Wickenheiser weighs in on prospects

From Knies to Grebenkin, assistant GM in charge of development sees reasons for optimism

If there is a characteristic that links Matt Knies to Fraser Minten to Roni Hirvonen and the rest of the Maple Leafs’ top prospects, it is their hockey IQ.

GM Kyle Dubas hasn’t had a great number of draft picks the past few years, but the Leafs’ scouting staff seems to have drafted well by putting high hockey IQ at the top of the list of qualities to look for in a young player.

“Who doesn’t like a smart guy?” says Leafs assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser, who runs the team’s player development program, keeping tabs on and giving pointers to players the Leafs drafted and hope to convert one day to the big club. “

We look at the IQ and the ability of a player to translate to the next level. Can they work within the framework of the team but also complement the players around them? That to me is hockey IQ.”

The Star chatted with Wickenheiser regarding the Leafs’ top prospects who have yet to play in the NHL, AHL or ECHL. Any of these players could one day make the NHL, or be used as a trade chip to bring in an established player for the playoff run.

Matt Knies, left wing

Age: 20. Vitals: six-feet-three, 209 pounds

Stats: 17 goals,13 assists in 28 games at the University of Minnesota Skinny: The 57th overall pick in the 2021 draft is a Hobey Baker finalist hoping to go to the Frozen Four. From Phoenix, he was coached by Shane Doan. Most believe Knies is the closest to NHL-ready among the Leafs’ top prospects, and could sign — and maybe even play in the top six — once his college season is over.

Wickenheiser: “He’s definitely having a very good season. From a development perspective, he’s doing all the things that we’ve asked. He’s dominating physically. He’s scoring goals in tight, but also from those mid-to-long-range spots. He’s scored at key moments, getting goals, overtime goals and being a physical presence game in and game out, consistently through the year.”

Fraser Minten, centre

Age: 18. Vitals: six-feet-two, 192 pounds

Stats: 23 goals, 22 assists in 38 games with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL

Skinny: The 38th pick of the 2022 draft came out of the same Vancouver academy that produced his friend, Connor Bedard. Minten (wrist) was hurt in his first Leafs training camp, so he started late. But his season will go late with his Kamloops hosting the Memorial Cup. He should be on Canada’s 2024 world junior team. Signed an entry-level deal.

Wickenheiser: “He’s a big body. So it’s taking time for him to physically fill out. Fraser is just a very intelligent kid who studies the game. He wants a lot of information, always trying to get better, always asking questions. His IQ is definitely what sets him apart. The next steps will be to develop his skating power, his ability to make plays in contact to get through the middle of the ice and become a more imposing player. He’s had a couple of (injury) setbacks, but it shows he’s also not afraid to engage physically. You like to see that in kids like that who are so smart and cerebral.”

Dennis Hildeby, goaltender

Age: 21. Vitals: six-feet-six, 234 pounds Stats: 8-7-0, 2.32, .917 with Farjestads of the SHL

Skinny: The 122nd pick in the 2022 draft is the starter for Farjestads. Passed over in the draft twice, his game blossomed last year and he continues to improve. Signed to an entry-level deal.

Wickenheiser: “Probably considered our top goaltending prospect. Playing really well in the SHL this year. He’s obviously huge. We continue to work on his rebound control and his finesse around the net.”

Ryan Tverberg, centre

Age: 21. Vitals: six feet, 190 pounds

Stats: 12 goals,12 assists in 28 games at the University of Connecticut

Skinny: He could be a seventhround pick (213th overall in 2020) who pans out. The centre from Richmond Hill almost cracked Canada’s world junior team in December 2020. Finishing his third year at UConn, he remains unsigned because he’s in college.

Wickenheiser: “This is a kid who is really intriguing. He is fearless in the way that he plays. He flies up and down the rink so very hard. A north-south game. Plays with a lot of pace. We continue to work with him on adding layers to his game. He certainly has the ability and physicality that translates to the pro game. He’s a kid that we really like, maybe a little underrated but certainly is someone that we believe in.”

Roni Hirvonen, centre

Age: 21. Vitals: five-feet-nine, 172 pounds

Stats: 13 goals, 11 assists in 45 games at HIFK in the Finnish league Skinny: The 59th pick of the 2020 draft, Hirvonen captained Finland’s world junior team in 2022 and plays a solid defensive game. Signed to an entry-level deal.

