Ben Danford (#LeafsForever) catches Yanis Lutz cutting across the middle with his head down on the PP and steps up and crushes him. McCallum then takes an instigator penalty and the #Gens scored on that powerplay. Then later in the game, Danford scores a PPG of his own
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Maple Leafs Prospect Roundup: Danford doing it all, Koblar stepping up
Photo credit: (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)
By Nick Richard
Oct 20, 2025, 10:30 EDTUpdated: Oct 20, 2025, 10:27 EDT
Easton Cowan has been the talk of the town when it comes to Leafs prospects, and rightfully so, but another first-round pick, Ben Danford, seemingly made a strong impression in his first full NHL training camp this fall. Danford missed what should have been his first NHL camp a year ago after suffering an injury in Toronto’s rookie camp, but he was a full participant this time around, and he was given the opportunity to suit up as part of some NHL-heavy lineups in the preseason.
Danford earned praise from the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ coaching staff for his mature, simplified style of play throughout camp and preseason action before he was ultimately sent back to Oshawa for what will be his final year of junior hockey. The 6-foot-2 defender is known as a physically imposing presence in the OHL, and he will be looking to take a step as an offensive contributor for the Generals this season, but his ticket to the NHL will be that physicality and defensive prowess.
After missing the first few games of the OHL campaign while still at Leafs camp, Danford entered Sunday’s contest against Peterborough with a pair of assists through five games. The Generals have stumbled out of the gate a bit after making it to the OHL finals in back-to-back seasons, but Danford helped set the tone in a big way on Sunday night as Oshawa came away with a 6-4 victory.
With the Generals already out front on the strength of an opening-minute tally by Onni Kalto, Danford stepped into the middle of the ice and put a heavy hit on Petes forward Yanis Lutz. That drew the attention of Braydon McCallum, who earned an instigator penalty for going after Danford. Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Owen Griffin would make it count, extending Oshawa’s lead to 2-0 on the ensuing power play. Peterborough would battle back to tie the game in the third before Oshawa took the lead once again, and Danford added an insurance marker on the power play for his first goal of the season.
Danford’s game is often understated because the things he does well don’t always show up on the scoresheet, but he was a difference-maker in Sunday’s win, and that’s the type of impact the Leafs are hoping he can make at the NHL level in the coming years.
Notes from the rest of the prospect pool:
- Easton Cowan was thrown into the fire this past week, making his NHL debut and lining up alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies for four games in six days. He showed flashes of his high-end offensive skill and tenacious style of play, earning his first NHL point with a secondary assist on a Matthews goal against Nashville on Tuesday. He started off strong the next time out against the New York Rangers, but as should be expected with any rookie getting their feet wet in the NHL, he hit a couple of bumps in the road as the game wore on. Cowan was eventually relegated to the bench in the third period against New York after being tagged with five giveaways earlier in the game, but to his and the coaching staff’s credit, he was back on the top line for Saturday’s contest against Seattle. Through four games, Cowan has one point and an xGF% of 59.2% while averaging just over 13 minutes of ice time. Every day is a new tryout for Cowan at this stage, and it seems likely that he’ll spend time with the Marlies at some point, but for now, he is looking to take advantage of the opportunity in front of him to stick in the NHL.
AUSTON MATTHEWS 🚨 Wicked passing play with Knies! Cowan has his first NHL point!
- With Joseph Woll still away from the Leafs for personal reasons, they have leaned heavily on Anthony Stolarz, who has started five of the club’s first six games. Cayden Primeau earned the win in his lone start against Nashville, but it was far from a picture-perfect performance, and it begs the question: When might the Leafs turn to Dennis Hildeby? It’s clear that the Leafs want their top goaltending prospect playing as much as he can rather than watching Stolarz from the bench, but he put together an impressive preseason, and he has carried that strong play into the AHL season. Hildeby made his second start of the season on Saturday, stopping 19 shots to lead the Marlies to a 2-1 overtime victory. Through two AHL appearances, Hildeby has surrendered just two goals on 53 shots for a .962 SV%. Primeau will be given a bit more run as the team awaits the return of Woll, but if Woll’s absence continues for much longer and Primeau struggles, Hildeby should be given another look at the NHL level.
- Hildeby was a big story in that 2-1 win, but the bigger story might be Borya Valis. Signed last spring as an undrafted free agent, Valis has wasted little time making his presence known in the AHL. After scoring twice in his season debut, he scored both goals, including the overtime winner, in Saturday’s contest, bringing him to four goals in four games to start his first full season of pro hockey. Noah Chadwick also picked up his first AHL point with an assist on Valis’ winner.
