The late rounds of the draft have been surprisingly kind to the Maple Leafs over the past decade. Even heading back just beyond the decade mark the Leafs have had success with finding Andreas Johnsson and Pierre Engvall in the seventh round (regardless of whether you liked Engvall in the Leafs lineup he was a hell of a find), they’ve found other NHLers like Adam Brooks, Nikita Grebenkin, Keaton Middleton, and most notably Pontus Holmberg since then, and have some promising late round prospects like Dennis Hildeby, Ryan Tverberg, Victor Johansson, Miroslav Holinka, and Noah Chadwick.
In short, don’t sleep on the four picks the Maple Leafs are slated to make after the fourth round in 2025.
I am not a draft expert. No one really is (though Mark Leach seems like he’s one of the closest people to being one), and no one gets the draft 100% right. There is a lot of guesswork and quick decisions being made on limited data and it’s why I’ve got a a list of some off the board (or barely on the board) targets for the Maple Leafs in the later rounds that fit could be booms or busts.
Trenten Bennett, goaltender, Owen Sound Attack
If Trenten Bennett wasn’t 6’8 would I even be talking about him? The answer is probably not but the reality is a goaltender with a large frame who has been successful through his first six OHL games (.923 save percentage) garners a bit of attention.
There is also a bit of a safety net when it comes to Bennett as he is a 2026 commit to St. Lawrence University, which should allow his parent NHL team to take their time with him. St. Lawrence University might not be a powerhouse school, but it likely has a clear path to playing time which could benefit Bennett as well.
The reason Bennett isn’t on the radar much is that the majority of his 2024-25 games were played for Kentville of the CCHL. Only Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News included Bennett in his top 100 rankings (99th).
The goaltender position is one that typically lends itself to the potential for develop and exploring what a raw talent can do, so it is quite possible Bennett will hear his named called on the second day of the draft.
Tinus Luc Koblar, forward, Leksands J20
If you want to find size in a centre late in the draft you might have to expand your search around the globe. While Denmark has certainly been growing an international presence in hockey, Tinus Luc Koblar might still not be a player on the top of most draft lists (although Tony Ferrari has him at 43rd, and McKeen’s at 120th.)
Koblar had a strong showing in the lower junior levels of Swedish hockey and became an adequate contributor at the J20 level putting up 21 points in 43 games. Not stellar numbers but not certainly numbers that warrant the Maple Leafs considering their late round options on him.
Koblar also has a July birthday which puts him on the younger side of the draft. Being a 17-year old playing in a J20 league is an accomplishment and with a 6’3 frame, there is a strong case that he’ll get a look at the SHL sooner rather than later if things go well too.
The 6’3 Dane would be a slow burn prospect in the spirit of other European projects like Leo Komarov, Pierre Engvall, and Pontus Holmberg, but Leksands is a strong organization and the Leafs would retain rights on an international player longer, and both of those things should factor in to considering Tinus Luc Koblar.
Gavin Cornforth, forward, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
The Kyle Dubas era might be over but that doesn’t mean the Maple Leafs should stop looking at smaller forwards and exploring their potential upside.
Gavin Cornforth put up 27 goals last season in the USHL and is committed to a powerhouse program at Boston College. It seems reasonable to believe that he will be given the tools to make him even better.
When it gets to round seven it is entirely possible that Cornforth will be one of the best scoring options available left in the draft.
Noah Read, forward, London Knights
There are probably few organizations in the Canadian Hockey League that are better to take a chance on a player from than the London Knights.
There might be a grain of salt required when it comes to a player’s numbers because the quality of teammates is consistently good, but the Hunters have been providing the Leafs and other NHL teams with promising prospects for a long time.
Read is a bit different. With 10 goals, he’s not an offensive standout, but that’s not a bad first season number after making the jump from Junior-A in the previous year.
Scoring isn’t the name of Read’s game anyway; he has a good understanding of the defensive side of the game and can be a sour pain in the ass to play against. While the name of the post is boom or bust, boom for Read is probably more of a bottom six role and with a late round pick that would be fine.
The benefit of having a player developing within driving range of the Maple Leafs facilities is obviously a plus as well.
Read picked up Rookie of the Week honours late in the season, potentially a sign of improvement throughout the year or potentially just recognition for his first hat trick but either way he’s not a bad player to look at when the pickings get slim.
Valter Lindberg- F Skelleftea
It’s easy to make a case for overagers in the later rounds and that is precisely why I’m doing it here.
Lindberg had 48 points in 28 games in the Swedish under 20 league before making his way to the SHL and seeing his numbers drop off. Nevertheless, his starting point for 2025-26 will be in Sweden’s top league and with that a chance to find some comfort playing against fully grown men.
