The Maple Leafs Have a Prospect Worth Watching in Guelph
Every once in a while, a Toronto Maple Leafs prospect does something that makes me stop and take a second look. Tyler Hopkins had one of those nights Saturday. Toronto took Hopkins in the third round (86th overall) of the 2025 draft, and he’s back in Guelph for another season of junior hockey.
The Maple Leafs prospect scored a goal and added two assists as the Guelph Storm knocked off Owen Sound 5-1. He put seven shots on net, too. That's a pretty good night's work by anybody's standards. And here's the part that caught the eye: Hopkins now has five points in his first two games back in Guelph after spending time at Maple Leafs training camp.
Nobody should get carried away yet. This is junior hockey, not the NHL. A couple of good games in September doesn't suddenly turn a prospect into an NHLer. But there are reasons to keep an eye on this youngster.
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This is Hopkins’ fourth season in the OHL.
Hopkins is entering his fourth season in the Ontario Hockey League. Last season wasn't exactly a breakout year. He had 50 points in 56 games while splitting the season between Guelph and Kingston. That's good production, but it isn't the kind of number that has everybody in Toronto talking about the next big thing. This year could be different.
For starters, the Storm look like a pretty good team, and Hopkins should be right in the middle of it. That should give him plenty of opportunities to play with the puck and make things happen.t There's more puck movement, more scoring chances and, maybe most important, more opportunities to play with confidence. And confidence matters for young players.
Hopkins got a taste of the Maple Leafs during training camp.
That's probably the interesting thing to watch with Hopkins. He has already been around the Maple Leafs' organization long enough to get a taste of what professional hockey looks like. Now he's back in junior, where he can play big minutes and be one of the players expected to make things happen. That's a pretty good situation for a young prospect.
The three-point game against Owen Sound doesn't tell us whether Hopkins will eventually play for Toronto. We're a long way from knowing that. But five points in two games is certainly a nice way to start.
And after watching him get through another Maple Leafs training camp, it'll be interesting to see what Hopkins does with the rest of this season.
Hopkins is part of the Maple Leafs’ development curve.
Sometimes prospects don't announce themselves with a huge splash. Sometimes they just start putting points on the board. Hopkins is doing that right now.