*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.
*******
The Toronto Maple Leafs followed a similar script at the 2024 NHL Draft in Las Vegas on Friday that they did in Nashville, selecting a late-rising OHL product at the bottom of the first round in Oshawa Generals defenseman Ben Danford.
As with 2023 first-rounder Easton Cowan, the 18-year-old Madoc, ON is a lifelong Leaf fan who improved his stock in the second half and during a deep OHL playoff run (losing to Cowan’s London Knights in the OHL Championships), where he scored 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) after netting just one goal in 64 regular season games.
According to the Hockey Prospect Black Book, Danford (who they projected as a late second/early third-round pick) is a “smooth-skating, right-shot presence…who provides high-level leadership and competes and was relied upon for his defensive game and excellence on the penalty kill while being a sturdy second-year leader on a young Generals team. His awareness, ability to get the puck out of the zone, and consistent shot-blocking make him a must-have on the ice when a man down.”
The Leafs wisely added some lacking draft capital by moving down from #23 to #31 with Anaheim and gaining a second-round pick at #58, but that may have come at a cost, as blueliner EJ Emery, who Toronto may have been interested in, went one pick before them at #30 to the New York Rangers.
Keep checking back throughout the day, as we will provide a pick-by-pick analysis throughout the second day of the draft.
Toronto swaps #58 to Florida for the Panthers 2025 second-round pick and a 2024 seventh-rounder.
Victor Johansson - Defense - Leksands(Swedish Jr) 120th overall
One of those head-scratching picks that you can't criticize because no one has anything on him. The 6'1", 143 lb. blueliner is described as a mobile, two-way defenseman, and he is the younger brother of a Detroit Red Wings 2022 draft pick and cousin of Rangers forward Alexander Wennberg, but little else is known about a player taken 120th overall.
Miroslav Holinka - Forward - HC Prerov (Czech Juniors) 151st overall
Per the Hockey Prospect Black Book, Holinka split time this season between HC Ocelari Trinec’s U20 and top Czech league team. He provides his team on the ice in the form of his craft two-way game shows up often in his defensive game with strong positioning and constant shoulder checks to know where his man is and being very active in coverage. Offensively, his intelligence shows best down low where he can see the play and make passes with great vision to set his teammates up for good opportunities.
Alexander Plesovskikh -Left Wing (Mamonty Yugry - MHL) 152nd overall
EP - Plesovskikh utilizes his size and range to his advantage, dominating battles, suffocating breakouts, and quickly shifting from getting the puck to distributing it. Scored 8 goals in 33 games in the Russian Juniors.
Another Russian goalie in the Leafs system, Obvistsev has the typical physical makeup that teams are looking for (6'4". 197 lb.) who played 16 games in the MHL in the Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg system.
Matt Lahey - Defense (Nanaimo - BCHL) 200th overall
Described as an excellent defensive defenseman with high hockey IQ, the 17-year-old played in the BCHL last season and will head for a year of prep in the USHL before heading to North Dakota. The 6'5", 201 lb. blueliner will need to work on getting stronger and more physical, but he will have at least four years in the NCAA to work on both.
Sam McCue - Left Wing (Owen Sound - OHL) 216th overall
Scored 21 goals for the Attack last season and was described by Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting Wes Clark as a fearless and energetic forward. The odds of any seventh-round pick making the NHL are long, but this type of player could have a role in a few years with a team that has limited cap space.
Mr. Irrelevant, the 6'4", 194 lb. blueliner is described as a punishing, physical match-up defenseman which is a fit to the tendencies of GM Brad Treliving. He is only 17 and could play another two or three seasons in the WHL.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»