C Michael McLeod - Mississauga Steelheads, OHL (2016, 12th, NJD)

[Torts]

He has elite tools to me though.

Don't think his two-way game is that strong. He has good defensive potential but he's mostly a top end offensive forward when I watch him play.

Agreed, he does have elite tools. MacKinnon/Seguin lite.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I'm looking for him to take a jump up in the 2nd half of the OHL season. As I mentioned in the Alex Nylander thread, I think Alex is just a tad more polished than him in development right now. I want to see Mcleod catch up to Alex. If this happens these 2 may even be more highly touted by the end of the season.

For now, I pro-rate Alex as a first line winger, and Mcleod as a 2nd line Center in the NHL.

 

[NCoRe]

Since I dont see Maple Leafs droppin to be dead last and thats why not drafting in the TOP 5. This is my fav pick for them with Nylander. Ultimately I would love to see Laine in Leaf jersey but this is more than awesome consolation prize. Some might say we have enough center prospects, but I disagree.

If its not Tkachuk or Laine. I really hope it'll be this fellow for sure !

 

[All_blueandwhite]

- Elite skating and the fact that he always keeps his feet moving will make him a handful at any level. So explosive, very Mackinnon-esque in that sense. Relies more on straight ahead speed to blow past players.

- Velocity wise his shot is already NHL level. Needs to work on getting it off a little quicker. Wouldn't say he's a sniper by any means though. Not sure if I see 30 goal potential out of this guy, but by no means is it a stretch to see him put up 25ish goals in his best years. He likes to mix up the shooting angles but again he needs to work on getting it off a little quicker and work on placement to really utilize it at the NHL level.

- Very good hockey IQ. Knows where and how to position himself in the offensive zone in order to be effective, and takes good routes to get there. Always in good position. He's creative with the puck, but it's not at that elite level that I would feel comfortable enough to project him being a 70 point guy at the NHL level.

- Good size at already 6'2". This coupled with his speed will make him a threat.

- Definitely not afraid of the dirty areas. He's very reckless in that sense but in a good way.

Personally, I see a 60-65 point centre that will be a coaches dream and will play the tough minutes against the other teams best players. He plays a simple enough game that you can stick anyone on either side of him and they'll play well together. Will he be able to carry a line? I'm not so sure, but he just has those elite tools that will make him a threat every shift.

I see why people have him going as high as top 3. He's a very safe projection, and there's A LOT to like about this kid. There's definitely other guys in the draft who would have a higher offensive ceiling, just depends how risky the team drafting wants to be.

 

[Woll Smoth]

Post above is spot on. I think the Leafs should take him above Tkachuk and A.Nylander at this point. Love the way he plays. Seems like a guy you can put in any situation at any point of the game and he'll get the job done.

I'd love to see how he'd do playing centre with Marner on the wing.

 

[Torts]

- Elite skating and the fact that he always keeps his feet moving will make him a handful at any level. So explosive, very Mackinnon-esque in that sense. Relies more on straight ahead speed to blow past players.

- Velocity wise his shot is already NHL level. Needs to work on getting it off a little quicker. Wouldn't say he's a sniper by any means though. Not sure if I see 30 goal potential out of this guy, but by no means is it a stretch to see him put up 25ish goals in his best years. He likes to mix up the shooting angles but again he needs to work on getting it off a little quicker and work on placement to really utilize it at the NHL level.

- Very good hockey IQ. Knows where and how to position himself in the offensive zone in order to be effective, and takes good routes to get there. Always in good position. He's creative with the puck, but it's not at that elite level that I would feel comfortable enough to project him being a 70 point guy at the NHL level.

- Good size at already 6'2". This coupled with his speed will make him a threat.

- Definitely not afraid of the dirty areas. He's very reckless in that sense but in a good way.

Personally, I see a 60-65 point centre that will be a coaches dream and will play the tough minutes against the other teams best players. He plays a simple enough game that you can stick anyone on either side of him and they'll play well together. Will he be able to carry a line? I'm not so sure, but he just has those elite tools that will make him a threat every shift.

I see why people have him going as high as top 3. He's a very safe projection, and there's A LOT to like about this kid. There's definitely other guys in the draft who would have a higher offensive ceiling, just depends how risky the team drafting wants to be.

Great write up blueandwhite, bang on with all your points and projections in my opinion.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

Post above is spot on. I think the Leafs should take him above Tkachuk and A.Nylander at this point. Love the way he plays. Seems like a guy you can put in any situation at any point of the game and he'll get the job done.

