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Maple Leafs Prospect Roundup: Grebenkin busts slump, Cowan keeps streak alive
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Photo credit: © John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Nick Richard
Jan 14, 2025, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 14, 2025, 08:55 EST
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Nikita Grebenkin has been one of the bright spots on a shallow Leafs prospect pool over the last couple of seasons, and he wasted little time making an impression upon his arrival to North America for the 2024-25 season.
After a pair of impressive seasons where he was a top offensive threat for two different KHL teams and one of the most productive u22 players in the entire league, Grebenkin stood out during Leafs rookie camp before catching the eye of Craig Berube and his coaching staff at Leafs main camp in September.
With the Leafs dealing with a rash of injuries, Grebenkin made his NHL debut after just 13 games with the Marlies in the AHL, and his energetic, physical style of play quickly made him a fan favourite. He saw limited minutes in that seven-game stint with the Leafs and failed to register a point while playing down the lineup, but his tenacity and flashes of playmaking skill were apparent.
Grebenkin scored in his first game back with the Marlies in mid-December, but he went cold after that, going nine consecutive games without a point, registering just nine shots on goal over that span. A few bumps in the road were to be expected in his first season after crossing the Atlantic, but the 2022 fifth-rounder has bounced back following his first taste of adversity in his North American career.
Grebenkin scored a goal and added an assist in a 6-3 loss to Wilkes-Barre last Wednesday and followed that up with a two-goal performance as the Marlies beat Syracuse by a score of 3-2 on Friday. Even with that nine-game skid, he is up to eight goals and seven assists through 26 games in the AHL, and he has become a key figure in the Marlies’ offensive attack.
Whether or not we see Grebenkin in the NHL again this season will likely depend on the health of the Leafs’ forward group, but he has already proven to be a capable depth piece. With continued development in the minors, he should become a permanent fixture in the Leafs’ bottom six in the not-too-distant future.

Notes from the rest of the prospect pool:

  • Following another disappointing World Juniors tournament, Easton Cowan is back with the London Knights, and his regular-season point streak is still going. He has tallied an assist in each of the two games he has played since returning, extending the streak to 58 games and bringing him up to 30 points in 22 games so far this season. Cowan may have missed his chance at redemption at the World Juniors, but the Knights appear poised for another run at the Memorial Cup, and winning junior hockey’s ultimate prize would serve as a happy ending to Cowan’s junior career.
  • Playing on a line together, Fraser Minten played a big part in Grebenkin busting his slump this past week. With a goal and an assist against Wilkes-Barre and an assist in each of the next two games, Minten is currently riding a three-game point streak. For the season, he has notched five goals and five assists in 16 games with the Marlies. His ability to produce at the pro level was a question coming into the season, but he has done well to silence those concerns to this point in his first AHL season.
  • The offensive production hasn’t been there for Ben Danford this season, but he has still been a key contributor for one of the OHL’s top teams. He has started to try and make more happen offensively from his spot on the point, and he put up two assists in Oshawa’s 6-2 win over Ottawa on Sunday. Through 37 games, Danford has four goals and 11 helpers, and he is still working to find the balance between being a defensive stalwart and using his mobility and vision to push the pace offensively.
  • Perhaps the biggest riser in the Leafs’ prospect pipeline this season, Sam McCue has become a coveted commodity in the OHL. With the Owen Sound Attack struggling this season, he was dealt to the Flint Firebirds a couple of weeks ago and finally made his debut with his new club this past week. McCue made a good first impression while skating on the top line, scoring a goal and adding an assist in his first game as a Firebird, and the seventh-rounder is now up to 19 goals and 14 assists in 37 games between Owen Sound and Flint.
  • Vyacheslav Peksa made his AHL debut, entering the game in relief a few weeks ago, but he got his first AHL start this past week. Peksa took the loss in a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Utica Comets, but he stopped 29 of the 32 shots he faced in the process. His North American career hasn’t started the way he would have liked, but it’s difficult to gauge his progress in the ECHL, where he has played for two very weak teams over the last two years. Peksa is firmly entrenched as the sixth goaltender on the depth chart at this point, but he could alter his fortunes with more opportunities in the AHL.
  • 2024 fifth-rounder Alexander Plesovskikh hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire in the Russian junior league this season, but he’s been hot over the last few games. On his current four-game point streak, he has notched four goals and two assists, elevating his totals to 10 goals and 15 assists through 36 games in the MHL this season. It’s important to note that Plesovskikh was among the youngest draft-eligible players last June, and he won’t turn 19 until August, but he will need to take his offensive output to another level if he is going to earn a look in the VHL.
Statistics from EliteProspects.com
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