"Let's Go Home." - Borya, probably OVERTIME WINNER FROM VALIS 👑
- Jacob Quillan hung around until the final days of Leafs camp, and he is doing what he can to prove himself as a worthy call-up option in the early going of the AHL season. He assisted on Valis’ first goal in Saturday’s win, and now has four assists through the first four games of the Marlies’ season. The Leafs have plenty of bodies up front at the moment, but Quillan might be next in line should injuries begin to mount.
Quilly ➡️ Valis ➡️🥅
- Tinus Luc Koblar spent the entirety of his draft year toiling in Sweden’s J20 Nationell and J18 circuits, but he has already suited up for 10 games with Leksands’ SHL club so far this season. The Leafs’ second-rounder from the 2025 draft had the best game of his young pro career on Thursday, scoring a goal and adding an assist in a losing effort to Brynas. Koblar has hovered around 12-13 minutes of ice time per game in the SHL, but played a season-high 18:55 in his first game following his two-point outing. It is typically quite difficult for young players to produce in the SHL, but Koblar has notched three points through his first 10 games.
#LeafsForever Tinus Luc Koblar with a great game yesterday - (13:05 TOI) (3-7 FO) 1A and 1G. Nice heads up play for the primary assist on the PP. On the goal gets himself in front of the net, wins a battle, and pokes in the rebound.
#LeafsForever Tinus Luc Koblar lines up at 2C for Leksand as they take on Brynas. Was not expecting this type of deployment this season, just great for his overall development.
- Artur Akhtyamov had a rough first start with the Marlies this season, allowing four goals on 26 shots in a 4-3 loss to Rochester. He bounced back in his second start on Sunday, stopping 24 of the 26 shots he faced in a 3-2 victory over the Utica Comets. Akhtyamov has shown flashes of NHL potential but he will need to be more consistent than he was as a rookie in the AHL if he is going to force his way up the depth chart.
A 24-save performance from Artie earns him the belt as our Player of the Game in this afternoon's win! 🧱
- The 2024-25 season served as a breakout for William Villeneuve, who set career-highs in goals, assists, and points while taking over as the Marlies’ top power play option on the point. He has continued his strong production so far this season, notching a pair of assists on Sunday to give him three points through four games. There is no clear path to NHL minutes for Villeneuve, but if he continues to produce, he could see his first taste of NHL action at some point this season, particularly if one of the Leafs’ more offensively inclined blueliners like Morgan Rielly or Oliver Ekman-Larsson is forced to miss time.
A power-play marker from Travis Boyd to bring us within a goal 🚨
- It was a big week for 2024 seventh-rounder Sam McCue. First, McCue announced his commitment to Bowling Green of the NCAA for the 2026-27 season. He followed that up with back-to-back multi-point outings, scoring two goals in Friday’s 7-3 win over Brampton before scoring twice more and adding a helper in Saturday’s rematch. For the season, McCue has six goals and three assists through nine games, and if he continues to produce like that, an entry-level contract with the Leafs could nullify his NCAA commitment.
McCue X2 #BFD | #LeafsForever
McCue gets his second goal of the night!! 🚨🚨 2-0 #BFD
- 2024 fifth-rounder Alexander Plesovskikh has been tearing up Russia’s junior league through the early part of the season. With 10 goals and nine assists in just 15 games, the production is extremely encouraging. The problem is that the MHL is not a strong league, and prospects with legitimate NHL upside have typically been elevated to the next level by this stage. There isn’t much more for Plesovskikh to prove at the junior level, but until he earns a look in the VHL or KHL, he will remain a longshot.
#LeafsForever Alexander Plesovskikh picks up two points this morning in action against Omskie Yastreby (MHL). Coverts the fortuitous bounce on the PP for his 10th goal in the season. Shows some great patience on the 2v1 and picks up the primary assist for his 19th on the year.
- Toronto used their final pick of the 2025 draft to select Kitchener Rangers tough guy Matthew Hlacar, despite his extremely limited prodction at the junior level. Hlacar was handed a six-game suspension by the OHL last week for a late hit on Soo Greyhound Jakub Winkelhofer. While the hit was deemed dangerous on it’s own, Hlacar’s status as a repeat-offender likely added a couple of games onto the suspension.
The OHL has suspended #LeafsForever prospect Matthew Hlacar 6 games for this late hit on Jakub Winkelhofer of the Soo Greyhounds
Statistics from EliteProspects.com, Evolving-Hockey.com, & NHL.com
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