Maple Leafs Prospect Earns Tremendous Opportunity After Hot Start in 2024-25 Season

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Nick Matthews
December 11, 2024 (11:39)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have a number of prospects who have stood our this season, and recent draft pick Miroslav Holinka is one of them.

With the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship set to begin on December 26th in Ottawa, many young prospects will be vying to make a name for themselves in this prestigious tournament.

One of those players is Maple Leafs Miroslav Holinka, selected by Toronto in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2024 draft.

Holinka's hot start to the season has earned him quite the opportunity for the upcoming tournament, as he is slated to be Team Czechia's top-line center.

As Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff notes in his article "NHL Prospect Roundup: Ducks' Beckett Sennecke turned (temporary) World Juniors snub into OHL dominance," Holinka is Czechia's top option down the middle.

''Look for Toronto Maple Leafs product Miroslav Holinka to become Czechia's No. 1 center at the World Juniors. Holinka is having a good year in the WHL, sitting at 21 points in 23 games with the Edmonton Oil Kings.''

Ellis also compared Holinka's style to that of fellow Maple Leafs prospect Fraser Minten, who currently plays for Toronto.

''Holinka isn't going to drive play - that's simply not his game. But like Fraser Minten, Holinka is a reliable two-way threat who does a lot in his own zone. Scouts like how he supports his defenders and that he's willing to block shots and get in the way of scoring chances.''

Holinka made the jump from Czechia's professional league to the WHL this season, and the move has already proven beneficial. He currently plays a top-line role for the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Should Holinka lead Team Czechia to a medal at the World Juniors, his stock as a prospect will rise significantly. The tournament is a high-level competition featuring the world's top young talent, so succeeding among such competition would be a major statement for the Leafs prospect.

If Holinka's style mirrors that of Minten, noted by Ellis, the Leafs will have another player who is an effective, shutdown player.

The Maple Leafs bottom six could become an incredible force for years to come, with two responsible, two-way talents anchoring that part of the lineup for the foreseeable future.

POLL
DECEMBRE 11 \| 1530 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Prospect Earns Tremendous Opportunity After Hot Start in 2024-25 Season Will Miroslov Holinka make the Maple Leafs in the 2025-26 season?
Yes	617	40.3 %
No	913	59.7 %
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