The Maple Leafs will have a slightly smaller group of prospects playing in the CHL this year, although that could potentially change if some are sent back for their overage year. McKegg, Ross, Carrick, and Crescenzi will all be eligible to play in the AHL this season, and the Leafs no longer hold the rights to Nichols and Olden. Joining the returning CHL prospects are the Leafs top two picks from their most recent draft, Morgan Rielly and Matt Finn, and their first selection from the 2011 draft Tyler Biggs. It was assumed that both Rielly and Biggs would be given an opportunity to play professional hockey this season, but with the potential lockout it appears as though the CHL is a safe bet.
This would be the first time the Leafs have had 3 first round draft picks playing in the CHL at the same time since 1989-90 when they used all 3 of their first round draft picks on players from the Belleville Bulls. Hopefully this trio turns out a little better than that.
Western Hockey League
An injury riddled WHL season that limited Rielly to only 18 regular season games, did not sour scouts opinions of the young defensive talent. Rielly is the highest selection the Maple Leafs have made in the draft since selecting Luke Schenn fifth overall in 2008. Unlike Schenn, Rielly's game is based around his ability to move the puck at both ends of the ice. He possesses elite offensive ability and top-end skating ability even after recovering from a torn ACL.
Maple Leaf fans had a taste of what Rielly offers in early August when he suited up for Canada in the Canada/Russia Challenge. The 18-year-old defenseman was one of the clubs stronger defensemen in the tournament. He recorded one goal and three assists in four games. With a shortened 2011-12 WHL season, it's a strong bet that Rielly returns to the WHL. He projects as a top-pairing defenseman who excels in transition and has elite offensive ability from the blue line.
Ontario Hockey League
Matt Finn joins a growing group of Marlies defensive prospects that is starting to give the system a solid jolt of skill in the back-end. Finn was the Guelph Storm's go-to defenseman last season playing tough minutes in all situations. Much like Blacker, Finn possesses a solid all-round game and already has a thick build at roughly 6'0, 200lbs. It's hard for Finn to do much more than he did last year for Guelph, but he should have a deeper supporting cast this season.
Over time, Finn could prove to be an astute pick for the Maple Leafs in the second-round. For now, he projects to be a top-four defenseman with all-round ability.
Few players have had to deal with the severity of injuries that Stuart Percy went through this season in the OHL. The 19-year-old had suffered two concussions at various points in the season, and also dealt with an early season knee injury in October. When he did play, Percy did well scoring five goals and 20 assists in 34 games. He also performed very well in a late-season stint with the Marlies for a player who missed the majority of his season with serious injuries.
For Percy, the focus will be on getting a full-season under his belt. He missed a bit of development time due to his injuries, but also had the benefit of joining and playing in the Marlies playoff run. He's still a work in progress physically, but thinks' the game at a very high level which was evident in his Marlies stint.
Similar to Ashton, Tyler Biggs does not offer a ton of flash in his game. He is more of a meat-and-potatoes type player where you know what he's going to bring to your team every night. What he brings is a high level physical game, strong skating, and a bit of offense. Expectations should be tempered with Bigg's offensive game as he's not expected to produce at a high rate, but should hold his own if he is able to find a niche in scoring garbage goals. Possessing a man's body at 6'3, 210lbs, Biggs should develop into a very strong cycle player. He already playing in He recently signed his entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs and is eligible to play for the Marlies, but is likely headed to the OHL for one season.
A player who could see his name rocket up prospect depth chart this season is Josh Leivo. The 19-year-old is coming off a fantastic sophomore OHL season with the Sudbury Wolves where he scored 73 points in 66 games. This year he will be the Wolves go-to forward and should produce at around the same pace. Leivo is a very intriguing prospect due to his natural athletic gifts. He has great size, and is starting to find ways to utilize it to his advantage. His skating is strong, and like the rest of his game it should only improve as he matures. He has the potential to be a top-nine player with scoring and physical upside.
Broll was highly regarded coming out of midget hockey and it was anticipated that with his size and good hands he could be a big-time scoring power forward. A hard-working, two-way player, he has been a physical presence in his two years in the OHL but has not yet put up big scoring numbers and is a bit lacking mobility-wise. He uses his size to advantage and can handle the puck in small spaces but his limited skating ability and lack of consistency have limited his production to this point.
