There’s not much drama in the teams first round selection as nearly every hockey experts predicts Austin Matthews will get the nod. The youngster is rated as the top prospect in the latest player rankings and hopefully the guy that can lead this squad for the next decade.
With a pick at the end of round one and the first selection in round two, look for more young play makers. Draft site has center Pascal Laberge and winger Boris Katchouk as the top options. Both of these young men are good puck handlers with above average speed, but more importantly, players that put the puck in the net.
Late in the second round and the two picks in round three should see the front office look for players with a physical presence on the ice. With a change in philosophy now in place, Toronto will look to become a more physical team on the rink and it will start with the young men they pickup this summer.
Jacob Moverare is a good-sized defender with plenty of upside. At 6’1″ and nearly 200 pounds, he has a good solid frame and has displayed good work ethic in his past two seasons in Sweden. Connor Bunnaman is a big winger that likes to bang bodies and his ability to use that to his teams advantage makes him a solid choice early in the third round.
Both of these players will need more seasoning before making their NHL debuts, but they are the style of players the Toronto Maple Leafs are rebuilding around and with some luck and hard work, the future generation that will help lead this team into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.