Robertson headlines development camp roster

Forwards Nick Robertson, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev and Pavel Gogolev, along with goalie Ian Scott, are among the betterknown names who will take part in the Maple Leafs’ 2021 development camp, which opens Thursday.

Hayley Wickenheiser, the senior director of player development with the Leafs, will lead the team’s first development camp since 2019, one of the usual summertime events waylaid by the coronavirus pandemic.

The list of invited players skews heavily toward players based in North America, with few of the team’s European or Russian prospects on the list. Rodion Amirov (Russia), Roni Hirvonen (Finland) and Topi Niemela (Finland), the Leafs’ top picks in the 2020 draft, are expected to remain with their home clubs this season.

Robertson is the only participant among the 20 forwards, 13 defencemen and six goalies with any NHL experience, having played in the 2020 playoffs against Columbus, when he scored his first goal, and another six games in 2021, when he earned one assist. Robertson, a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, turns 20 on Friday.

Der-Arguchintsev and Gogolev, his former teammates with the Peterborough Petes, are expected to play together this year with the Marlies. The trio was dynamic in the OHL in 2017-18 and 2018-19, though Gogolev was traded to Guelph midway through 2018-19. The Leafs drafted Der-Arguchintsev in the third round in 2018. He played six games for the Marlies and 17 for the KHL’s Nizhny Novgorod Torpedo last year.

Gogolev was not drafted but recently signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Leafs. He played for the Marlies last year and had 12 points in 13 games.

Many of these players got into few games last year, largely because there was nowhere to play. That list includes Sarnia’s Ty Voit, drafted 153rd by Toronto this summer despite playing no league games at all.

Voit is the only draft pick of the three players Toronto took this year on the list of invitees. Second-round pick Matthew Knies has started at the University of Minnesota and sixthround pick Vyacheslav Peksa is among those who have remained in Russia.

Scott is one to keep an eye on in net. The once highly touted goalie had a hip injury that kept him from serious playing time after his junior career ended in 2018-19. Scott played one game for the Marlies and five in the ECHL last season.

Other players of note include some recent draft picks, like Victoriaville captain Mikhail Abramov, a centre from Russia, and Marlies defencemen Joseph Duszak and Filip Král.

Undrafted winger Colby Saganiuk, from Erie in the OHL, has ties to the Leafs. His grandfather Rocky once played for Toronto. Wickenheiser will be aided by Marlies head coach Greg Moore, newly appointed Newfoundland Growlers head coach Eric Wellwood and coaches from across the organization.

The camp ends Monday, with many of the same players heading to Traverse City, Mich., to participate in an eight-team NHL rookie tournament.