GOALBERG. pic.twitter.com/rB4A9bGcdf
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 27, 2022
Sheldon Keefe on the play of Pontus Holmberg, says as a rookie they always try to go through tape about what they can show players to improve their mistakes. In Holmberg’s case?: “I can’t find a mistake.”
— David Alter (@dalter) November 27, 2022
Fraser Minten | C/W | Kamloops (WHL)
#LeafsForever prospect Fraser Minten snipes his 6th goal of the season to open the scoring on the powerplay pic.twitter.com/1VA0neibEx
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) November 24, 2022
Topi Niemelä | RHD | Kärpät (Liiga)
🚨 Sinne suoraan keksipurkin viereen! 🍪 Topi Niemelä kiskaisee kiekon ylähyllylle ja tuo @OulunKarpatFi tasoihin Raumalla. 👏
📺: @CMoreSportFi #Liiga pic.twitter.com/ENzS1OdQzq
— Liiga (@smliiga) November 23, 2022
Notes from the rest of the prospect pool:
- Pontus Holmberg’s gain has been Nick Robertson’s loss these past couple of weeks, despite Holmberg playing center and Robertson lining up on the wing. Holmberg’s play has allowed Sheldon Keefe to shift both Alex Kerfoot and Pierre Engvall back to the wing on a permanent basis, leaving one fewer spot for Robertson to fight for. For now, it appears Robertson will have to bide his time and prepare to capitalize on his next opportunity whenever it comes.
At what point does Keefe feel it's a detriment to Robertson's development that he is not getting game action? "I'm not going to answer this every day. It's getting redundant. But what I would say is that there are a lot of benefits to being in the NHL for a young player." #Leafs
— Terry Koshan 🇺🇦 (@koshtorontosun) November 21, 2022
- Matt Knies and the Minnesota Golden Gophers split a weekend set with his hometown Arizona State Sun Devils, with Knies scoring a goal and an assist in an overtime loss on Saturday night. After a three game pointless streak, Knies now has five points in his last three games, bringing him to nine goals and seven assists in 16 games so far this season.
#LeafsForever prospect Matt Knies gets into the dirty area in front of the net and bangs one home pic.twitter.com/63KW26WG5H
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) November 27, 2022
- Recent Michigan Wolverines commit Nicholas Moldenhauer was injured against Youngstown on November 18th and missed both of Chicago’s games this past week. For a player who has already dealt with more than his fair share of misfortune, the hope is that Moldenhauer will miss minimal time and get back to helping lead the offensive charge for the Steel.
- Nick Abruzzese scored a goal and an assist over the Marlies’ three games last week, bringing him to five goals and six assists in his first 18 AHL games. He hasn’t necessarily popped just yet, but he has been a solid secondary contributor for the first place team in the AHL’s North Division.
BIG Z ON THE POWER PLAY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/BmDpz9YbUJ
— Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) November 26, 2022
- Alex Steeves matched Abruzzese’s output in those three games, but he has been anything but a secondary contributor. After an impressive rookie season, Steeves has upped his game in his second year of pro hockey and already has 17 points through 18 games.
- Semyon Der-Arguchintsev also tallied a goal and assist last week as he continues what is becoming a bit of a breakout season for the diminutive forward. After compiling 32 points in 51 games last season, he is already tied with Steeves for third in team scoring with 17 points in 18 games.
- Ty Voit began the week with his second consecutive four assist game but was held off the scoresheet in each of Sarnia’s next two games – one of which was a blowout 10-0 defeat at the hands of the Flint Firebirds. After being held without a point just twice in his first 18 games, he has now been held scoreless in four of his last six outings. Voit still leads the OHL in scoring with 40 points in just 24 games, but his lead isn’t as wide as it was a couple of weeks ago.
— Sarnia Sting (@StingHockey) November 24, 2022
- Key in that explosive offensive showing for Flint was Braeden Kressler, who tallied three assists in the contest to extend his point streak to four games. Kressler is now in his final year of junior hockey, but he has missed ample development time due to injuries and the 2020-21 OHL season being canceled. Now healthy, it is encouraging to see Kressler playing a prominent role and producing offensively. He now has 12 goals and nine assists in 16 games.
- Dmitry Ovchinnikov has had a slow start offensively but notched his fourth goal of the KHL season last week, bringing him to seven points in 37 games so far this season. His usage has been a bit up and down again as of late, and the Leafs will surely be eager to get him back under their developmental umbrella.
- Artur Akhtyamov played just one game last week, but it was another stellar performance in what has been an incredible season for the Russian netminder thus far. He stopped 35 of 36 shots in a 3-1 victory over Buran on Sunday, upping his save percentage for the season to .940 through 21 games. It’s getting more and more difficult to ignore what he has been able to do so far this season.
- Last week also marked a return to action for another Leafs goaltending prospect, 2016 third-round pick Joseph Woll. After recovering from shoulder and ankle injuries that forced him to miss camp and the beginning of the season, he served as the backup for a pair of games before getting his first start against Cleveland on Friday. It was a great first step for Woll as he looks to reclaim his place on the depth chart, stopping 20 of 21 shots in a 4-1 win.
Alex Steeves loses the puck at the offensive blue line and Cleveland comes the other way on a two-on-one.
Joseph Woll, though, with a huge stop for the #Marlies. pic.twitter.com/10eS00WTWk
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) November 26, 2022