Maple Leafs Prospect Roundup: Villeneuve knocks on the door, Akhtyamov great for Marlies

The Leafs’ system certainly isn’t chock full of high-end prospects, especially on the blue line, but they do have a few players plying their trade on the Marlies who could ultimately provide a little of what Stecher has brought to the Leafs in his short time with the Leafs.

Villeneuve didn’t get much attention in the preseason with all the veteran options ahead of him on the depth chart, but he’s off to another strong start to start the AHL season. He had a pair of assists in Saturday’s win over the Iowa Wild and scored his second goal of the season in Sunday’s rematch, giving him 11 points in 17 games. There’s still plenty of runway left, but Villeneuve is on track to once again reach new career highs across the board.

Neither Villeneuve nor Chadwick are coming to save the Leafs and get them out of their current situation, but it is encouraging to see some positive development within a system that has struggled to promote defensemen to the NHL for far too long. Chadwick in particular needs a lot of time in the AHL before he’s in the conversation for NHL minutes, but Villeneuve might be a lot closer. Now 23 years old with three full seasons of AHL experience under his belt, he has continued to raise his level of play and it could be the Leafs’ job to see what they have in him sooner or later, especially if their season continues to unravel to the point where it becomes clear they need to adapt or at least undergo a mini-reset for the 2026-2027 season.

Comments from the rest of the prospect pool:

• Given the way Easton Cowan has looked since he was recalled to the Leafs, he may not be considered a “prospect” for much longer. Sure, the Leafs have been banged up and that’s given him a bigger opportunity, but he’s played about 20 minutes in each of his last two games, picking up an assist in each outing. Additionally, Cowan looked like one of the Leafs’ best forwards almost every time, and head coach Craig Berube began to lean on him more and more. He has skated on the top power play unit in the absence of Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, and he has been elevated to a line with John Tavares and William Nylander, where he has generated plenty of opportunities for both himself and his linemates. The Leafs hope to have a number of prominent names in the lineup again this week, but even then, Cowan has shown enough to continue to play a prominent role with the big club for the time being.

• Luke Haymes wasted little time in making his presence felt with the Marlies last spring after signing with the Leafs as an undrafted free agent, tallying two goals and four assists in his first nine AHL games. He also got a long look in the preseason earlier this fall and seemed to make a strong impression on the coaching staff, but his first full season with the Marlies is off to a slow start. He scored his first goal of the season against Iowa this weekend and added an assist, giving him six points in fourteen games.
• Toronto’s third-round pick from the most recent draft, Tyler Hopkins, has a significant lead. He scored a pair of goals in a losing effort on Friday night and registered an assist in another loss on Saturday, giving him eight points in his last five games. For this season, Hopkins has 10 goals and 11 assists in 23 games.

• With Dennis Hildeby still serving as the Leafs’ backup goaltender, Artur Akhtyamov has started three straight games for the Marlies, including back-to-back appearances against Iowa this weekend, and has been very good in those games. Akhtyamov stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced in last Wednesday’s loss to Belleville, made 29 stops on 31 shots in Saturday’s 7-2 win, and followed that with 36 saves on 37 shots in Sunday’s 2-1 win. So far this season, Akhtyamov has played in nine games, and he has a GAA of 2.56 and an SV% of 0.914.

• Nick Moldenhauer had his most productive game of the season last weekend as the Michigan Wolverines took on the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was kept off the scoresheet in Friday’s 5-2 win, but he scored three assists in Saturday’s rematch, taking him to 11 points in 16 games for the season. Moldenhauer scored just 10 points in 29 games as a sophomore a year ago, and he is well on his way to a bounce-back season with one of the top teams in college hockey.

• 2025 fifth-round pick Harry Nansi continues to rack up the points for Owen Sound in the OHL. A pair of scoreless performances over the weekend ended his nine-game winning streak, but before that he had two goals and an assist in Friday’s win. During that nine-game stretch, Nansi had collected an impressive four goals and seventeen assists. This season, Nansi currently sits sixth in the OHL scoring with nine goals and 25 assists in just 25 games. He will need to continue to improve his skating skills for the offensive talent to translate to the next level, but the Leafs should be happy with the early returns Nansi has made on their fifth-round investment.
• Chadwick wasn’t the only Marlies defenseman to score his first AHL goal this weekend. Undrafted free agent signing Blake Smith also picked up his first tally, which came out on top against Iowa on Sunday. Smith certainly isn’t known for his offensive prowess, and that won’t be his calling card if he ever breaks through to the NHL, but it always feels good to contribute on the scoresheet.

Stats from EliteProspects.com