Leafs' assistant GM encouraged by the progression of two top prospects
This past week, a number of Leaf prospects and invitees attended the Leafs' summer development camp in Toronto. After 5 days of drills and mini scrimmages, the camp ended with a full, 5-on-5 scrimmage. While the Leafs do have some talented prospects in their system, no one separated themselves from the rest of the pack the way Matthew Knies and Nicholas Robertson did in years past. That was something that Assistant General Manager Hayley Wickenheiser touched on as camp came to a close.
Wickenheiser noted that because the Leafs are attempting to win a Stanley Cup and are a contender, their prospect pool isn't very deep at the moment, but stated that they are starting to replenish their prospect and do still have some very good players in the pipeline. She also touched on how well Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson have been coming along with the organization.
"For Matthew (Knies) to come in and step into the Stanley Cup playoffs, it's not an easy thing to do. He did a very good job of that last year. He came to development camp the year before and it was really eyes wide open for him with what it was going to take," said praised Wickenheiser.
Wickenheiser continued, "These are really important times and moments for these guys to see, 'Okay, this is what I need to do to get to the next level. It's the same thing for Nick Robertson, it's just unfortunate with the injuries he's had. He's so driven to want to come in and impress that it's almost like holding him back a little bit."
There will be lots of eyes on Robertson and Knies this upcoming season as Knies will look to build on the experience of playing in the playoffs, while Robertson will be looking to earn a full-time spot with the Leafs and avoid having another season ended by an injury. If both can elevate their game to another level, and with the additions of Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi, the Leafs all of a sudden have a very deep left wing position.
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