Wickenheiser: “A little bit of an underrated player. He’s a very responsible, serious kid who is dedicated to his craft. And the biggest challenge for Roni is the skating part of his game. We’re not too worried about his point production. He’s fearless. He’s not afraid to go to the tough areas of the ice to make plays. He’s a 200-foot player. He’s very complete that way. The question is the pace.”

Topi Niemela, defenceman

Age: 21. Vitals: five-feet-11, 170 pounds

Stats: Six goals, seven assists in 45 games with Karpat of Finnish league

Skinny: The 64th overall pick from the 2020 draft is on the small side for a defenceman, and the Leafs have plenty of those, but he shoots right and that should help. Was Hirvonen’s teammate on the world junior team, and has played on the national senior team. He has flare. Remains unsigned.

Wickenheiser: “He’s got a bit of a surfer dude mentality. He may be the best passer in the SM Liiga. He’s slight, a little bit small. So he’s going to have to fill out physically and just get stronger.”

Braeden Kressler, centre

Age: 20. Vitals: five-feet-nine, 165 pounds

Stats: 22 goals, 22 assists in 39 games for OHL’s Flint Firebirds

Skinny: Kressler was signed as an undrafted free agent. The pandemic, with its limitations on playing time, probably ruined the chances of the Kitchener native being drafted. He impressed at Leafs rookie camp and got an invitation to the main camp.

Wickenheiser: “Here’s a kid who’s tripled his point production from last year and had a rough year with injuries. He’s really come on and become a good relied-upon leader and a producer for them playing centre or the wing.”

Ty Voit, right wing

Age: 19. Vitals: five-feet-nine, 150 pounds

Stats: 15 goals, 56 assists 71 with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting

Skinny: The 153rd overall pick in the 2021 draft is small, but has time to add weight. Former Marlies captain Rich Clune has been working with developing his physical game. Voit was disappointed to have been left off the U.S. world junior roster. Signed to an entry-level deal.

Wickenheiser: “Ty’s had a very consistent season in terms of his on-ice play. He’s a top scorer. He’s an excellent skater. It’s working on the defensive side, steals, playing in contact, the things that are going to translate to him playing at the next level. He’s a small guy. So he’s going to have to overcome that. He’s done everything asked of him up to this point.”

Nicholas Moldenhauer, right wing

Age: 18. Vitals: five-feet-10, 180 pounds

Stats: 16 goals, 27 assists in 34 games with the Chicago Steel in the USHL

Skinny: The 95th pick in the 2022 draft is among the top scorers in the USHL. From Mississauga, he’s a product of the GTHL’s Toronto Titans. Remains unsigned.

Wickenheiser: “He’s an older kid playing in the USHL, so we set that expectation to be able to dominate that league, point-wise and physically. He’s got a good shot, but it’s just learning how to manipulate that shot is the next level for him. Hard-nosed. He competes really well on the ice and doesn’t back down. I think he is another solid two-way player for us.”

Brandon Lisowsky, left wing

Age: 18. Vitals: five-feet-nine, 180 pounds

Stats: 26 goals, 23 assists in 45 games for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades

Skinny: The 218th pick in the 2022 draft is third in team scoring in Saskatoon. Remains unsigned.

Wickenheiser: “A small kid in stature. Came in this year not sure what to expect of him. Good scorer. He’s got a very good shot. I think, for him, the defensive side of his game and looking at what his identity will be as he looks to turn pro in the next few years. Will he be top six or bottom six? Can he play in the bottomsix role and be relied upon defensively? We know he can put up points and score.”

The Russians

Skinny: Russia’s status as a pariah nation leaves NHL teams on the outside looking in as far as their prospects go. It’s mostly watching video and occasional phone calls. Though signed, centre Rodion Amirov (15th overall in 2020) is no longer a real prospect due to his battles with brain cancer. Most of the rest are unsigned. Goalies Artur Akhtyamov (106th in 2020) and Vyacheslav Peksa (185th in 2021) have yet to make an impact on the KHL. But six-foot-two winger Nikita Grebenkin (135th in 2022) of the KHL’s Amur Khabarovsk is one to keep an eye on, with nine goals and 14 assists in 40 games.

Wickenheiser: “(Grebenkin is) playing top-six KHL minutes, averaging over half a point a game. Dynamic winger who can shoot and can make plays. He can skate really well. He’s a player who is very intriguing right now and is trending in the right direction.”