The Toronto Maple Leafs enter another draft without a first round pick. Their first pick in the draft will come on Saturday when they close out the second round, and after that, they’ve got a pick in the third round, two in the fifth round, one in the sixth, and one in the seventh. If you’re the type of fan that casually follows the draft and likely won’t be tuning in because the Leafs don’t have a first-rounder, this is for you.
Every year, we try to draft the incoming Maple Leafs class as best as we can, selecting a player for each pick that they have. This is done without factoring in the possibility of trades, whether that be to move up or down, which makes nailing these with any sort of accuracy next to impossible. But what fun is it if we don’t try, right?
2nd round, 64th overall
Tyler Hopkins (C, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL, 6-foot-1, 181 pounds)
I’ll admit that I’m completely stealing this prediction from our shared prospect guru with Daily Faceoff, Steven Ellis. But, in fairness, it’s just too perfect of a pick considering the Leafs’ moves at the trade deadline. With Fraser Minten no longer in the Maple Leafs’ system, they’d ideally like to replace him, and you can’t find many better options than Kingston Frontenacs forward Tyler Hopkins.
The 18-year-old centre has good size, he’s strong on the forecheck, took big strides defensively this season, and has sneaky offensive upside. He scored 20 goals and added 51 points in 67 games in what was his second OHL season, and in watching him, displays lots of similarities to Minten. Hopkins should be available near the end of the second round, and if he is, expect the Leafs to take a long look at him.
3rd round, 86th overall
Bryce Pickford (RD, Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL, 6-foot-0, 190 pounds)
Topi Niemela was the Maple Leafs’ best right-handed defenceman in the system for the past half-decade, but he never turned into what they hoped he would, and he recently signed overseas for the 2025-26 season. 2024 first-round pick Ben Danford helped fill that gap, but his bread and butter is on the defensive side of the puck. If they’re looking for somebody to recoup the puck-moving aspect of things, Bryce Pickford could help in that department.
The Albertan is a year older than most of the players in this class, but he took a big enough step forward after going undrafted last season that there should be a plethora of teams in on him. He had 20 goals and 47 points in 48 games this season, and he stepped up big time for the Tigers in the playoffs and subsequent Memorial Cup, which is something Leafs fans will always have time to hear. His 13 goals (!) and 24 points in 18 games will certainly earn him some extra looks on day 2.
5th round, 127th overall
Topias Hynninen (C, Jukurit, SM-Liiga, 5-foot-11, 176 pounds)
New Maple Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting Mark Leach met with the media on Thursday and highlighted a ‘best player available’ approach, which, to be honest, should be the way all teams approach the draft. At this point, it would probably be shocking to see a Brad Treliving-run team take three players under 6-foot-2 to kick off their class, but if Topias Hynninen is available in the fifth round, they should absolutely use one of their two picks on him.
Like Pickford, the Finnish centre is also in his second year of draft eligibility, but his numbers suggest maybe he should have been taken last season. He had 12 goals and 35 points in 51 games in Finland’s top pro league, which likely puts him closer to an NHL debut than most of his counterparts. The Leafs are weakest at the centre position on their prospect depth chart, and Hynninen would further help pad that area with hopes that he might be ready sooner than the others.
5th round, 153rd overall
Luke Mistelbacher (RW, Swift Current Broncos, WHL, 6-foot-0, 194 pounds)
This would be an exceptionally strong fifth round at first glance should the Leafs end up with both Hynninen and Mistelbacher. I know, it’s another small-ish player, but again, the philosophy this late in the draft should always be best player available, and Mistelbacher would be one of them should he be available.
The Manitoba native is also in his second year of draft eligibility, but he had a massive breakout in 2024-25, scoring 42 goals and chipping in 93 points in 67 games for the Broncos. He’s clearly on teams’ radars already, with the Iowa Wild, affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, signing him to an amateur contract to close out this past season. Like Hynninen, this is a player who is one year away from being AHL eligible and has the ability to leapfrog other players in the system.
6th round, 185th overall
Carter Klippenstein (LW, Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL, 6-foot-3, 181 pounds)
After a number of players who fit the ‘best player available’ category regardless of age or size, I have the Leafs going with a power forward type at 185. Klippenstein is in his first year of draft eligibility and has been described as a ‘physically skilled’ player. He’s got a little bit of craftiness to his game and has some strength in his playmaking skills, which is an intriguing combo with his size.
Klippenstein had 28 points in 58 games this season, so he’s definitely going to be a little bit of a project for whoever drafts him, but the rewards could be worth it, especially for a Leafs system that doesn’t have much for power forwards down under.
7th round, 217th overall
Daniil Skvortsov (D, Guelph Storm, OHL, 6-foot-3, 215 pounds)
You simply weren’t going to make it through a Brad Treliving draft class without a big defenceman, and lucky for the Leafs, there are plenty of those to go around later in the draft. Skvortsov has everything Treliving likes in this type of defender. Poise, reach, physicality, and mobility, all tools you can work with as a baseline as you improve things like your skating speed and offensive instincts.
At 18 years old, Skvortsov had five goals and 18 points for the Storm in 2024-25, but bad offensive numbers on big, young defencemen don’t mean they don’t have it in them. Just look at Noah Chadwick. Every pick this late in the draft is a lottery ticket of sorts, and Skvortsov would be a worthy one to gamble on.
Tune in for The Sheet Draft Special, streaming live on the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel on Friday, June 27th at 7 PM EST. Hosted by Jeff Marek, this live special will cover all the action from the 2025 Draft, including expert analysis of top prospects, team-by-team breakdowns, and real-time reactions to every pick. Whether you’re tracking your team’s future stars or just love the drama of draft night, this is your go-to destination for all things Draft.