BrainyBomber
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- Apr 1, 2018
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Early days but despite no 1st rounder Dubas certainly looks to have made a bumper haul in last years draft:
First Maple Leafs 2019 Draft Pick: Nick Robertson
Robertson came into the draft averaging over a point per game with the Peterborough Petes during the 2018-19 season (27 goals and 55 points in 54 games). He didn’t slow down in 2019-20. In fact, he ended the season with the Petes by scoring 50 goals in 43 games.
Robertson is smaller, but he has both on-ice creative flair and a competitive personality. During the draft, when asked about his size, he compared himself to the feisty former-Maple Leaf Trevor Moore:
“I don’t think it’s a factor at all. Trevor Moore, he’s a guy from California, he’s not the biggest guy but you see how effective he was in playoffs. He’s a skilled player, I think the tenacity makes up for my size as well as my skill.”
The 18-year-old Robertson became the first Canadian Major Junior hockey player to score 50 goals during the 2019-20 season – and that’s after he missed time recovering from a broken finger and represented the United States at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship that ended in January 2020.
In short (no pun intended for the under-sized Maple Leafs prospect), Robertson had big goal numbers and small game numbers. Grade A.
Second Maple Leafs 2019 Draft Pick: Mikko Kokkonen
In the third round, the team’s 84th-overall pick was Finnish defenseman Mikko Kokkonen. During the 2018-19 season, the 18-year-old, left-handed defenseman scored three goals and 19 points in 56 games with Jukurit in Finland’s top league. He also played at the high level international tournaments as part of Team Finland when the Finnish U18 World Juniors won the championship in 2017-18.
This season, Kokkonen’s scoring numbers with Jukurit were down (only three goals and seven assists in 39 games); however, he’s proven himself to be a good all-around player who’s gaining experience playing in Finland’s top tier, as well as for Team Finland at the 2020 World Junior Championships (scoring two goals in seven games and being named Player of the Game in Finland’s semi-final loss). Although he’s young, he held his own as a third-pairing defenseman.
His reputation is as a steady defenseman, who needs more offense in his game. Scouts loved his “character” but suggested he should work on his skating. However, Kokkonen doesn’t lack confidence. When interviewed about playing in Finland, he noted: “I want to be that player who can be on in the last minute of games and get the winning goal.”
In short, Kokkonen’s scoring and overall game have been improving because he’s young and playing at a high level in Finland. Grade B+.
Third Maple Leafs 2019 Draft Pick: Mikhail Abramov
The Maple Leafs used their first fourth-round pick (115th overall) on Quebec Major Junior League center Mikhail Abramov. Abramov entered the draft with 16 goals and 38 assists in 62 games with Victoriaville, a showing that earned him QMJHL Rookie All-Star Team honors in 2018-19. Before joining the Tigres, he played in the CSKA Moscow system in Russia.
Abramov had a great 2019-20 QMJHL season with 35 goals and 76 points in 63 games. The 5-foot-9, 154-pound Russian is a playmaker with good on-ice vision. In fact, he’s good enough that the Maple Leafs recently signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Interestingly, the 18-year-old Abramov led his team in scoring by 35 points, the next highest scorer had 19 goals. In 125 career QMJHL games, he has 51 goals and 79 assists. He was also named to the QMJHL All-Rookie Team in 2018-19.
In short, Abramov might not have the overall skills of a first-round draft pick, but he has enough vision and hockey sense that the Maple Leafs were willing to sign on the dotted line. Obviously, they believe he has a chance to play in the NHL. Grade A-.
2019 Draft Pick #4: Nick Abruzzese
Nick Abruzzese is a 20-year-old center, who just finished his rookie season with the Harvard Crimson. During the 2019-20 season, he scored 14 goals and 30 assists (44 points) in 31 games. That scoring led the entire Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), and Abruzzese was named ECAC Rookie of the Year on March 19.
During the 2018-19 season, Abruzzese played for the Chicago Steel and led the United States Hockey League (USHL) in scoring with 51 assists and 80 points in 62 games. He also did well in the postseason, when he averaged over a point-per-game by scoring 7 goals and 14 points in 11 games.
That Abruzzese could lead the 12-team Ivy League Conference in scoring is impressive. No rookie at Harvard had scored more points than the Maple Leafs draft pick since former NHL left-winger Ted Donato (who’s from the Boston area and played for the Bruins) became the coach. As well, Harvard has produced a number of current NHL players including, as Maple Leafs fans know, center Alex Kerfoot. (And, for movie trivia fans, in Erich Segal’s 1970 romantic movie Love Story, Ryan O’Neill played for the Harvard Crimson as well.)