At 5’10, Lindberg is undersized and that might be a barrier to selecting him, but his two-way game, experience at centre, and development path at least seem somewhat reminiscent of Pontus Holmberg’s path to the Leafs’ lineup and taking on a smart, two-way player from Sweden seems to be a Thommie Bergman calling card.
Daniil Skvortsov- D Guelph Storm
A 6’4 defenceman who likes to use their size that isn’t projected to go in the first three rounds. Seems a little strange and while Elite Prospects seems to like this guy, he’s not too high on the radar of the other draft ranking services.
Skvortsov is at his best when he plays a punishing brand of defence, closing aggressively on them as they try to turn the corner and enveloping them on the wall. With his combination of size, reach, and mobility, the defenceman is hard to bypass.
There are a lot of pluses there and being an OHL prospect, the Leafs have the opportunity to be very hands on with his development.
Considering the direction the Leafs have been going with their blueline, a lot of traits listed above seem like a good fit.
Richard Gallant, forward, USNTDP
Both McKeen’s and Future Considerations see Richard Gallant as a player who potentially gets his name called in the later rounds of the draft this month. I agree with them. Richard put up strong offensive numbers at three levels of USA Hockey this year. He dominated on the USNTDP U18 team, and kept it going well with 22 points in 27 games for the USNTDP Junior team. He then finished it off with six points (five goals) in seven games for Team USA at the World under 18 tournament.
Given the strength of the USNTDP program and those offensive numbers the question is why isn’t Gallant being talked about higher up in the draft? Well, he’s 5’8 and the track record is spotty when it comes to smaller forwards having continued success as the competition gets bigger.
Gallant, a Harvard committed player, may be worth the risk and the Leafs seem to have a history of drafting Harvard bound players.
Drew Schock, defenceman, USNTDP
Drew Schock, like Richard Gallant, is a USNTDP player who delivered throughout the season and then put up a strong World Under 18 performance. As a defenceman, Schock had seven points in seven games (two goals), and was consistently good offensively throughout the season as well.
Another strong selling point on Schock is that he is committed to the University of Michigan, certainly one of the best NCAA programs to develop in and given Schock’s track record so far, it seems like a safe bet he’ll improve.
At 6’0, Schock doesn’t have standout size, and he lacks the coveted right shot, but given his 2024-25 season it seems reasonable that someone will show interest in him by the 5th round.
Teddy Mutryn, forward, Chicago Steel (USHL)
Finally we get the requisite Chicago Steel player on the list. I don’t know if in the post-Dubas world the Chicago Steel are still very much on the Maple Leafs radar but with Ryan Hardy still being an Assistant GM and overseeing some very important parts of the development process, it’s likely there is a voice advocating for Steel players.
Teddy Mutryn seems like a fun work in progress to get onboard with. He’s a power forward and the Leafs certainly have a need to build out a surplus of those and has frequently been a centre up to this point in his playing career, although a move to the wing seems likely.
Mutryn spent the year with the Steel as well as the US National Team Development Program. His numbers with the USNTDP aren’t on par with Schock or Gallant or in fact particularly good, but this is more about working with a 6’1, 207 frame has an appeal, as does the fact that Mutryn is committed to Boston College, a school with a great track record when it comes to power forwards.
Teddy seems like a potential fit for the Maple Leafs; it’s just a matter of hoping that he falls to the 5th round.
Building out any kind of draft list is a bit of a fool’s errand since out of 224 picks, 32 teams, and several hundred draft eligibles, there isn’t much chance that the player you like will end up on the Maple Leafs. Oddly enough, the Canadiens and Senators seem to be much more aligned with my drafting practices than the Maple Leafs, but c’est la vie.
The takeaway I have from looking at the bottom of the draft is that I’ve come to appreciate when teams don’t necessarily go for the projected second or third round pick player that has slide to the later rounds, and there should be an appreciation for the type of player that adds value. It could be a raw skillset. It could be the player who has the potential to be part of a strong hockey organization that can make them ready for the NHL, or it could be players that have the statistical traits of a late bloomer.
The early rounds of the draft are frustrating, especially if there is a player who has fallen from projected first round rankings down to the end of the second round and the Leafs pass on them. And with a new Amateur Scouting Director, there is less certainty than ever in what direction the Leafs will go. It’s easier to embrace the chaos of the later rounds and with Toronto’s track record in the later rounds, it seems possible that there is one future NHLer in that group.
Elite Prospects was used for reference throughout this post.