As we count down to the start of Maple Leafs rookie camp next month, THN Toronto looks at the organization's top 10 prospects in their system.
When Fraser Minten steps on the ice at Maple Leafs training camp in September, there'll be two routes he could take: The NHL or the AHL.
From Aug. 12 to Aug. 23, I will highlight the top 10 prospects within the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. The rankings will be based on:
- Highest ceiling at the NHL level, under 23 years old
- Past season of play on their perspective team
- Closest to seeing an NHL game with the Maple Leafs
Fraser Minten (Toronto), 20, C, 6-foot-2, 194 lbs
The 20-year-old had arguably his biggest year yet as a Maple Leafs prospect. He began the 2023-24 season on Toronto's NHL roster, playing four games with the big club, before returning to the WHL's Kamloops Blazers, where he was named the captain.
Although his time in Kamloops was cut short due to a trade to the Saskatoon Blades, Minten moved on and scored 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 36 games. The center also made Team Canada's World Juniors roster and was named captain.
Minten plays a strong physical game at the center position. One of the strongest qualities is his shot, which can sometimes confuse goaltenders with how it's released from Minten's stick.
He's also a defensively responsible player, which is one of the reasons why he remained with the Maple Leafs for a few games last season. Having a strong defensive mindset will allow Minten's transition to the pro game to be a bit easier, given that's an area that needs to be strong to stick around in either the NHL or AHL.
He can potentially become a middle-six center with the Maple Leafs in the future, an area they'll need to improve as the core players get older. The fact that Minten can also play on the power play and penalty kill will only increase his chances of getting a look in the NHL sooner rather than later.
"I think it's about just leaving everything out there for me at camp," Minten said at Maple Leafs development camp in July when asked to look ahead to what could happen in October.
"As a young guy, you don't have anything to fall back on if people show you up, if you're not in that top four centers or top-12 forwards kind of thing at camp, you're not going to get a look. You have to knock the door down."
Another area of Minten's game, which is strong, is his vision and hockey IQ. The forward can make difficult passes to his teammates through the traffic of his opponents.
Putting his strength to win puck battles together with his smarts with the puck makes him an effective playmaker who could step right into the AHL and have success. Minten would also get plenty of playing time on the Marlies as there is space for a top-six center.
"I think there's still a lot of room [for growth] for Fraser. You can see that he's a responsible player. He plays both ends of the ice. He'll make plays. I think just sometimes in tight, just getting him a little more dynamic off one foot or the other to bury some scoring chances in tight. That next sort of offensive upside for him," Maple Leafs assistant GM Hayley Wickenheiser said after development camp this year.
"But he's a real complete player. Sometimes when you're such a responsible player, I think it can detract that you're not thinking offense, offense all the time. Those are just little things, but he's a well-rounded guy throughout his whole game and I know he wants to work on all of those areas, and we continue to help him along the way."
I believe the biggest thing to watch with Minten next season is how he handles the grind of the professional leagues. The most he's played in a season is 67 regular season games and 17 in the playoffs with Kamloops in 2021-22. However, the NHL and AHL are both different beasts.
That, the point production, and how he handles the size of the next level will all be areas to watch as he transitions from junior to pro.
