EP Rinkside Prospect Pool Rankings: No. 21 Ranked Toronto Maple Leafs

Few teams have drafted with a more clear-cut strategy than Kyle Dubas’ Toronto Maple Leafs. In the two drafts since his appointment as the team’s general manager, the strategy has been clear: take high-upside players up and down the draft.

As a result, the Leafs have amassed one of the league’s most intriguing prospect pools. There are heaps of smaller, skilled forwards and talented puck-moving defenders. While the lack of high-end talent on this list is notable, they’ve also assembled one of the NHL’s most promising young cores.

The hope is to surround those pricey young stars with cost-controlled, effective scoring and depth. And this prospect pool offers the potential to do just that, beginning with a pair of impressive AHL defenders.

1. Rasmus Sandin, D, Toronto Marlies

In the past two