When John Chayka took over as GM of the Leafs the first question on everybody’s lips revolved around what changes he thought the team needed to improve in the immediate future.
His answer was simple enough. They need more movement and speed on the backend. The 2025-26 version of the Leafs’ defense featured Jake McCabe, Brandon Carlo, Simon Benoit, Philippe Myers, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Troy Stecher, an aging and much slower Morgan Rielly and, for far too little time, Chris Tanev. None of those players play with much pace, but it might surprise you that the highest top speed among them was recorded by Simon Benoit, at 22.8 MPH (via frozenpool.dobbersports.com).
If Simon Benoit is recording the fastest speed among your bluelines at the end of the season, you might be in trouble.
While any prospect selected in the 2nd round of the 2026 NHL draft won’t immediately change those fortunes, it doesn’t hurt to take the type of players you want in an attempt to mold the franchise to your vision and one prospect that could help in that area is…
Brek Liske
Position: Right Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 190lbs
Liske played for the Everett Silvertips over the past two seasons and that team was loaded on the backend. Projected future 1st overall selection, Landon DuPont and Tarin Smith lead the way offensively, while players such as Liske were asked to be complementary, defensively sound players. Liske answered the call and did so by using his speed and mobility. A prototypical two-way defender, Liske has an active stick, great 4-way mobility and solid defensive vision that allows him to move around the ice quickly to cut off passing lanes and break up plays. From there he’s quick to move the puck up ice, whether it be via a solid breakout pass or rushing the puck himself.
He produced just 24pts in 54 games during the regular season, but pushed the envelope with 17pts in 18 games during their run to a WHL championship. It would interest me to add a player that ups his game during the playoffs, instead of disappearing, which is something Leafs Nation has become accustomed to over the last decade.
The question with Liske revolves around how much he can produce without the support that he has had around him with the Silvertips. If his offensive game can take a leap forward he has the potential to become a top 4 defender at the NHL level. However, if he stumbles when he becomes the main focus against the other teams best then he may end up being a depth defender at best. At the very least his penalty killing ability and mobility should offer him the opportunity to play as a 3rd pair defender at some point in the coming years.
2026 NHL Entry Draft, Prospect Profile: Matias Vanhanen
We’ll stick with the Everett Silvertips for a few minutes, because Vanhanen could be a prospect that, while underrated due to his size, would be a big steal if the Leafs could land him. I’m not exactly keen on drafting small, skilled wingers. The Kyle Dubas draft years have made me shy away from the idea. However, that was more about the team consistently drafting those types of players, rather than selecting their spots carefully to do so.
Matias Vanhanen
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 176lbs
This is Vanhanen’s second year of draft eligibility (which Dubas would also love) and it was being passed over at the 2025 draft that drove him to play in North America. He acknowledged that the game here was faster due to the smaller ice surface, but adjusted quickly and took off in a big way.
As I said in the Liske section, Everett has a loaded roster and that was also true of the forward group. Carter Bear (#13, 2025 draft, Detroit) and Julius Miettinen (#40, 2024 draft, Seattle) were expected to be the team’s leaders on the offensive side of things, but that’s not how things went. Vanhanen managed to produce 21 goals and 87pts in 62 games to lead the team in scoring during the regular season and then added 12 goals and 24pts in 18 games on route to their championship.
As you can probably tell from his stat line, Vanhanen is a playmaker above all else. He has top end skill in terms of being able to find his teammates in good scoring positions. This is further cemented by the fact that he produced 0 goals and 6pts in 7 games for Finland at the WJC. He played very well at the tournament, but if you value goals over assists you’d likely disagree.
The biggest issue with Vanhanen’s game is the obvious diminutive size, but also his first steps need work. He isn’t an explosive skater, which isn’t to say that he’s a poor skater, but simply needs to work on his acceleration out of the gate. At the NHL level even bigger players can gain speed quickly, so if he’s going to make it he has to be able to do that and likely do it extremely well. He doesn’t shoot enough and should work on that as well, as coach’s at higher levels will be able to have his pass-only tendencies easily neutralized within their game plans. If he is going to be in the NHL it’s more likely to be in a top 6 role, which makes these issues a little more concerning, as he’ll be lining up against the biggest, fastest and smartest players the world has to offer.
Vanhanen shouldn’t be chosen with the Leafs #60 or #69 pick, however, some have him going as low at the 5th round and if he’s still available at that point he could be a fantastic 2nd line playmaker down the road. It’s all about him and his willingness to develop his weaknesses. The fact that he was willing to cross the Atlantic to play junior hockey in Canada at least tells us that he’s willing to go the distance to further his hockey career.
One more? Let’s do one more.
I’m still a big believer in the idea that size on the blueline matters. We have talked about mobility a lot around Leafs Nation over the past few weeks and that has everything to do with the fact that John Chayka said that he wants his blueline to be more mobile. Fair enough. I’ve even leaned towards writing about mobile blueliners as draft targets because of it. However, mobility doesn’t simply mean small, skilled defensemen. As is the case with Giorgos Pantelas (6’2″ 210lbs) and Brek Liske (6’1″ 190lbs), defenders can move well and also have solid size. However, they would look like children if you stand them next to…
Maksim Sokolovskii
Position: Left Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’8″
Weight: 238lbs
Sokolovskii plays the game in a way that you’d want a 6’8″ 238lb defender to play it. He finishes his checks regularly and does it with punishing strength. He never backs down from physical contact and is willing to drop the gloves and fight whenever it calls for it. His extremely long reach and active stick allows him to break up plays and make life hard on attacking forwards and if he closes the gap and pins you against the wall its just as well to accept your fate and wait for him to let you go, because escaping isn’t an option. He’s a proficient skater with smooth, powerful strides and that’s what separates him from other players with his size. While most are awkward and clunky, Sokolovskii can move very well for a towering defenseman.
If you were hoping to hear about a player with top end puck skills and offense to go along with that size you’re about to be disappointed. We wouldn’t be speaking about a player that’s projected to go in the late 2nd round if he had every tool. A package of massive size and skill would easily see him as a 1st round prospect, but it was his rookie season in the OHL, so it’s also not surprising that he struggled with the puck at such a fast pace. Sokolovskii is still just 17 years old and will turn 18 next month, which means he has a couple of years of junior development ahead of him to work on his puck handling and offensive game. While his skating is smooth, his speed isn’t about to wow you. With his reach and long stride he doesn’t need to be the fastest skater out there to get where he needs to go, but as he develops he’ll still need to work on his speed. His awareness on the ice is also a point of contention, as he often focuses on the puck carrier alone, being unaware of whats happening on the ice around him. More creative players can take advantage of his lack of awareness and make you pay.
A positive view on his offense is that he produced 34 goals and 84pts in 65 games for the Atlantic Coast Academy 16U AAA team. It’s that production and the hope that he can grow to replicate it, that might make a team reach for Sokolovskii long before the late 2nd round. It’s also that production that would make me disappointed in the Leafs scouts if they passed on him at #60 or #69 if he’s still on the board.
What we do know is that players with massive size often get a shot at the NHL level at some point. Ones that can skate smoothly, are proficient defensively and are willing to fight get even more preferential treatment. It’s for this reason that i) I believe that we’ll see Sokolovskii in an NHL uniform within the next 5-6 years and ii) I don’t believe he’ll go unselected until pick #60. However, if he’s still there, the Leafs can’t go wrong with picking the Russian Wookie on skates.