Prospect Info: Leafs 2018 4th Rd Draft Pick (#118 OA) - Mac Hollowell (5'9", 170, D, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)

[Jozay]

Okay enough with the Greyhounds connection Kyle. 5 ft 9 D man screams wasted pick to me sorry. First head scratcher for me.

Gotta be honest, im with you.

If this guy wasnt on the greyhounds, I really wonder if he gets drafted here.

 

[stickty111]

Unfortunately we have a fan base that if they don’t get what they want, their favourite thing, they will **** on the person we picked or hired instead of their guy no matter what

Yeah I didnt get the players I wanted, but I wont trash the players we did pick.
I didnt want Sandin but he is still a good pick. A Dermott type.
In terms of Durzi, I wanted Thomas who was taken ahead of him. However Durzi is good as well.

 

[Kelly]

Lol @ the Hunter fanboys.

He did the same thing. Mattinen anybody?

 

[FreeBird]

Another solid prospect that we know well
Throughly impressed with Dubas with this draft.
I guess you loved picking Middelton's

He did draft Middelton along with Hunter when they handled the draft together before Lou came on board.

 

[hockeynorth]

This is our one pick I really don't like. Would have preferred Dunkley

 

[SprDaVE]

The Marlies could very well have both Durzi and Hollowell in their top 6 next season, to go along with Liljegren.

That's a crap ton of speed and skill from the back end.

 

[stickty111]

I'm not the Hunter crowd guy, I didn't like the move but I've long since moved forward and am entirely open minded about Dubas. Some of us aren't two dimensional, that you've taken sides says more about your insights than anything I could say...and yes you look silly but what else is new. Feel free to quote my pro Dubas comments.

Fair enough but it doesmt make me look silly. You shouldnt call a pick wasted literally minutes after being drafted.

 

[SprDaVE]

He did draft Middelton along with Hunter when they handled the draft together before Lou came on board.

Middleton was drafted in 2016 and not in 2015. You are wrong.

 

[Menzinger]

If a player’s height is the first thing And seemingly only problem you have with the draft choice, I don’t think that’s a great analysis.

This draft class has been dominated by smaller size d men even in the first round, also worth noting more and more smaller size D man I played in the NHL him more than ever, we just have to get past this pretty biased towards these guys, not to say that this guy will even make the NHL, But his size isn’t going to be what keeps him away

 

[LeafGrief]

Anyone who ever complained about Middleton or Mete should love this pick. Hollowell is the same size as Mete, has the elite skating, and similar production in their D+1 years.

3 defensemen and 2 C's out of our 5 picks this year. I don't care if Dubas picks two more Greyhounds, I like what is going on so far in this draft.

 

[Fogelhund]

Honest question, is there any NHL Dman 5'9" or under?

Victor Mete

 

[Menzinger]

He's flat out just drafting who he likes at this point and not the scouts.

If that’s the case, I’d expect he’ll be asking more than a few of those guys to leave over the summer

 

[Brock Radunske]

I know the league is changing and that skill>size but the Leafs are already a small team and picks like this won't help.
I can't see them ever getting past the Boston/Nashville/Winnipeg/Cali teams in a 7 game series.
I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Middleton was drafted in 2016 and not in 2015. You are wrong.

We drafted 3 overage players in 2016 alone.

This thread is a train wreck.

 

[Menzinger]

Honest question, is there any NHL Dman 5'9" or under?

Yes, 5’7 Jason Spurgeon (who’d be the 2nd best D man on the Leafs at the moment)

 

[Kiwi]

If a player’s height is the first thing And seemingly only problem you have with the draft choice, I don’t think that’s a great analysis.

This draft class has been dominated by smaller size d men even in the first round, also worth noting more and more smaller size D man I played in the NHL him more than ever, we just have to get past this pretty biased towards these guys, not to say that this guy will even make the NHL, But his size isn’t going to be what keeps him away

I do think you have to ask the questions

Should he have been taken that high and how's he going to adapt when he goes pro and has to defend much bigger stronger players though

Being a slight 5'9 defenseman isn't easy

 

[Menzinger]

I do think you have to ask the questions

Should he have been taken that high and how's he going to adapt when he goes pro and has to defend much bigger stronger players though

Being a slight 5'9 defenseman isn't easy

But the thing is, he’s not a finished product. He literally has 2 to 4 years of development to go including strength training. His current frame isn’t what’s going to be in the NHL.

And smaller size d men just have to play different style of game, focus more on stick work, speed and his offensive of game. He doesn’t even need to be a top pairing shutdown guy To make an impact, most teams could use a skilled speedy pick mover on their bottom pairing.

 

[DarkKnight]

Fair enough but it doesmt make me look silly. You shouldnt call a pick wasted literally minutes after being drafted.

I don’t have to love every decision at first blood either. Overall I’m happy with the draft, but who knows.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

he's going to have to put a ton of work in, but you can't write him off because of his height. If Torey Krug can be a great top 4 defenseman at 5'9, so can he

 

[ULF_55]

Kind of reminds me of the Canucks 1st. pick.

 

[Kiwi]

But the thing is, he’s not a finished product. He literally has 2 to 4 years of development to go including strength training. His current frame isn’t what’s going to be in the NHL.

And smaller size d men just have to play different style of game, focus more on stick work, speed and his offensive of game. He doesn’t even need to be a top pairing shutdown guy To make an impact, most teams could use a skilled speedy pick mover on their bottom pairing.

I prefer the small kid that produces over the big non scoring plug but even as a bottom pair PP QB he still needs to be able to defend against bigger bodied guys or at least a strategy that's going to be effective

If he struggles with it in junior I'm not sure how he's going to go in the AHL let alone the NHL

 

[93LEAFS]

If that’s the case, I’d expect he’ll be asking more than a few of those guys to leave over the summer

Probably, but he may be intent on micro-managing. I'm personally not a big fan of this draft. Everyone but Sandin and Stotts of the first 4 rounds went off the board way too early in my eyes.

 

[Isaac Nootin]

Probably, but he may be intent on micro-managing. I'm personally not a big fan of this draft. Everyone but Sandin and Stotts of the first 4 rounds went off the board way too early in my eyes.

Some scouts had Durzi ranked as high as #21. He was an excellent selection and in no way came off the board early.

 

[93LEAFS]

Some scouts had Durzi ranked as high as #21. He was an excellent selection and in no way came off the board early.

And some scouts had him as a no-draft.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

And some scouts had him as a no-draft.

How do you look at his numbers this year and come to the conclusion that he isn't worth a pick out of the 215 or whatever. Who are these scouts so I can avoid them in the future?