With their first of back-to-back selections, the Maple Leafs looked to their backyard when they selected Connor Brown, an opportunistic scorer from the Erie Otters. The 18-year-old, Etobicoke native led the dismal Otters in scoring with 25 goals and 53 points in 68 games this season. His minus-72 is an alarming stat even with Erie's lack of success, and will be an area that Brown should look to remedy moving forward.
The type of season that the Otters endured in 2011-12 can breed bad habits in players, which will be something Maple Leafs brass hopes Brown can avoid. Brown's greatest strength is his ability to generate offense in a variety of ways ? both from a scoring and playmaking role. He'll require work on his skating and should add more explosiveness as he matures physically. He'll return to Erie for the 2012-13 season and should have a large role on an improved Otters squad.
Those looking for Burke to draft more truculent types can look no further than the Maple Leafs second selection in the sixth round, Ryan Rupert. Along with his brother Matt, the Rupert's can prove to be quite a handful even though they stand at a generous 5'9. With the Knights, Rupert finished fifth in team scoring with 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points in 63 games. He also racked up a grand total of 120 penalty minutes. His coming out party was during the Knights Memorial Cup Run, where Rupert scored nine goals and six assists in 19 games.
Ryan is considered to be the more talented of the two brothers, and may have gone as top-sixty had he not checked in at under 5'10. He has an extremely high compete level and will do whatever it takes to win. While Rupert's style of game certainly bodes well for pro transition, his size may hinder his overall effectiveness against older competition.
Sparks has the physical size and athleticism that Toronto goalie consultant Francois Allaire likes but is raw and inexperienced in terms of development. Sparks is competitive and plays with a lot of emotion. His stamina and ability to handle a large workload have yet to be tested.
Prospect profiles courtesy of Hockeysfuture.com
This would be the first time the Leafs have had 3 first round draft picks playing in the CHL at the same time since 1989-90 when they used all 3 of their first round draft picks on players from the Belleville Bulls. Hopefully this trio turns out a little better than that.
Western Hockey League
| Morgan Rielly Team: Moose Jaw Warriors Position: Defence Shoots: Left Height: 6'1'' Weight: 200lbs Drafted: 1st round, 2012 HF Rank: 1st | 
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An injury riddled WHL season that limited Rielly to only 18 regular season games, did not sour scouts opinions of the young defensive talent. Rielly is the highest selection the Maple Leafs have made in the draft since selecting Luke Schenn fifth overall in 2008. Unlike Schenn, Rielly's game is based around his ability to move the puck at both ends of the ice. He possesses elite offensive ability and top-end skating ability even after recovering from a torn ACL.
Maple Leaf fans had a taste of what Rielly offers in early August when he suited up for Canada in the Canada/Russia Challenge. The 18-year-old defenseman was one of the clubs stronger defensemen in the tournament. He recorded one goal and three assists in four games. With a shortened 2011-12 WHL season, it's a strong bet that Rielly returns to the WHL. He projects as a top-pairing defenseman who excels in transition and has elite offensive ability from the blue line.
Ontario Hockey League
| Matt Finn Team: Guelph Storm Position: Defence Shoots: Left Height: 6'0'' Weight: 199lbs Drafted: 2nd round, 2012 HF Rank: 5th | 
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Matt Finn joins a growing group of Marlies defensive prospects that is starting to give the system a solid jolt of skill in the back-end. Finn was the Guelph Storm's go-to defenseman last season playing tough minutes in all situations. Much like Blacker, Finn possesses a solid all-round game and already has a thick build at roughly 6'0, 200lbs. It's hard for Finn to do much more than he did last year for Guelph, but he should have a deeper supporting cast this season.
Over time, Finn could prove to be an astute pick for the Maple Leafs in the second-round. For now, he projects to be a top-four defenseman with all-round ability.
| Stuart Percy Team: Mississauga Steelheads Position: Defence Shoots: Left Height: 6'1'' Weight: 187lbs Drafted: 1st round, 2011 HF Rank: 7th | 
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Few players have had to deal with the severity of injuries that Stuart Percy went through this season in the OHL. The 19-year-old had suffered two concussions at various points in the season, and also dealt with an early season knee injury in October. When he did play, Percy did well scoring five goals and 20 assists in 34 games. He also performed very well in a late-season stint with the Marlies for a player who missed the majority of his season with serious injuries.