In short, drafting Nick Abruzzese in the fourth round of the 2019 draft was a win for the Maple Leafs. Grade: A
2019 Draft Pick #5: Michael Koster
Michael Koster was drafted in the fifth round (146th overall). The 18-year-old left-shot defenseman spent 2018-19 in the Minnesota High School League and won the Reed Larson Award as top senior boys’ high school hockey defenseman in Minnesota. During that season, Koster scored 19 goals and 29 points in 24 games before he finished the season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. There, Koster added another four assists and six points in 15 regular-season games.
This season with the Storm, Koster was injured early in the season, which required him to miss games. As a result, his scoring was down to three goals and 18 points in 37 games when the USHL suspended play for the season – his third with the team. It wasn’t the season Koster hoped for, but he’s committed to the University of Minnesota next season.
Koster has leadership experience and captained his high school team for two seasons. It might be too early to tell how he’s progressing but that he was named to the U.S. Junior Select Team ahead of the 2019 World Junior A Challenge in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, a few months ago was a positive statement about his play.
In short, it was a season where Koster was injured and didn’t play to past performances. Grade: B
2019 Draft Pick #6: Kalle Loponen
The Maple Leafs didn’t have a sixth-round pick – the organization then selected Finnish right-handed defenseman Kalle Loponen in the seventh round (204th overall). During the 2018-19 season, the then 17-year-old played against much older players in the second-tier of Finnish hockey and scored 12 points (4 goals and 8 assists) in 30 games. He also represented Finland at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship.
Although Loponen is small for today’s defensemen at 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, he’s a physical player who throws his body around. His strength is the power play, and he has a strong slap shot.
Unlike the Maple Leafs second draft pick in 2019 Mikko Kokkonen, fellow Finnish player Loponen chose to come to North America to play and skated this season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves (coached by former NHL veteran Cory Stillman who played with six NHL teams, most notably the Calgary Flames). In 56 games with the Wolves, Loponen scored 6 goals and 24 points.
However, Dobber Prospects notes that many of Loponen’s points come on the man-advantage which likely won’t translate to higher levels. So the word remains out on Loponen’s potential.
In short, we don’t know enough yet about how Loponen’s game might transition to higher levels. Grade: C
From:
https://thehockeywriters.com/maple-leafs-2019-draft-class-review/
https://thehockeywriters.com/maple-leafs-2019-draft-abruzzese-koster-loponen/
First Maple Leafs 2019 Draft Pick: Nick Robertson
Robertson came into the draft averaging over a point per game with the Peterborough Petes during the 2018-19 season (27 goals and 55 points in 54 games). He didn’t slow down in 2019-20. In fact, he ended the season with the Petes by scoring 50 goals in 43 games.
Robertson is smaller, but he has both on-ice creative flair and a competitive personality. During the draft, when asked about his size, he compared himself to the feisty former-Maple Leaf Trevor Moore:
“I don’t think it’s a factor at all. Trevor Moore, he’s a guy from California, he’s not the biggest guy but you see how effective he was in playoffs. He’s a skilled player, I think the tenacity makes up for my size as well as my skill.”
The 18-year-old Robertson became the first Canadian Major Junior hockey player to score 50 goals during the 2019-20 season – and that’s after he missed time recovering from a broken finger and represented the United States at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship that ended in January 2020.
In short (no pun intended for the under-sized Maple Leafs prospect), Robertson had big goal numbers and small game numbers. Grade A.
Second Maple Leafs 2019 Draft Pick: Mikko Kokkonen
In the third round, the team’s 84th-overall pick was Finnish defenseman Mikko Kokkonen. During the 2018-19 season, the 18-year-old, left-handed defenseman scored three goals and 19 points in 56 games with Jukurit in Finland’s top league. He also played at the high level international tournaments as part of Team Finland when the Finnish U18 World Juniors won the championship in 2017-18.
This season, Kokkonen’s scoring numbers with Jukurit were down (only three goals and seven assists in 39 games); however, he’s proven himself to be a good all-around player who’s gaining experience playing in Finland’s top tier, as well as for Team Finland at the 2020 World Junior Championships (scoring two goals in seven games and being named Player of the Game in Finland’s semi-final loss). Although he’s young, he held his own as a third-pairing defenseman.
His reputation is as a steady defenseman, who needs more offense in his game. Scouts loved his “character” but suggested he should work on his skating. However, Kokkonen doesn’t lack confidence. When interviewed about playing in Finland, he noted: “I want to be that player who can be on in the last minute of games and get the winning goal.”
In short, Kokkonen’s scoring and overall game have been improving because he’s young and playing at a high level in Finland. Grade B+.
