Looking At Some Of The Best Leafs Prospects (Part 1)
(Photo: NBC News)
Ever since Kyle Dubas took over as the Leafs GM in May of 2018, the Maple Leafs prospect pool has gotten better every year. Dubas has drafted very well in all three positions (forward, defence, goaltenders) and has shaped the Leafs future up very well. In this series, I’ll be showing you who I think are the best prospects that'll help make the Leafs future more exciting than it already is.
Timothy Liljegren (D)
(Photo: Sportsnet)
The Leafs top right shot defensive prospect has been slowly developing with the Marlies over the past few seasons. The former 17th overall pick has shown the upside to become a future top four defenceman on the right side, something that Leafs fans have been begging for. Liljegren displays a very good two-way ability in both the offensive and defensive zone. In the offensive zone, he can quarterback a power play, jump into the rush to finish scoring chances and find teammates to set up golden scoring opportunities. In his own end, Timothy shows that he uses his skating to keep up with players, cut off gaps and get pucks out of his own end. I think that 2020-21 will be the last year that Liljegren stays full time in the AHL before transitioning full time to the NHL in 2021-22.
(Photo: Sporting News)
The Leafs used their 2018 first round selection on Swedish defender Rasmus Sandin after trading down from 25 with the St. Louis Blues. Sandin spent his draft year with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) where he recorded 45 points in 51 games. Like his fellow countrymen, Sandin displays a great skating ability and puck carrying ability that the Leafs are looking for in their upcoming defensive stars. When Sandin gets the puck, he can be a magician with the puck. Due to his great skating ability and edgework on his feet, he can evade opposing players pretty easily to help get the puck up the ice to the forwards. In his own end, he can sometimes get caught around the net by not being able to cover the forward quick enough. If he can clean up some of his errors in his own end, he can become a very effective defender in a few years.
Nicholas Robertson (LW/C)
(Photo: NHL)
Nicholas Robertson was an absolute force for the Peterborough Petes (OHL) in the 2019-20 season. I actually got to see him play live at the beginning of the 2019-20 OHL year and let me tell you, he’s a force to be reckoned with. His shot is absolutely filthy. It’s very deadly and accurate too. He can also pass the puck very nicely too and isn't known to be a selfish player. He’s also a quick skater who isn’t afraid to go into the dirty areas to try and get loose pucks from the boards. I like this trait a lot from Robertson because since he’s a smaller player, it shows me that he isn’t scared of anything to help his team win. He dominated the OHL this year by scoring 55 goals in only 46 games. He would’ve been on pace to score 81 goals if he was able to play all 68 OHL regular season games. Robertson will likely be one of the favourites to make the Leafs lineup for the start of the 2020-21 NHL season whenever we get to have a season.
Joseph Woll (G)
(Photo: The Toronto Star)
Joseph Woll was one of the Leafs draft picks selected in the 2016 NHL draft. Ever since being drafted, he’s spent 3 of the last four seasons in the NCAA with Boston College. While he was with Boston College, he recorded a 47-45-8 record with a 2.51 GAA and a .916 sv%. Woll spent 2019-20 with the Toronto Marlies (AHL). I’ll admit, Woll’s season was kind of shaky. He had a 11-16-4 record with a 3.75 GAA and a .880 sv%. Although Woll’s 19-20 season was kind of shaky, he still shows a calm presence and good reflexes when he’s in net. Hopefully he’ll be able to rebound in 2020-21 with the Marlies and develop into a starter for the Leafs in the future.
I hope you'll be able to join me again in the coming days to see part 2 of this series!
By: Luka Tkalcevic (Instagram: luka_tkalcevic, thehockeymecca)
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