Maple Leafs prospect report: Reasons for optimism with Danford, Rifai and more

Welcome to the October Toronto Maple Leafs prospect report. Throughout this season The Athletic will feature notable developments from within the team’s prospect pool, with insights from players themselves, coaches and management.

Let’s start the season with some early reasons for optimism, with particular attention paid to some of the newer additions to the Leafs’ prospect pool.

Danford working with Muzzin to transition back to OHL

Let’s be honest and call Ben Danford’s offseason suboptimal. The 2024 first-round pick sustained a concussion in Leafs rookie camp and missed most of the Leafs main training camp.

Given the way the Leafs wanted 2023 first-round pick Easton Cowan to spend time in main camp after he was drafted, it feels likely Danford might have received the same treatment. Instead, the right-shot blueliner spent most of his on-ice sessions in a red no-contact jersey. And returning to the Oshawa Generals has not been the easiest of transitions for Danford.

“I think it’s more mental than anything: To miss out on your first NHL training camp is difficult,” Generals head coach Steve O’Rourke said. “I know he was pretty down and hard on himself. You’re trying to recover from a concussion and you’re in a tough mental spot. When you’re a first rounder, people want to see you.”

Danford has had lengthy conversations with his coach about shedding expectations and not trying to do too much to influence games. The goal for Danford is to be consistent, shift after shift. That was missing in his immediate return to the OHL.

But over Danford’s last few games, O’Rourke has seen his captain getting back to basics: sturdy, reliable and incredibly smart defending.

“The mental strength it takes to know he doesn’t have to be something he’s not, that’s huge. And that mental strength, he’s going to need it,” O’Rourke said.

Danford has received visits from former Leafs defenceman Jake Muzzin in his new role with the team’s player development department. The Leafs want Danford’s reliability to become a hallmark of his game. And working closely with Muzzin, known for his consistency, should help Danford this season. 

Cowan hits the ground running

Unsurprisingly, Easton Cowan is thriving with the London Knights after being one of the last cuts at Maple Leafs training camp. He’s dominating offensively with continued creative playmaking for three goals and six points through five games.

Cowan has played both centre and wing in various roles up and down the Knights’ lineup. Being able to execute his offensive game while being responsible and physical in a bottom-six role will be a continued goal of Cowan’s this season.

Rifai a highlight of Marlies’ undefeated start

It’s been a white-hot 5-0 start for the Toronto Marlies, making them the only undefeated team in the AHL. Strong goaltending has led to just eight goals against, but Marshall Rifai has also taken a step in his game and deserves praise.

Rifai is one of just two defencemen to have played every game. After struggling with penalties early in his career, he’s learning to be more effective with his physicality. Rifai is using his wheels to stop opposition forwards better too. And he’s making smarter plays all over the ice. Say what you will about plus/minus as a stat but Rifai is still tops on the team with a +6 rating. Learning when and when not to be aggressive and learning how to retrieve pucks better has been an evident change in his game.

“You just want to be on your toes and in people’s faces,” Rifai said.

Rifai has become a player you can’t take your eyes off of. As the season goes on, you have to wonder if Leafs management will have seen enough to give him another NHL shot.

It’s a shot that, so far this season, he’s looking like he deserves.

Holinka adding versatility to his game

Miroslav Holinka was one of the more intriguing players the Leafs selected last summer in Las Vegas. Their draft class was heavy with, well, heavy defencemen but the sharp-shooting, crafty and diligent forward stood out. Holinka was coming off a season split between the under-20 league and the top division in Czechia before readying for a move to the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings.

How has the 18-year-old fared after moving to a completely new country?

Holinka is a naturally reserved person which has made the transition challenging at times. Head coach Luke Pierce is trying to bring Holinka out of his shell, but Pierce also noted that because of his professional experience, Holinka is “a lot more mature than some of the other European kids who you see coming (to the WHL).”

The fifth-round pick is logging regular top-six minutes and time on the Oil Kings’ first power play unit in a variety of spots. He has three goals and six points in seven games.

But a surprise development is his increased penalty kill time, where his stick habits have stood out. That could benefit his transition to professional hockey down the line.

Offensively, Holinka has shown an ability to win pucks back in the offensive zone and distribute the puck well. And his shot, which stood out to the Leafs to begin with, is translating on the smaller ice.

“He doesn’t have any wasted shots. His shot is heavy, quick and they all seem to be high-quality scoring chances,” Pierce said.

Moving forward, the more Holinka gets comfortable in Edmonton, it feels likely his game will improve.

“True to his personality, he feels his way in a little bit. He’s more skilled than a lot of guys he’s playing against, so I’d love to see him impose himself on games more,” Pierce said.

McCue’s energy shining 

If Sam McCue was a self-assured player heading into the draft, he’s looking even more confident early this season. McCue is an energy-first forward who has moved into the Owen Sound Attack’s top six this season. And the 2024 seventh-round pick has moved up because of his relentlessness both on pucks and against other players.

