The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent the past stretch doing something fans haven’t always been able to say about this organization: building a prospect pool worth following. That shift has created a little more oxygen around the young players who sit outside the NHL lineup, and there are a few names that deserve a closer look this season.
Tinus Luc Koblar and Ben Danford will get plenty of attention, but the deeper layer of this group is where things get especially interesting. Three under-the-radar prospects stand out: Harry Nansi, Zac Olsen and Mans Gudmundsson.
Harry Nansi is the kind of forward who jumps off the page right away. He brings energy, has a pro-level frame, and looks like the sort of depth scorer playoff teams always seem to want in the lower part of the lineup. The 2025 fifth-round pick won’t turn 19 for another week, yet he already has three full OHL seasons with the Owen Sound Attack behind him.
Last season was his breakthrough. Nansi put up 13 goals and 56 points in 67 games, and there’s reason to think there may still be another level coming.
He’s sitting near the top of Owen Sound’s lineup and has been creating plenty of chaos alongside fellow prospect Pierce Mbuyi, a pairing that could end up being one of the league’s better ones. In his final junior season, the question is how much more explosive he can become and whether he can push his scoring rate toward the top of the league.
At 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds, he already looks like a very intriguing project.
Zac Olsen is a different kind of watch. The Leafs took him in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft, and the reaction was immediate: a solid pick. He earned that reputation as a hard-driving forechecker for the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, with his smarts and speed both standing out.
What makes Olsen especially worth tracking is the next step in his path. Saskatoon expected him back in the WHL this season, but instead he chose to commit to NCAA’s Colorado College for next season.
Offensively, he’s not coming off a huge year - he had 18 goals and 34 points in 57 WHL games - so the question now is how his game translates to the college level. If he handles that jump well, the Leafs will have another depth piece they developed from the ground up.
If not, he could wind up back in the WHL sooner rather than later. Either way, it’s a situation worth watching closely.
Then there’s Mans Gudmundsson, the 6-foot-3 defender with the big frame and the big-league possibilities. The Leafs used a third-round pick on him just last June, and even though he has only recently turned 18, he could push for a regular role on Farjestad BK’s blue line in the SHL.
That would be a major step. Playing pro minutes as a teenager in one of the best leagues in the world would say plenty about where his development is headed.
Gudmundsson is viewed as a two-way defenseman who can lean on his size, but he also brings something on the offensive side. In 35 games with Farjestad’s U20 Nationell team, he scored one goal and 25 points, and he even made his SHL debut last March, skating for 1 minute and 53 seconds.
If he doesn’t stick in the SHL, there’s another possible route: a loan to the second-division HockeyAllsvenskan, so he doesn’t have to head back to junior hockey. However it shakes out, Gudmundsson looks like a prospect who could stay on the radar for the next couple of years.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Just Got A Reality Check On Top-Six Trade Cost
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For the Maple Leafs, that is the kind of price check that forces a real conversation. If they want help up front now, they may have to part with future draft capital to do it, but holding those assets has value too, especially if the front office wants to keep some flexibility for longer-term team building rather than spending heavily just to patch the roster in the moment. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Camp Suddenly Carries One Huge Chris Tanev Concern
Chris Tanevs health is already shaping up to be one of the biggest early questions hanging over Maple Leafs camp. The veteran defenseman is working his way back from core-muscle surgery in March, and the target is to be ready when training camp opens Sept. 17. After managing only 11 games last season because of injury, Tanev remains a key figure in Torontos plans on the blue line, where the Leafs are counting on steadier play and better defensive structure.
The concern is amplified by both his age and the contract commitment Toronto made when it brought him in during 2024. Tanev turns 37 in December and still has four years left on that deal, which makes his recovery more than a short-term camp storyline. For a team trying to sharpen its defense, his availability matters a great deal, and the next few weeks will go a long way toward showing whether the Leafs can count on him to be part of that solution right away. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Take A Chance On A Winger With Something To Prove
Zach Brisson arrives in the Toronto organization with a rsum that still carries plenty of promise. He represented the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics, won gold at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and developed at the University of Michigan before going 29th overall to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2020 NHL Draft. He has since logged time in both the AHL and NHL, giving him a mix of pedigree and pro experience that makes him an interesting add for a team always looking for depth to emerge.
For the Maple Leafs, the appeal is simple enough: Brisson is still trying to turn those early expectations into a steady NHL job. He is expected to open the coming season with the Toronto Marlies, which gives him a chance to reset, produce and force his way back into the conversation. For a winger with a strong amateur track record but no regular NHL role yet, this is the kind of stop that can either become a launch point or another reminder of how hard it is to stick. [Read more 🡒]