The Toronto Maple Leafs wasted little time getting their camp roster in order, making eight cuts on Wednesday afternoon and sending four players back to their junior clubs while releasing the four players they had brought in on amateur tryouts.
Returned to their junior teams after the 2026 NHL Prospect Challenge were Rylan Fellinger, who goes back to Flint, Brody Pepoy, who returns to Saginaw, Patriks Plūmiņš, who heads back to Chicoutimi, and Cooper Williams, who is on his way back to Saskatoon.
The club also moved on from all four players it had added on amateur tryout this past summer. Those released from their Amateur Try-Out Agreements were Sebastian Charvát, Matyas Man, Parker Vaughan and Nic Whitehead. Vaughan had been brought back after development camp.
For Fellinger, the next stop is the Flint Firebirds of the OHL. Pepoy is heading back to Saginaw, while Plūmiņš returns to the QMJHL with Chicoutimi. Williams goes back to Saskatoon, one of several Blades players drafted over the past two seasons.
As for Charvát, Man, Vaughan and Whitehead, they’ll either return to their teams or look for another place to sign.
For these prospects, the message is straightforward: their route to the Maple Leafs closes early, and they won’t get another chance to catch the coaches’ attention at camp. Still, there were a couple of positives from the Prospect Showcase. Pepoy scored a nice goal against Winnipeg, and Plūmiņš turned in a solid game, showing off his lateral movement and post-to-post ability.
Even so, Toronto had a crowded situation to sort through and was always going to start making roster decisions over the next couple of weeks. This was the first wave, not the last, and these players now have to keep developing in the juniors and hope to earn a longer look next summer.
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