Leafs Prospect Roundup: Robertson and Sandin close to returning, awaiting Amirov, Woll shakes off the rust

While Kyle Dubas continues to search for ways to supplement the Leafs’ lineup prior to the trade deadline, it appears the Marlies will soon have some reinforcements coming from the infirmary. @Nicholas Robertson has been on the shelf since March 3rd but he has returned to the ice and could find himself back in the Marlies’ lineup soon, @Rasmus Sandin broke his foot in the Marlies’ first game of the season way back on February 15th and he is also close to getting back on the ice, and @Ian Scott has been added to the Leafs’ taxi squad to get him some practice reps before getting into a game for the first time since May of 2019.

Robertson and Sandin could eventually factor into the Leafs’ plans this season if they aren’t moved ahead of the deadline, and Marlies’ coach Greg Moore is surely looking forward to having them back in his lineup where they should both play prominent roles. Once fully healthy, Scott will likely compete for starts with @Joseph Woll and @Veini Vehvilainen.

It also appears now that the Leafs won’t be forced to make a decision on keeping Robertson in the NHL as hopes for an OHL season continue to dwindle. It is an unfortunate situation for the league and it’s players but being able to leave Robertson in the AHL and have him available for an NHL call up if needed will be beneficial for the Leafs, as well as for Robertson’s individual development.

Amirov’s KHL campaign came to an end earlier this week when Salavat Yulaev was swept in the second round of the Gagarin Cup playoffs. Of course, this immediately led to speculation that Amirov could soon sign his entry-level contract with the Leafs and make the jump to North America. His KHL contract, however, does not expire until the end of April and unless Ufa releases him before then, Leafs fans will have to be patient.

In the meantime, Amirov has been reassigned to the MHL where Tolpar are currently in the midst of a playoff run of their own. It is a significant step down in competition from the KHL and the Leafs’ prospect is tabbed for a much larger role at the junior level, playing over 20 minutes and registering this assist in his first MHL game since 2019-2020:

Arguably the Leafs’ top goaltending prospect, Woll finally got back into game action a couple of weeks ago after being stuck in taxi squad purgatory due to injuries in Toronto’s net.

It has been a bit of an up and down return for the 22-year old netminder, picking up a victory in his first game before a pair of losses in which he gave up a combined 8 goals on 58 shots, followed up by a 23 save shutout over Belleville on Wednesday.

Through four games, Woll is 2-2-0 with a 2.88 GAA and .904 save percentage.

Abramov had a big week for Victoriaville, picking up a goal and an assist against Rimouski on Tuesday before adding three more helpers the following night against Shawinigan. For the season, Abramov leads the Tigres with nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points in just 23 games.

His puck carrying ability and offensive vision, combined with a shot that continues to look more and more deadly, have made him a dominant offensive threat at the junior level. He has the tools to be productive player in the AHL next season but will need to continue to add strength to his frame while shoring up his play off the puck.

Anderson’s production has been a bit underwhelming but he has been an important player for the Marlies through the early part of the season. He has proven to be a reliable two-way presence and has occasionally shown flashes of offensive skill.

He has been a threat on the penalty kill as well, scoring a pair of shorthanded goals in the last five games. Anderson now has six goals and three assists through 17 games with the Marlies this season.

Known as more of a shutdown defenceman, Kokkonen has played huge minutes for a struggling Jukurit team all season long. He regularly plays upwards of 22+ minutes a night against the opposition’s best players – no small task for a 20 year old defender in a professional hockey league.

He finally scored his first goal of the season earlier this week and has made it known that he wants to have a greater impact on the game at the offensive end. For the season, Kokkonen has one goal and nine assists through 44 games and he is a likely candidate to earn an entry-level contract upon conclusion of the Liiga season.

Kral just keeps producing and has added three assists in his last three games playing heavy minutes for Brno. He currently leads all defenders on his team with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points in 48 games.

His puck carrying and offensive abilities were never really in question, and while it is encouraging to see those skills translate to the pro level, it is his improvements on the defensive side that have stood out the most this season.

Look for Kral to be a key contributor on the Marlies’ blue line when the Czech pro season wraps up and he heads back to Toronto.