The eight prospects selected by the Leafs all have one thing in common
Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving quickly put his stamp on the Leafs prospect pool with his selections in the draft this weekend.
Former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas often went for small and skillful players during his tenure in Toronto, and while some have worked out, the majority still have question marks surrounding their ability to play in the NHL, given their size.
Well, things have changed in a big way in Toronto when Treliving took over and it was very noticeable at this year's draft where every pick made by the Leafs was 6'1 or taller. The combined average height of the Leafs' eight picks from this year is 6'2 and 3/4, which adds some much-needed size to the Leafs' prospect pool as you can see below.
Ben Danford: 6'2
Victor Johansson: 6'2
Miroslav Holinka: 6'1
Alexander Pleskovskikh: 6'2
Timofei Obvintsev: 6'4
Matthew Lahey: 6'5
Sam McCue: 6'2
Nathan Mayes: 6'4
While some of these players are 'projects', like Johansson, the Leafs were able to begin replenishing their prospect pool after Dubas traded away a ton of draft capital his final two seasons as GM in an attempt to make a deep playoff run and save his job. It hasn't been easy on Treliving, but he has made the most out of what he had to work with so far.
It will be interesting to see the returns on these picks in a few years, but at the very least, the Leafs have added some real size and length to their organization at all positions in this year's draft.
Source: Elite Prospects
Ben Danford's draft profile
| POLL | ||
JUIN 30 | 519 ANSWERS The eight prospects selected by the Leafs all have one thing in common Which Maple Leafs pick surprised you the most? | ||
| Danford | 213 | 41 % |
| Johansson | 114 | 22 % |
| Lahey | 78 | 15 % |
| Other | 114 | 22 % |
| List of polls | ||
