News Article: Leafs prospects look grim

[Joey Hoser]

The thing about the current Leaf crop - while it doesn't have much for bonafide stars on the surface - it has a lot of people who look like they will carve out NHL careers. There's always the debate in drafting around what "success" is. Obviously the more diamonds in the rough you find, the better but if you can fill out your 2-4 lines from within it buys you flexibility. Who wouldn't rather take the $10 M we are spending on our 3rd line and add it to our top line?

That's the thing I have a problem with. Few teams have "bonifide stars" toiling in their prospect systems. Some people don't even think Ekblad is a bonifide star and may just be a top pairing d-man. Few teams have anything better than a guy like Nylander. After that, we have the OHL MVP and the SHL rookie of the year. How much more can you expect?

Its like we're going to need the captain of the Canadian Olympic team on the Marlies in order to move up in "prospect ranking".

 

[zeke]

Rielly just graduated, now we have Nylander. These guys are studly prospects.


If you think other teams have more than this on average you're wrong.

 

[Bigblue]

Rielly just graduated, now we have Nylander. These guys are studly prospects.


If you think other teams have more than this on average you're wrong.

Percy is a great example of the rankings not reflecting reality. He's entered the NHL seemlessly while ranked behind other players. Loov could likely play now, Granburg as well.

 

[TLeafsFan]

I like our prospects.

 

[Pholus]

Is Finn the one related to Colaiacovo?

Yeah, they're cousins.

 

[Bullseye]

Bulk of the talent in the system is on defence. Very few bright spots in the forward ranks. Nylander changes that but Brown, McKegg, Carrick are really it for the forwards with Kozun up with the Leafs.

We could use a top five pick to bolster our prospect forward corps. Hopefully that comes through a trade rather than a poor season.

 

[Covenant]

MacWilliam, McKegg and Biggs ahead of Percy! Just goes to show these media guys are clueless about the sport.

The Hockey News ranks Toronto's top 10 prospects as:

1. Frederik Gauthier
2. Matthew Finn
3. Andreas Johnson
4. Connor Brown
5. Petter Granberg
6. Andrew MacWilliam
7. Greg McKegg
8. Josh Leivo
9. Tyler Biggs
10. Stuart Percy

Using a panel of 14 NHL scouts, The Hockey News ranks the Maple Leafs prospects 29th out of 30 teams.

 

[Jimmy Firecracker]

MacWilliam, McKegg and Biggs ahead of Percy! Just goes to show these media guys are clueless about the sport.

Right? When I saw that when I picked up the yearbook I shook my head. Reminded me why I un-subscribed from them.

 

[William Hylander]

Right? When I saw that when I picked up the yearbook I shook my head. Reminded me why I un-subscribed from them.

Not like the board know any better. A year ago HF leafs ranked Biggs ahead of Percy as well, and I was amazed anyone could have ranked Biggs higher at the time.

It was accepted though at the time that Biggs was a better prospect. Percy has always been this D-man where he makes the smart play, and not necessarily the one that will end up on the scoresheet.

 

[zeke]

I give credit to a good chunk of posters here for seeing through the "first round pick" BS of Biggs early, actually. A bunch of the younger fans refused to doubt him but enough people here saw that he was a failed gamble pretty much his first year out of the draft.

 

[Joey Hoser]

I admit I was totally wrong about Biggs. Wanted him going into the draft, and when he started to fall I got excited. When we made the trade I knew it was for him and couldn't have been happier.

****.

 

[91Stammer*]

Bulk of the talent in the system is on defence. Very few bright spots in the forward ranks. Nylander changes that but Brown, McKegg, Carrick are really it for the forwards with Kozun up with the Leafs.

We could use a top five pick to bolster our prospect forward corps. Hopefully that comes through a trade rather than a poor season.

So you don't want your team to lose so that you can have a prospect to show for?

 

[SprDaVE]

I admit I was totally wrong about Biggs. Wanted him going into the draft, and when he started to fall I got excited. When we made the trade I knew it was for him and couldn't have been happier.

****.

Yeah he looked a great pick. Even looking back he seemed like a great pick.

You win some, you lose some.

 

[Al14]

Yeah he looked a great pick. Even looking back he seemed like a great pick.

You win some, you lose some.

But, our Leafs lose too much, on and off the ice!

Moving up to take Schenn didn't work out either! Thank you Flyers for giving us JvR for him!

 

[zeke]

I didn't like the Biggs pick at the time, mostly because no matter his tools, a guy who can't even score in the USHL probably doesn't have much upside.

But I don't mind the idea of the pick - I mean, even watching him now, even though he stinks, you can see some of the tools that the scouts liked. He's smooth for a very big man and when a kid is that young you can dream on that upside, and I don't mind gambling on an upside pick like that, particularly in the late first round.

But I do wish the gambles would have at least some stats to support them, because again, the guy couldn't even score in an awful league.

 

[Pi]

I didn't like the Biggs pick at the time, mostly because no matter his tools, a guy who can't even score in the USHL probably doesn't have much upside.

But I don't mind the idea of the pick - I mean, even watching him now, even though he stinks, you can see some of the tools that the scouts liked. He's smooth for a very big man and when a kid is that young you can dream on that upside, and I don't mind gambling on an upside pick like that, particularly in the late first round.

But I do wish the gambles would have at least some stats to support them, because again, the guy couldn't even score in an awful league.

I got caught in the Burke character hype train...

Talent over character every day of the week. Most kids have character.

 

[silentbob37*]

Biggs was a safe pick, and that was Burke's plan going into the draft. Even Percy didn't have much upside as some of the other guys picked around him, but he was a safer bet to be a player.

The problem/weakness of the Leafs system right now is the same as lot of teams, they lack (and I'll use hockeysfutures ranking system) guys with 9 or 10 potential. Nylander MAY get there, Rielly MAY get there, but they aren't MacKinnon and Jones were being a "9 or 10" is the expectation.

Now if your the Penguins or Kings or Avs and Islanders, that weakness while its a thing isn't a huge worry because of the talent you currently have. For a team like the Leafs, it means their system doesn't have the options you need to become a top team in forseeabe future (baring any big surprises).

 

[Kurtz]

Yeah he looked a great pick. Even looking back he seemed like a great pick.

You win some, you lose some.

At the time of the draft, I believe his biggest assets were listed as size, strength, toughness and the ability to fight.

That's the kind of player you take in the 3rd round, rather than trading up in the first.

Burke was a good GM, but he was blinded by what his ideal of a player was when he made that terrible pick.