Third Maple Leafs 2019 Draft Pick: Mikhail Abramov
The Maple Leafs used their first fourth-round pick (115th overall) on Quebec Major Junior League center Mikhail Abramov. Abramov entered the draft with 16 goals and 38 assists in 62 games with Victoriaville, a showing that earned him QMJHL Rookie All-Star Team honors in 2018-19. Before joining the Tigres, he played in the CSKA Moscow system in Russia.
Abramov had a great 2019-20 QMJHL season with 35 goals and 76 points in 63 games. The 5-foot-9, 154-pound Russian is a playmaker with good on-ice vision. In fact, he’s good enough that the Maple Leafs recently signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Interestingly, the 18-year-old Abramov led his team in scoring by 35 points, the next highest scorer had 19 goals. In 125 career QMJHL games, he has 51 goals and 79 assists. He was also named to the QMJHL All-Rookie Team in 2018-19.
In short, Abramov might not have the overall skills of a first-round draft pick, but he has enough vision and hockey sense that the Maple Leafs were willing to sign on the dotted line. Obviously, they believe he has a chance to play in the NHL. Grade A-.
2019 Draft Pick #4: Nick Abruzzese
Nick Abruzzese is a 20-year-old center, who just finished his rookie season with the Harvard Crimson. During the 2019-20 season, he scored 14 goals and 30 assists (44 points) in 31 games. That scoring led the entire Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), and Abruzzese was named ECAC Rookie of the Year on March 19.
During the 2018-19 season, Abruzzese played for the Chicago Steel and led the United States Hockey League (USHL) in scoring with 51 assists and 80 points in 62 games. He also did well in the postseason, when he averaged over a point-per-game by scoring 7 goals and 14 points in 11 games.
That Abruzzese could lead the 12-team Ivy League Conference in scoring is impressive. No rookie at Harvard had scored more points than the Maple Leafs draft pick since former NHL left-winger Ted Donato (who’s from the Boston area and played for the Bruins) became the coach. As well, Harvard has produced a number of current NHL players including, as Maple Leafs fans know, center Alex Kerfoot. (And, for movie trivia fans, in Erich Segal’s 1970 romantic movie Love Story, Ryan O’Neill played for the Harvard Crimson as well.)
In short, drafting Nick Abruzzese in the fourth round of the 2019 draft was a win for the Maple Leafs. Grade: A
2019 Draft Pick #5: Michael Koster
Michael Koster was drafted in the fifth round (146th overall). The 18-year-old left-shot defenseman spent 2018-19 in the Minnesota High School League and won the Reed Larson Award as top senior boys’ high school hockey defenseman in Minnesota. During that season, Koster scored 19 goals and 29 points in 24 games before he finished the season with the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. There, Koster added another four assists and six points in 15 regular-season games.
This season with the Storm, Koster was injured early in the season, which required him to miss games. As a result, his scoring was down to three goals and 18 points in 37 games when the USHL suspended play for the season – his third with the team. It wasn’t the season Koster hoped for, but he’s committed to the University of Minnesota next season.
Koster has leadership experience and captained his high school team for two seasons. It might be too early to tell how he’s progressing but that he was named to the U.S. Junior Select Team ahead of the 2019 World Junior A Challenge in Dawson Creek, British Columbia, a few months ago was a positive statement about his play.
In short, it was a season where Koster was injured and didn’t play to past performances. Grade: B
2019 Draft Pick #6: Kalle Loponen
The Maple Leafs didn’t have a sixth-round pick – the organization then selected Finnish right-handed defenseman Kalle Loponen in the seventh round (204th overall). During the 2018-19 season, the then 17-year-old played against much older players in the second-tier of Finnish hockey and scored 12 points (4 goals and 8 assists) in 30 games. He also represented Finland at the IIHF Under-18 World Championship.
Although Loponen is small for today’s defensemen at 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, he’s a physical player who throws his body around. His strength is the power play, and he has a strong slap shot.
Unlike the Maple Leafs second draft pick in 2019 Mikko Kokkonen, fellow Finnish player Loponen chose to come to North America to play and skated this season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves (coached by former NHL veteran Cory Stillman who played with six NHL teams, most notably the Calgary Flames). In 56 games with the Wolves, Loponen scored 6 goals and 24 points.
However, Dobber Prospects notes that many of Loponen’s points come on the man-advantage which likely won’t translate to higher levels. So the word remains out on Loponen’s potential.
In short, we don’t know enough yet about how Loponen’s game might transition to higher levels. Grade: C
From:
https://thehockeywriters.com/maple-leafs-2019-draft-class-review/
https://thehockeywriters.com/maple-leafs-2019-draft-abruzzese-koster-loponen/
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