Ranking the Toronto Maple Leafs' Top 10 Prospects

The 2013-14 season saw the graduation of Morgan Rielly to the major leagues. The defenceman, who just turned 20 in March, had been the crown jewel of the team's development system. 

But one of the few upsides to Toronto's late-season collapse was the chance to put a new name at the top of the list. William Nylander, 2014's No. 8 overall selection, now joins a group that includes some former first-rounders and some later picks punching well above their draft position. 

The following slideshow ranks the Leafs' 10 best Calder-eligible prospects (players like Carter Ashton have played too many NHL games to qualify) and provides capsule scouting reports. Prospects are primarily ranked based on their potential NHL ceiling, but the amount of risk involved in that projection is also a significant factor in this list.

10. Greg McKegg

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Profile: Drafted primarily as an offensive player after a stellar 2009-10 campaign, Greg McKegg has been slow to show the same scoring touch at the professional level. He does have strong finishing skills, particularly on the power play, and he's a versatile forward who can line up at centre or wing. His skating gets only mixed reviews. 

Risk factor: At this point, it's going to be a tall order for McKegg to spend much of his career on an NHL scoring line. He had a pretty good second AHL campaign and is reasonably close to major league duty, however. 

NHL projection: Bottom-six forward.

9. Rinat Valiev

Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Profile: Rinat Valiev was passed over in the 2013 draft, but earned a third-round selection from the Leafs in 2014. His physical skills are excellent, as he combines reasonable size with good skating and passing ability, but his stock has fallen because he tends to run around in his own end of the rink.

Putting it less kindly, Red Line Report summed him up with a simple, "First round tools, no toolbox." 

Risk factor: For an overage defender with offensive tools, Valiev's WHL numbers were pretty mediocre. Add in the Russian factor and his defensive reputation and there's a major risk markup on this player. 

NHL projection: Second-pair defenceman. 

8. Viktor Loov

Profile: Just two seasons after being an overage seventh-round pick for the Leafs, Viktor Loov has climbed the ranks in a big way thanks to some excellent work in Sweden.

Leafs executive Jim Hughes told the Toronto Star's Kevin McGrann in July:

"

Loov is very talented. He’s graceful on his skates. A big body that plays physical. He’s looking for open-ice hits. He moves the puck, but what separates him is his skating ability. He skates on top of the ice. He doesn’t lose any traction. He gains speed. He’s got great power, great explosion, great acceleration. It makes everything in his game easier because his skating is so strong.

"

In short: Loov's a mobile two-way defender with the ability to both move the puck and mark his man. 

Risk factor: We haven't seen Loov play in North America yet, so it will be interesting to see how his skills translate to the smaller ice. On the other hand, he's already excelled at the senior level in Sweden.

NHL projection: Second-pair defenceman. 

7. Josh Leivo

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Profile: Josh Leivo was a bit of a late bloomer, a big forward with good skating who didn't do much of anything offensively during his draft year. A great playoff showing may have been why the Leafs were willing to invest a third-round pick on him, and he responded with dramatically improved totals.

He scored 23 goals in the AHL and a had a seven-game NHL recall in his first professional season. 

Risk factor: It took Leivo exactly one year to establish himself as a good professional; the question now is where exactly his ceiling lies.

NHL projection: Middle-six forward. 

6. Connor Brown

Graig Abel/Getty Images

Profile: When the Leafs drafted Connor Brown in 2012, he was best known for his minus-72 rating, accumulated over 68 games with the 10-52-6 Erie Otters. Fast forward two years, and he's the reigning OHL MVP and leading scorer with 128 points in 2013-14. A skilled but undersized right wing, Brown gets high marks for work ethic and character. 

Risk factor: Brown had a massive leap in 2013-14, and because this level of scoring is new (and came around the same time Connor McDavid joined the Otters), it's still a little suspicious. 

NHL projection: Second-line forward. 

5. Stuart Percy

Andre Ringuette/Getty Images

Profile: Stuart Percy's hockey sense is what makes him such an interesting prospect. Despite middling size and skating that doesn't stand out from the pack, he cracked 2011's first round because he just does everything right. He's poised with the puck under pressure and very capable of advancing it out of his own end of the rink, and he's a smart positional defender. 

Risk factor: There is a concussion history here.

NHL projection: Second-pair defenceman. 

4. Andreas Johnson

LUDVIG THUNMAN/Associated Press

Profile: Late in the 2013 draft, the Maple Leafs rolled the dice on a speedy winger who was piling up points at the under-20 level in Sweden. A year later, the selection of Andreas Johnson looks prescient after an exceptional SHL debut and a nice run at the World Juniors. He's undersized but has significant offensive tools. 

Risk factor: Given his junior numbers, there isn't much reason to worry that Johnson's offence will go away. The big question at this point is how the small European will adjust to the North American game. 

NHL projection: Top-six forward. 

3. Frederik Gauthier

Bill Wippert/Getty Images

Profile: The offensive numbers weren't great when he was drafted, and they haven't improved much year-over-year. Scoring isn't his game. 

What Frederik Gauthier excels at is the defensive side of hockey. He's massive and plays a suffocating, punishing checking style. He probably has the tools to contribute more at the offensive end of the rink, but he's conservative almost to a fault.  

Risk factor: In terms of making it to the NHL, Gauthier's a pretty low-risk prospect. The question is whether he can rise above a bottom-six role once he gets there.

NHL projection: Middle-six forward. 

2. Matt Finn

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Profile: Matt Finn is a touch undersized for the defensive position, but he makes up for it with hockey sense and mobility. He has a reputation as a solid citizen defensively, with strong positioning and a willingness to engage physically, and there is some offensive upside there as well. 

Risk factor: He's still in juniors, and so we'll see how he adjusts to the professional ranks, but there aren't any especially outstanding issues here. 

NHL projection: Second-pair defenceman. 

1. William Nylander

Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Profile: Nylander has been pretty much universally lauded as an elite offensive talent. His stick-handling in particular earns praise, but he's a gorgeous passer, a strong shooter and a brilliant skater. 

Why did he fall to eighth overall if he's an all-world offensive talent? A lack of size doesn't help, and he has a bit of a reputation for a laissez-faire approach to the parts of the game that don't involve scoring. 

Risk factor: NHL teams generally find a place for players as talented as Nylander, but because he's seen as somewhat one-dimensional, there is some boom/bust potential here. 

NHL projection: Top-six forward. 

Jonathan Willis covers the NHL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter for more of his work.

Statistics courtesy of EliteProspects.com unless otherwise noted. Scouting reports from McKeen's Hockey, Red Line Report and The Hockey News (subscription required) were consulted in writing profiles.