Maple Leafs appear to have hit a homerun with 5th round pick Miroslav Holinka
The Toronto Maple Leafs may have landed a diamond in the rough in the 5th round of the NHL Entry Draft in 18-year-old center Miroslav Holinka.
The Maple Leafs did not have a wealth of draft capital in the first 4 rounds of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, having no 2nd or 3rd round picks this year. With this in mind, it was important for the Leafs' scouting staff to bet smart on prospects in the later rounds. They did exactly that when they selected Holinka with the 151st pick.
A 6-foot-1, 187-pound center from Czechia, Holinka was an afterthought for most teams, but the Maple Leafs saw something in him that other teams didn't. Their faith in Holinka seems to have been rewarded early on, as he has really impressed The Score's Kyle Cushman during Maple Leafs Development Camp.
While it may have been tough for Leafs fans to watch Holinka this coming season had he remained overseas, the good news is that he has been selected by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the WHL Import Draft and will play in North America in 2024-25, making it much easier to keep an eye on him.
Holinka posted 1 goal and 2 assists in 16 games against men in Czechia's top men's league with HC Oceláři Třinec last season. He was simply too good to continue on with HC Oceláři Třinec U20, having produced 20 goals and 41 points in 29 games against players in his own age group.
During the writing of this piece, Holinka scored yet another goal in the Maple Leafs Development Camp Sunday scrimmage game.
Source for stats: Elite Prospects
Miroslav Holinka's player profile
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 7 | 689 ANSWERS Maple Leafs appear to have hit a homerun with 5th round pick Miroslav Holinka Will Miroslav Holinka be a future star for the Maple Leafs? | ||
| Yes, it certainly seems that way | 220 | 31.9 % |
| No, he won't amount to much at the NHL level | 89 | 12.9 % |
| Maybe not a star, but he'll be a useful player | 380 | 55.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
