Whatever Happened to Those 3 Maple Leafs Prospects?
A team’s hockey roster changes every single season. Sometimes, however, long-term prospects in one organization end up someplace else. The Toronto Maple Leafs, after spending several seasons working with these three youngsters, chose not to re-sign them—no drama, no big headlines — just gone. And what’s funny is they didn’t disappear. They were snapped up immediately by other teams who saw enough in them to take a chance.
These three are Nick Abruzzese, Pontus Holmberg, and Alex Steeves. Whatever happened to them? So where did they land? And more importantly, how are they doing?
Player One: Nick Abruzzese Is Finding His Game in Tampa’s System
Nick was always one of those players who looked like he might carve out a smart depth role in Toronto, but the opportunity never quite arrived. Tampa Bay grabbed him on July 1, and he’s now down in Syracuse trying to make his case.
Seventeen games in, he’s got five goals and 11 assists — a tidy 16 points — and doing exactly what Tampa likes their young forwards to do: play quick, play smart, and keep the puck moving. He’s not forcing his way into the Lightning lineup yet, but he’s doing what good prospects do: he’s knocking.
Player Two: Pontus Holmberg Is the One Who Got Away?
Pontus was the quiet surprise of this group. You always felt he was right on the edge of being a full-time Maple Leafs forward, and maybe with a little more patience, he could’ve stuck. Tampa clearly thought so.
He’s already played 15 games for the Lightning, and he isn’t hiding on the fourth line. Holmberg has a goal and five points, plus he’s earning regular shifts and trust. There’s a little sting to this one — he looks like exactly the kind of helpful, low-cost forward a team like Toronto always needs.
Player Three: Alex Steeves — Boston Took a Chance, and He’s Rewarding Them
Steeves was another player Leafs fans quietly rooted for. He paid his dues in the Marlies system, worked hard, showed flashes… but didn’t quite crack the lineup for good.
Boston scooped him up, and he’s already made appearances at both levels. Down in Providence, he’s producing — eight points in nine AHL games — and he’s even picked up a little NHL time: eight games, one goal, one assist. Not earthshaking, but he’s in the mix. Sometimes that’s all a young forward needs.
Final Thought: These Three Didn’t Fail — They Just Didn’t Fit in Toronto
None of these players left the Maple Leafs because they couldn’t play. They left because the organization ran out of room and/or patience. That happens. But it doesn’t make them bad players, and as we’ve already seen, other organizations didn’t hesitate to make space.
Holmberg’s the one Maple Leaf fans might glance back at with a small wince. Tampa seems to know how to use him better than Toronto ever did. He got off to a decent start in Tampa before he went down in mid-November, playing 15 games, chipping in a goal and a few assists, throwing his body around, and looking like a guy who was settling into their lineup. He’s on the shelf for now, but the word out of Tampa is that he’s moving in the right direction.
Thinking of all three former Maple Leafs, if nothing else, it’s a reminder that player development isn’t just about talent. It’s about timing, coaching, and whether the right door opens at the right moment.