Per The Athletic, here's who the Leafs may draft at 25th overall
Just three-and-a-half weeks out from the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, there has been a lot of speculation as to whom the Leafs may be targeting at the draft. With the 25th pick, the Leafs should still have a few intriguing options available to them when they step up to the podium.
Every year, we see players slip. That said, we also see players selected ahead of where they're projected to go. This time around, assuming that the Leafs decide to hold onto their pick and not trade up or down, they could be in line to draft a forward who has a very realistic possibility to play within the team's top 6.
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler is projecting that the Leafs will draft 18-year-old Swedish center Noah Ostlund, who posted some very impressive numbers in the Swedish Junior league last season. Ostlund is listed at 5'11 and just under 165 lbs and posted 9 goals and 33 assists for 42 points in 32 games for Djurgardens Jr. He also played 11 games for Djurgardens IF in Sweden's top men's league, though he did not produce any points during that stretch of games.
Ostlund is a gifted playmaking centerman who plays a solid two-way game and displays a lot of heart and an excellent work ethic. He's an excellent skater who is good in transition and possesses a solid defensive game. Wheeler has Ostlund listed at 23rd in his draft rankings, but believes that he could drop a couple of spots to the Leafs based on other teams' organizational needs.
Wheeler also suggests that the Leafs could be very high on Isaac Howard and Jagger Firkus in this range. The only issue there is that Howard projects to go much earlier than Ostlund and Firkus is expected to go a few picks later.
Whichever way the Leafs go at #25, they're going to be getting a very good prospect. This draft is certainly much deeper and more well-known than last year's draft class. Even if the Buds decide to trade back a few spots to acquire some additional draft capital, they're still going to be drafting a pretty good player at the bottom of the 1st or top of the 2nd round.
