As big of a deal as the NHL draft is, players who fall through its cracks to later rounds or that aren’t picked at all can evolve into fascinating prospects.
The Maple Leafs hope they’ve scooped a few in forwards Borya Valis, Jacob Quillan and Luke Haymes, all on entry-level contracts and part of their Prospects Showdown roster this weekend in Montreal.
Valis and centre Quillan are set to be placed on a line with 2023 first-round right winger Easton Cowan when the four-team event begins Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Senators, while Haymes will be in between minor-league elders Matthew Barbolini and Braeden Kressler.
Valis had decent junior numbers with Regina in the spring of 2022, with 25 points in 57 games, when Toronto made WHL rival Fraser Minten its first pick.
This past year, after filling out to 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds, Valis had 34 goals and 80 points in 66 games on his graduating WHL team, Prince George, with a brief spring callup to the AHL.
Marlies coach John Gruden, who’ll be running the Leafs prospects bench this weekend, thinks it’s natural Valis would want to show talent evaluators were wrong in the long run.
“He’s the type of player who just likes to be out there and you can’t fake that,” Gruden said. “We see that as a staff and it’s contagious. He’s a young man who wants to prove something and it will be exciting for him to be in that (sold out Bell Centre) environment.”
Gruden equated the first-line ice time with Cowan as a reward for Valis’ drive.
“All players with high hockey IQ’s like to play with each other,” he said. “He’s smart, but also not afraid to get into hard areas and get pucks. Even a skilled player, if you don’t have the puck on your stick it’s hard to get something done.
“I just see the way he came into camp this year, working on his strength and physique. He put weight on, but it hasn’t seemed to hurt his speed.”
Valis did stew about being snubbed at the draft, but has since channeled it positively.
“In the moment it bothered me for sure, but I don’t dwell on it,” he said. “I can’t control (the draft), just what I can, which is playing. I realized that when I was drafted into the WHL at age 14. Life doesn’t stop there, it moves on. If you work hard, you get your chance — eventually.
“Everyone dreams of a contract and I was very fortunate the Leafs wanted me.”
Valis has an interesting personal story, too, being born in Los Angeles to Russian parents who emigrated there ten years apart as kids. His mom became a doctor before the family moved to Colorado.
Quillan has been the source of much excitement in the Leafs office, getting 37 points in 69 Marlies games last season after three years of NCAA hockey at Quinnipiac, with a one-night Leafs call-up in January.
“That (game) made me realize what I’m pushing towards,” said the 6-foot-1, 204-pounder, who has been soaking up time around veteran Leafs again the past few days. “And it showed I had a lot of work to do.
“I’ve put the work in every day, in the gym, on the ice, the nutrition. I believe I can (crack the NHL roster). I’ve taken away what the older guys do, little tweaks. The pro game is a lot different than college. It took a while to get my feet under me.”
Montreal Canadiens’ Lucas Condotta (82) contains Toronto Maple Leafs’ Jacob Quillan during a pre-season game last year.
The Ottawa-born Haymes was undersized and ignored his draft year, but filled out to 6-foot-1 and 203 in the B.C. junior league and later Dartmouth College under a former NHLer, coach Reid Cashman. A bidding war developed for the two-way centre, reportedly involving his hometown Senators, the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Leafs.
“I think I’m a really good 200-foot centre, so it’s about taking that to my maximum ability,” Haymes said. “Playing to my standard will give me my best shot.”
He had no pro jitters, notching six points in nine Marlies regular-season games and playoff responsibilities once he made the decision to cut short his NCAA career before a fourth year and sign.
“It was great to get to know the coaching staff, the strength-and-conditioning people (he gained eight pounds and maintained the same body fat as 2024), get a feel for the pace at that level then, hopefully, the NHL,” he said.
“Corner strength and faceoffs were big, it took some getting used to. I was going against guys whose main job was to win draws and play defence. They get a lot lower on the draw, so developing man strength, it’s been a huge summer for me.”
He has tried to emulate a little of Bobby McMann’s game, another ECAC star, when the rookies and Leafs mix their summer skates, as well as John Tavares’ savvy on faceoffs.
“Watching McMann’s speed, his cut-backs, how he gets out of those turns, how he’s strong on his feet will help me. I hope to go up against John in coming days (at main Leafs camp next week),” Haymes said.
“(Signing with Toronto) was a big decision because the academics were important. I’d like to set myself up for the best in every aspect of life, but I felt very ready and proved that a bit when I jumped up with the Marlies. It was a sacrifice I was 100% willing to make.”
Down the road, Haymes will need a couple of summers to complete his degree in a modified major of politics, philosophy and economics.
“I liked my international politics course. It was really interesting taking that just before the (2024 U.S.) election. As a Canadian, to be in the States for such a polarizing time was very interesting and learning all the aspects for foreign policy was really cool.”
The Leafs play Ottawa at 1 p.m. on Saturday and the host Canadiens at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The games are going to be broadcast on Quebec-based RDS and live streamed on the Leafs’ social media channels. Marlies play-by-play veteran Todd Crocker will be at the mic.
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