I'd love to see how he'd do playing centre with Marner on the wing.

Not sure about your list - But I would take him ahead of everyone not named Matthews/Chychrun/Tkachuk[would make too much sense].

I have limited viewing of the Finns; but I like what I see in the scouting reports on McLeod. Seems like a really good second tier C that gets overlooked. (Monahan?)

 

[rt]

Sounds a bit like Jared McCann?

 

[Woll Smoth]

Sounds a bit like Jared McCann?

Based purely on the McCann scouting report I'd say that's almost 100% like watching McLeod.

I'd say the only differences are it seems like McCann's defense was better at the same stage, and I'm not sure about his skating, but McLeod is probably the fastest guy out there on any given night.

 

[WonderTwinsUnite]

Based purely on the McCann scouting report I'd say that's almost 100% like watching McLeod.

I'd say the only differences are it seems like McCann's defense was better at the same stage, and I'm not sure about his skating, but McLeod is probably the fastest guy out there on any given night.

McCann is crazy fast, but not quite at McLeod's level. Similarly, McLeod's shot is great, but McCann's release will be among the NHL elite.

Other than that, they're incredibly similar.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

Rated #2 in McKeen's rankings

 

[Maplebeasts]

Rated #2 in McKeen's rankings

Disagree. I like the Finns more and Chychrun.

 

[199991]

McKeen's scouts seem to have fallen in love with him. Don't totally understand why they like him so much. Sure Top 10 but... #2??

 

[Sundinisagod]

- Elite skating and the fact that he always keeps his feet moving will make him a handful at any level. So explosive, very Mackinnon-esque in that sense. Relies more on straight ahead speed to blow past players.

- Velocity wise his shot is already NHL level. Needs to work on getting it off a little quicker. Wouldn't say he's a sniper by any means though. Not sure if I see 30 goal potential out of this guy, but by no means is it a stretch to see him put up 25ish goals in his best years. He likes to mix up the shooting angles but again he needs to work on getting it off a little quicker and work on placement to really utilize it at the NHL level.

- Very good hockey IQ. Knows where and how to position himself in the offensive zone in order to be effective, and takes good routes to get there. Always in good position. He's creative with the puck, but it's not at that elite level that I would feel comfortable enough to project him being a 70 point guy at the NHL level.

- Good size at already 6'2". This coupled with his speed will make him a threat.

- Definitely not afraid of the dirty areas. He's very reckless in that sense but in a good way.

Personally, I see a 60-65 point centre that will be a coaches dream and will play the tough minutes against the other teams best players. He plays a simple enough game that you can stick anyone on either side of him and they'll play well together. Will he be able to carry a line? I'm not so sure, but he just has those elite tools that will make him a threat every shift.

I see why people have him going as high as top 3. He's a very safe projection, and there's A LOT to like about this kid. There's definitely other guys in the draft who would have a higher offensive ceiling, just depends how risky the team drafting wants to be.

Great post.

Babcock would love this guy this guy. I think he'd make Marner 1c and McLeod 2c, with Nylander shifting to Marner's wing. McLeod would be a great fit for Toronto in so many ways. Nothing wrong with having centre depth, and both Nylander and Marner can switch to wing.

 

[Judas Tavares]

McLeod for me is similar to Barzal (not playing style!) in terms of he is the guy you take 6th. Last year and this year it seems you have a consensus top 5 and then after the next 5 or so are interchangeable. Had the Devils taken Barzal 6th I don't think anyone would have been shocked.

 

[WTFMAN99]

ROR or Mike Richards a good comparable?

 

[WilliamNylander]

ROR or Mike Richards a good comparable?

Actually really like the Mike Richards one.

McLeod's stock seems to be rising, I think he could go top five ahead of Tkachuk

 

[All_blueandwhite]

Actually really like the Mike Richards one.

McLeod's stock seems to be rising, I think he could go top five ahead of Tkachuk

The only 2 I have ahead of Mcleod are Matthews and Laine in that order.

I have some questions as to the long term potential of Chychurn offensively. Is he a 40-50 point #1 Dman or a 35 point 2-3 guy? I also have my reservations about taking defensemen that high.

Tkatchuk I see as more a complimentary player. I don't know if I can see him carrying a line. In the same way Bobby Ryan was a 30 goal force in Anaheim and then became a 55 point 20-25 goal guy when he was relied upon as the go-to in Ottawa.

