10 Leafs Prospects You May Not Know: 1-5

By Alex Hobson


Ask any average Leafs fan to name some prospects off the top of their head, and I can guarentee you that names such as Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Kasperi Kapanen, and Connor Brown will be among the top results. Even names such as Frederik Gauthier, Byron Froese, and Brendan Leipsic could fall into that category. However, there are tons of Leafs prospects that are almost never talked about. Over the next few days I'll be going through 10 prospects that aren't heard of and aren't talked about too much, Today, we kick things off with prospects #1-5.


 

1. Pierre Engvall (LW, 6'4, 198lb, Mora IK, Allsvenskan)

Drafted 188th overall in the 7th round by the Maple Leafs, the Ljungby, Sweden native just finished his season with Frolunda HC J20 of the SuperElit league, where he recordd 51 points in 38 games. Engvall will look to start next season with Mora IK of the Allsvenskan league in Sweden, and potentially make the jump to the Marlies in the next three years.


 

2. Fabrice Herzog (RW, 6'2, 190lb, ZSC Lions, National League A)

Herzog is the only Swiss prospect in the Leafs system, and has spent most of his career in Europe. The Frauenfeld, Switzerland native made the jump to the QMJHL in 2013-14 where he played for the Quebec Remparts and had a memorable season, recording 58 points in 61 games.  He went back to Europe to play for Zug in the NLA, recording 9 points in 43 games. He will play for the ZSC Lions of the National League A in 2015-16.




3. Dominic Toninato (C, 6'2, 190lb, U Minnesota-Duluth, NCAA)

Toninato is one of many Leafs prospects that have been playing in the USA since their draft year. A native of Duluth, Minnesota, Toninato spent his last two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he recorded 15 and 26 point seasons respectively. He will likely head back to UMD for the 2015-16 season, still missing an entry level deal since his draft year in 2012.



4. Tony Cameranesi (C, 5'10, 190lb, U Minnesota-Duluth, NCAA)

We'll call this prospect Dominic Toninato's partner in  Both of these prospects made an impact during the 2014-15 season at UMD, where Cameranesi finished the season leading the team in points with 30 points in 40 games. The Maple Grove, Minnesota native lacks a contract, much like Toninato, and will head back to UMD for another season in 2015-16.



5. Nolan Vesey (LW, 6'2, 209lb, U of Maine, NCAA)

Vesey is yet another prospect taken by the Leafs that has spent his entire career in the NCAA. The North Reading, Massachusetts native was drafted 158th overall by the Leafs in 2014, and in his first season with the University of Maine, recorded 23 points in 36 games. Expect him to return to Maine for another year of seasoning in the NCAA.

Thanks for reading.