Fraser Minten's NHL debut flew under the radar for many, but not for Sheldon Keefe
It might not have been the prettiest game but a win is a win and the Toronto Maple Leafs found a way to get it done last night in the shootout against the Montreal Canadiens. The Leafs powered through on the heels of an Auston Matthews hat-trick, including two goals in the dying minutes of the third period with the goaltender pulled. What might have been lost in all the hullabaloo was rookie center Fraser Minten's NHL debut.
The former 2nd round pick from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft was a surprise addition to the opening night roster, but had shown that he deserved the opportunity after a very impressive training camp. In his debut, Minten racked up 11:32 TOI, fired a shot on goal, delivered a hit, won 60% of his draws, and finished the game as a minus-1.
Sheldon Keefe was rather impressed with how composed he was and how well he adjusted to the NHL landscape during the game:
"I thought it was good... first of all, the game - that's not a pre-season game. It's played a lot faster, a lot more intense, there's no shifts off, so I thought, you could tell he was adjusting to that. It was his first exposure to that, but I thought he was better as the game went on, which was really good to see." - Keefe on Minten's first career NHL game
It will take time for the 19-year-old to get comfortable at the NHL-level but he performed as expected in his first game and will look to get on the board for the first time in his career on Saturday when the Maple Leafs host the Minnesota Wild - though, if he doesn't, I'm sure Keefe and company will be pleased with another night of Minten going 60% in the faceoff dot and remaining engaged in all 3 zones, just as he was last night.
Click here to see Keefe's full post-game interview.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 12 | 106 ANSWERS Fraser Minten's NHL debut flew under the radar for many, but not for Sheldon Keefe Do you think Fraser Minten will stick around beyond his 9-game trial run? | ||
| Yes | 41 | 38.7 % |
| No | 47 | 44.3 % |
| Only if he produces points | 18 | 17 % |
| List of polls | ||
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