Puljujärvi - The physical tools are there, I just haven't seen enough to gage whether or not he has the hockey IQ necessary to really utilize all those tools in the way an Ovechkin or Kovalchuk do. He scares me in the way Magnus Paajarvi did come draft time.

 

[Scion]

McKeen's scouts seem to have fallen in love with him. Don't totally understand why they like him so much. Sure Top 10 but... #2??

You have to watch McLeod live to really appreciate what he brings to the table. He does all the small things, and combines it with great speed and skill. Most impressive of all is that he is always around the puck in all three zones, I've yet to go to a game in the past two years where McLeod was invisible.

 

[lawrence]

ROR or Mike Richards a good comparable?

Mike richards is 5'11 and not great foot speed.

McLeod is 6'2 as a 17 year old (with room to grow) and an explosive skater.

Mike Modanno maybe? Modanna was a 6'3 fast skating son of a gun.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Mike richards is 5'11 and not great foot speed.

McLeod is 6'2 as a 17 year old (with room to grow) and an explosive skater.

Mike Modanno maybe? Modanna was a 6'3 fast skating son of a gun.

Modano was a better goalscorer but might be a reasonable best case scenario.

 

[Ohashi_Jouzu*]

Sounds a bit like Jared McCann?

A slightly bigger, faster, but less agile McCann is a pretty good way to picture him, imo.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

While just meant as a general observation versus a direct criticism of McLeod, I've found over time that the elite skaters that have tremendous lateral movement, tend to be much more effective at the next level elite burner types. There are very few NHLer forwards that become top line guys based purely on speed. The NHL is so fast already. Does McLeod have much lateral movement to his game, or does he just use his speed to overwhelm junior players?

As one example, watching how players like Gagner and Kane did at the next. Gagner was faster and considered by most to be the better skater, but I always found Kane, despite being a step slower, the more exciting skater based on how he could move laterally so quickly and easily. Obviously scouts liked Kane based mostly on his hands, but I always felt Kane used his skating to create space better than Gagner. Not sure if McLeod has that type of lateral movement, but to me that's an important difference between top 6 forwards, and guys thought to have top line upside, who ultimately ended up bottom 6 forwards. Guys like Hagelin, Greening, and Cogliano won three 'fastest skater' competitions in a row over the last few years, and while useful forwards to one degree or another, none are really top 6 forwards or big impact offensive guys.

 

[All_blueandwhite]

While just meant as a general observation versus a direct criticism of McLeod, I've found over time that the elite skaters that have tremendous lateral movement, tend to be much more effective at the next level elite burner types. There are very few NHLer forwards that become top line guys based purely on speed. The NHL is so fast already. Does McLeod have much lateral movement to his game, or does he just use his speed to overwhelm junior players?

As one example, watching how players like Gagner and Kane did at the next. Gagner was faster and considered by most to be the better skater, but I always found Kane, despite being a step slower, the more exciting skater based on how he could move laterally so quickly and easily. Obviously scouts liked Kane based mostly on his hands, but I always felt Kane used his skating to create space better than Gagner. Not sure if McLeod has that type of lateral movement, but to me that's an important difference between top 6 forwards, and guys thought to have top line upside, who ultimately ended up bottom 6 forwards. Guys like Hagelin, Greening, and Cogliano won three 'fastest skater' competitions in a row over the last few years, and while useful forwards to one degree or another, none are really top 6 forwards or big impact offensive guys.

Lucky for Mcleod then that his elite speed is only one of the things that make him such an intriguing prospect.

other than their straight ahead speed, Mcleod has nothing in common with any of those players. He's the total package.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

Lucky for Mcleod then that his elite speed is only one of the things that make him such an intriguing prospect.

other than their straight ahead speed, Mcleod has nothing in common with any of those players. He's the total package.

Well, with respect, some of those guys were pretty well regarded as 1st round prospects too, specifically Gagner and Cogliano. And Gagner, regardless of his linemates, was a hell of a lot more productive than McLeod.

There are a ton of top 10 picks regarded as "the total package" who end up as really good bottom 6 forwards. I'd say only around half of the top 10 forwards end up as true top 6 forwards. It's really hard to project sometimes, outside of the really elite talents like McDavid, Eichel, Matthews etc.

Of course, all of the above is theoretical and not meant as a specific criticism or projection of McLeod, who I've seen play only once and have relied more on ready about him that what I saw.