“Having that confidence of getting drafted by Toronto has really helped him a lot,” Attack head coach Scott Wray said.

Heading into this season, the Leafs development staff gave McCue clear instruction: Don’t score your goals off the rush, but become a player who scores playoff-style goals.

With three goals in eight games on an Attack team in the bottom of their conference, McCue is ticking those boxes.

“What we’re trying to focus on with him is if he’s going to make a career out of this, he has to be that power forward coming out of the corner with the puck and agitating the other team,” Wray said.

Mastering details is going to be a focus for the rest of the season for McCue: proper stick positioning, when and where is the best time to throw a hit and how to manage his emotions. But McCue’s energy is still something the Attack want him to build on throughout the season.

“He’s probably going to move into our top power play unit and become a net-front bumper guy like Nazem Kadri was early in his career,” Wray said. 

Chadwick preparing for move to professional hockey

Noah Chadwick had a breakout 2023-24 campaign. This season with the Lethbridge Hurricanes will likely be his last in junior hockey. It feels like the 2023 sixth-round pick knows it, too. According to Hurricanes assistant coach Matt Anholt, Chadwick has been “harping on (Anholt) to harp on him” to drill down the finer details of Chadwick’s game.

Defending the rush. Stick positioning. Finishing checks with the right side of his body: These are the things Chadwick has literally been asking Anholt to work with him on during practice and in video sessions.

“They might be minuscule things but they go a long ways to help him move forward into the AHL and eventually the NHL,” Anholt said.

It’s another sign of maturity in Chadwick as he evolves into one of the higher-ranked Leafs defence prospects. This attention to detail means Chadwick might not always move the needle offensively (though he does have six points in seven games so far) but he could be better prepared to play against top forward lines this season and beyond.

Mayes benefitting from experienced coach

Nathan Mayes was drafted as a prototypical Brad Treliving defenceman: Large, long and not afraid to be aggressive defensively and physically. And the 6-foot-4, 2024 seventh-round pick has started his second season with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs by leaning into those elements of his game.

Crucially, Mayes could benefit from new Chiefs head coach Brad Lauer. Lauer is coming off two seasons as an assistant with the Winnipeg Jets and nine seasons behind NHL benches total. Not surprisingly, Lauer is working to get Mayes understanding the finer details of the game that could help him make the jump to professional hockey.

“When we talk to him about being physical, it’s not just about running guys over, it’s about doing it within the team game: end plays in the right away so we don’t spend more time in our own zone,” Lauer said.

And Lauer is optimistic Mayes can master those details. Mayes is winning puck battles more and more by understanding when to attack with his body and how to use his reach more effectively. As an added bonus, there’s some much-needed offence coming as well. After notching 16 points in 68 games last season, Mayes already has five points through 10 games this year. His heavy shot is part of what’s led to that offence, but so is an underrated part of his game: his hockey IQ.

“That’s something you need in today’s game: having mobile defencemen who understand when to join the rush. As our season has gone along, he’s got a lot better at understanding positional play,” Lauer said.

Lahey changes his future plans

Matthew Lahey is another sizeable defenceman drafted this year. He moved from the BCHL to the USHL this season. What sets the seventh-round pick apart is his mobility. Lahey is a better skater than many other 18-year-old 6-foot-5 defenders and that’s what Fargo Force coach Brett Skinner is trying to utilize.

“The biggest thing we’ve tried to get up and running is continuing to push his ability to defend with his feet: setting gaps, skating forward to defend, closing on players. In conjunction with his size, that’s going to be his greatest asset to becoming an NHL player one day,” Skinner said.

There’s been some bumps in the road in terms of learning new concepts, but Skinner has been happy with Lahey’s progress. Understanding how to defend with his speed has led to playing heavy minutes in all situations. Depending on the opponent, Lahey could log top pair minutes while also playing both the left and right side of the ice.

Of note: Lahey had previously committed to Clarkson University for the 2025-26 season. But there’s been a change in plans.

“He de-committed from Clarkson and he’s going through the process of finding a new school,” Skinner said.

Johansson putting up points

Victor Johansson, the Leafs’ second pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, was selected as a physical defender who plays larger than his listed weight of 159 pounds. He’s always had an elite brain and returning to Sweden’s under-20 league with Leksands, that brain has led to an uptick in production. After scoring eight points in 34 games last season, he is second among all defencemen in the league with 13 points in 14 games.

Becoming more well-rounded could eventually help Johansson make the jump to North America. This season, Johansson has found a balance from sending a strong first pass and bringing the puck forward with his mobility.

“In the offensive zone, he’s good at finding passes in open space and setting passes so teammates get time with the puck,” Leksands Under-20 coach Jörgen Bemström said.

Moving forward, to earn more call-ups to Leksands’ SHL team, Johansson will need to be more consistent with the puck and become even strong with his defending against opposition forwards around his own goal.

(Top photo of Ben Danford: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)



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