian Scott
7. Pierre Engvall
8. Joseph Woll
9. Mac Hollowell
10. Mikhail Abramov
11. Ilya Mikheyev
12. Nic Petan
13. Adam Brooks
14. Mikko Kokkonen
15. Dmytro Timashov
16. Mason Marchment
17. Semyon Der-Argunchintsev
18. Pontus Holmberg
19. Egor Korshkov
20. Joseph Duszak

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Prospect Depth Chart

Another section that will get me a few notes I’m sure. Positions on the depth chart are based on current standing in the upcoming training camp. A top spot indicates that they are closest to being available for a pro hockey role, it does not indicate they are the best prospect in that position. Naturally, players on AHL contracts aren’t actually eligible to claim an NHL role, but in theory if they have a strong enough training camp they can upgrade their contract, so I’ve placed where I believe they belong in the ranking. These depth rankings will drastically change during the season, since players returning to the WHL, KHL, NCAA, or other leagues cannot just jump back into the depth chart if they fail to crack the team out of camp. So don’t use this as a reference when injuries strike in November! Check out the Colorado team page on this site (link below) for a deeper breakdown of fantasy upside vs. NHL certainty.

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For more insights on all the players mentioned above, check out the Toronto team page here:

https://dobberprospects.com/team/toronto-maple-leafs/

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Reminder that the 2019-20 Fantasy Hockey Guide is available now, and if you’re serious about being competitive in your pools no matter how deep, it is an absolute must-read:

https://dobbersports.com/product/dobbers-2019-20-fantasy-hockey-guide/

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Hayden Soboleski

@soboleskih