For Percy, the focus will be on getting a full-season under his belt. He missed a bit of development time due to his injuries, but also had the benefit of joining and playing in the Marlies playoff run. He's still a work in progress physically, but thinks' the game at a very high level which was evident in his Marlies stint.
| Tyler Biggs Team: Oshawa Generals Position: Right Wing Shoots: Right Height: 6'3'' Weight: 224lbs Drafted: 1st round, 2011 HF Rank: 9th | 
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Similar to Ashton, Tyler Biggs does not offer a ton of flash in his game. He is more of a meat-and-potatoes type player where you know what he's going to bring to your team every night. What he brings is a high level physical game, strong skating, and a bit of offense. Expectations should be tempered with Bigg's offensive game as he's not expected to produce at a high rate, but should hold his own if he is able to find a niche in scoring garbage goals. Possessing a man's body at 6'3, 210lbs, Biggs should develop into a very strong cycle player. He already playing in He recently signed his entry-level deal with the Maple Leafs and is eligible to play for the Marlies, but is likely headed to the OHL for one season.
| Josh Leivo Team: Sudbury Wolves Position: Left Wing Shoots: Right Height: 6'1'' Weight: 173lbs Drafted: 3rd round, 2011 HF Rank: 19th | 
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A player who could see his name rocket up prospect depth chart this season is Josh Leivo. The 19-year-old is coming off a fantastic sophomore OHL season with the Sudbury Wolves where he scored 73 points in 66 games. This year he will be the Wolves go-to forward and should produce at around the same pace. Leivo is a very intriguing prospect due to his natural athletic gifts. He has great size, and is starting to find ways to utilize it to his advantage. His skating is strong, and like the rest of his game it should only improve as he matures. He has the potential to be a top-nine player with scoring and physical upside.
| David Broll Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Position: Left Wing Shoots: Left Height: 6'2'' Weight: 216lbs Drafted: 6th round, 2011 HF Rank: NA | 
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Broll was highly regarded coming out of midget hockey and it was anticipated that with his size and good hands he could be a big-time scoring power forward. A hard-working, two-way player, he has been a physical presence in his two years in the OHL but has not yet put up big scoring numbers and is a bit lacking mobility-wise. He uses his size to advantage and can handle the puck in small spaces but his limited skating ability and lack of consistency have limited his production to this point.
| Connor Brown Team: Erie Otters Position: Right Wing Shoots: Right Height: 5'11'' Weight: 160lbs Drafted: 6th round, 2012 HF Rank: NA | 
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With their first of back-to-back selections, the Maple Leafs looked to their backyard when they selected Connor Brown, an opportunistic scorer from the Erie Otters. The 18-year-old, Etobicoke native led the dismal Otters in scoring with 25 goals and 53 points in 68 games this season. His minus-72 is an alarming stat even with Erie's lack of success, and will be an area that Brown should look to remedy moving forward.
The type of season that the Otters endured in 2011-12 can breed bad habits in players, which will be something Maple Leafs brass hopes Brown can avoid. Brown's greatest strength is his ability to generate offense in a variety of ways ? both from a scoring and playmaking role. He'll require work on his skating and should add more explosiveness as he matures physically. He'll return to Erie for the 2012-13 season and should have a large role on an improved Otters squad.
| Ryan Rupert Team: London Knights Position: Centre Shoots: Left Height: 5'8'' Weight: 186lbs Drafted: 6th round, 2012 HF Rank: NA | 
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Those looking for Burke to draft more truculent types can look no further than the Maple Leafs second selection in the sixth round, Ryan Rupert. Along with his brother Matt, the Rupert's can prove to be quite a handful even though they stand at a generous 5'9. With the Knights, Rupert finished fifth in team scoring with 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points in 63 games. He also racked up a grand total of 120 penalty minutes. His coming out party was during the Knights Memorial Cup Run, where Rupert scored nine goals and six assists in 19 games.
Ryan is considered to be the more talented of the two brothers, and may have gone as top-sixty had he not checked in at under 5'10. He has an extremely high compete level and will do whatever it takes to win. While Rupert's style of game certainly bodes well for pro transition, his size may hinder his overall effectiveness against older competition.
| Garret Sparks Team: Guelph Storm Position: Goaltender Catches: Left Height: 6'2'' Weight: 200lbs Drafted: 7th round, 2011 HF Rank: NA | 
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Sparks has the physical size and athleticism that Toronto goalie consultant Francois Allaire likes but is raw and inexperienced in terms of development. Sparks is competitive and plays with a lot of emotion. His stamina and ability to handle a large workload have yet to be tested.
Prospect profiles courtesy of Hockeysfuture.com
