Size and skill highlight Toronto Maple Leafs Spring Top 20

[HF Article]

​

Outside of Nazem Kadri and the soon-to-graduate Morgan Rielly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been void of big-name prospects for a few years. Moreover, they have lacked the prospect depth of most other NHL teams, either as a result of trading picks or players not yet meeting their potential.



Still, while there may be holes in the Leafs' group of prospects – highly-touted goal scorers, shutdown defenders, and goaltending – there remains plenty of players with NHL potential.

The spring top 20 list features newcomer Peter Holland, as well as the fast-rising Connor Brown, Carter Verhaeghe, and Swedish standout Andreas Johnson.… read more



More...

Click to read more...

 

[SyndicateProject]

Tyler Biggs is a 6.5B now? Wow was rooting for the kid, hope he pans out

 

[SprDaVE]

Fairly average but some decent prospects in there, especially ones draft in the mid-rounds.

With our top 6 mostly locked up for quite sometime, along with a couple top 4 D, I think the names in that list should fill out the core nicely.

I'm most interested in Knodel myself. A mobile 6'6" giant with great offensive tools. I only saw him play once play for UNH and he really impressed me. I'm hoping he can keep progressing and potentially join the Marlies either this off-season or the next one.

On the flip side, has Brad Ross ever fell out of the face of the earth. Great talent in the CHL to go with great pest qualities. The AHL has not been his friend. He has not been able to translate at all. He has shown flashes here and there, but wildly inconsistent. He's also been injured a lot, which doesn't help.

 

[Joey Hoser]

​

Outside of Nazem Kadri and the soon-to-graduate Morgan Rielly, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been void of big-name prospects for a few years. Moreover, they have lacked the prospect depth of most other NHL teams, either as a result of trading picks or players not yet meeting their potential.

Aren't pretty much all big-name prospects soon-to-graduate?

Leafs prospect pool is always accused of lacking top end talent, which is true to some degree, but always helped along by the fact that our top prospects(like Kadri and Rielly) never seem to be counted because they are in the NHL.

Is there really a type of prospect between Rielly/Kadri and Finn/Holland that we consistantly lack?

 

[daveleaf]

I remember Burke being all gung ho on Biggs and trading up to get him. What a waste. Anaheim walked away with two good players.

 

[leafs in five]

[Holland] has since found himself playing closer to 10 minutes a game, but has obviously earned the trust of head coach Randy Carlyle with his sound defensive play.

maybe a bit premature. Carlyle may actually prefer an empty F spot to Holland in the lineup.

 

[snizzbone*]

Tyler Biggs is a 6.5B now? Wow was rooting for the kid, hope he pans out

6.5B is actually a better rating than whatever he was before (think 7.0C?).

Not sure why. That rating says he should be a 2nd line tweener, could end up being a 3rd line tweener.. that seems kind of unrealistic based off what we've seen.

edit: hes a 6.5C now.. not B.

 

[613Leafer]

I think these rankings are underrating Percy/Finn (or overrating other guys).

I think they have a much higher chance of becoming solid 2nd pairing NHLers then Gauthier/Holland have of becoming solid 2nd line NHLers for example.

My rankings would probably be something like:

Rielly
.
.
.
.
Percy/Finn/Leivo
.
Gauthier/Holland/Verhaeghe/Brown

 

[Ed Belfour]

I know Biggs is constantly crapped on, but I'm pretty excited about him. He'll never be much of an offensive beast, but I've watched a lot of Marlies games and he is usually noticeable in some way. I found he can really skate for a big guy, is solid on his skates, and goes to the dirty areas. I think he will easily be an NHL-er, probably as a strong 3rd liner who can move up to the 2nd line if necessary. I think his game is more suited to a cycling NHL type game, and I think he will surprise some people when he makes the NHL.

 

[Cap'n Flavour]

I think these rankings are underrating Percy/Finn (or overrating other guys).

Well Gauthier, Leivo, and Holland all being 7.5 C suggests the latter. A 7 rating implies second-line forward potential, what in Gauthier's stats suggests that he's capable of that, let alone a 7.5?

 

[headwire]

I remember Burke being all gung ho on Biggs and trading up to get him. What a waste. Anaheim walked away with two good players.

Hindsight is obviously 20/20, but if we'd kept the picks we could have Boone Jenner and Brandon Saad.