Welcome back to another edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Roundup. Last week, we took a look at the top names in Toronto’s prospect pool, so this week we’re going to catch up with some of the lesser-known youngsters in the Leafs’ pipeline. Let’s get to it.

Haymes joined the Leafs’ organization with some fanfare last spring, signing with the club as arguably the top available undrafted free agent out of college. His pro career got off to a solid start, too, with Haymes registering a pair of goals and four assists in nine games after he joined the Marlies to finish the regular season. He earned a long look in his first NHL training camp this past fall, as well, suiting up with some legitimate NHL talent throughout the preseason and lasting into the final days of camp before being sent back to the AHL. The production hasn’t come quite as easily for him this year, but he has picked it up a bit as of late. Over the last five games, Haymes has scored twice and added a pair of assists, bringing him up to five goals and nine assists through 36 games. The Leafs have no shortage of depth up front, and Jacob Quillan remains ahead of Haymes on the depth chart, but the 22-year-old pivot is a responsible player who has shown some translatable skills at the AHL level, and he could serve as viable NHL depth over the next year or two.

When the Leafs drafted Johansson in the fourth round of the 2024 draft, he was extremely undersized at just 143 pounds, and the understanding was that he would be a long-term project. Now listed at 6’1″ and 165 pounds, the young blueliner has worked hard to add muscle to his wiry frame in a short time, and it has helped him withstand the rigours of pro hockey in Sweden. Johansson started the year with Leksands’ junior team in the J20 Nationell, scoring twice in his second game, and he hasn’t played at that level since. He has spent most of the season on loan with Oskarshamn in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier professional league, tallying a goal and four assists in 15 games. After playing a minimal role on Sweden’s gold medal-winning team at the World Juniors, Johansson returned for a pair of games with Oskarshamn before being recalled to the SHL for a game with Leksands this past week, where he played just over 16 minutes in a 4-0 loss. Still under contract in Sweden for another season, Johansson will continue to work on adding size and strength to help him play with the edge that has made him successful at lower levels before potentially making the jump to North America in 2027-28.

McCue has bounced around the OHL since the Leafs took him in the seventh round of the 2024 draft, but he has shown the ability to play a physical game and score in the dirty areas at the junior level. A trade to the Ottawa 67s earlier this season marked McCue’s fifth stop in the last three seasons, and he will be looking to help guide one of the OHL’s top teams on a long playoff run before turning pro next season. After scoring 36 goals in 55 games between Owen Sound and Flint last season, McCue has 10 goals and nine assists in 29 games between Brantford and Ottawa so far this season, so the overall production has certainly taken a dip in his overage season, but a lot of that has to do with being tasked with a smaller role than he had in Owen Sound and Flint a season ago. No one should mistake McCue as a surefire NHLer, but his size and skillset still give him a chance to grow into an energetic fourth-line forward down the road.

Tverberg‘s first full season in the AHL came back in 2023-24, and he put himself on the map with a respectable stat line of nine goals and 23 assists in 46 games, but he has been unable to reach that level of production again. His numbers plummeted to just four goals and seven assists in 46 games last season, and though he has nearly replicated those totals in just 32 games so far this season, Tverberg has been surpassed by others on the organizational depth chart. There’s a lot to like about the way he plays the game with his speed, effort level, and finishing ability around the net, but he hasn’t been able to drive offence consistently at the AHL level. Now in the final year of his entry-level deal, Tverberg is playing for another contract, but as a draft pick from the previous regime, he will have to step up his play down the stretch in order to secure a qualifying offer in the offseason.

Drafted back in 2022, Moldenhauer is now in his third year with the University of Michigan. He was productive as a freshman with eight goals and 13 assists in 41 games, but his production took a big hit in year two, down to just three goals and seven assists in 29 games. Moldenhauer has bounced back this season, and he has been particularly good in recent weeks. Over his last four games, he has scored three times and added a pair of helpers, and if you expand that to his last nine games, he’s got three goals to go along with seven assists. For the season, Moldenhauer has six goals and 12 assists in 24 games, and the way he has bounced back in his third year of college hockey might be enough to earn him an entry-level contract with the Leafs this spring.

Another undrafted free agent, Valis was signed by the Leafs last spring after four seasons in the WHL between Regina and Prince George. The 6’2″ winger has played well in his first year of pro hockey with the Marlies, and a two-goal game against Iowa on Saturday brought him up to nine goals and six assists through 36 games. Still just 21 years of age and in his first AHL season, Valis has shown off his goal-scoring instincts and ability to make plays in tight areas around the opposing net. He has decent straight-line speed, and he is effective battling for pucks along the wall with his size and strength. At this point, Valis represents solid organizational depth, and he could become a viable depth option with more experience at the AHL level.

Nansi was selected by the Leafs in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, and his post-draft season has had plenty of ups and downs. He stormed out of the gates to begin the season with the Owen Sound Attack, piling up nine goals and 25 assists in his first 23 games, but he has gone completely cold since then, with just one goal and three assists in his last 19 games. Nansi’s raw offensive skill is obvious – he has great hands and really good vision, and he can finish scoring plays around the net, but his footspeed and overall mobility are going to limit him more significantly as he climbs the ranks. He is far from a safe bet to crack the NHL, but if he is able to improve his skating ability, there is a lot to work with in terms of his offensive toolkit.

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