Most of the prospects that the Leafs have in their system were acquired through the NHL Draft. However, they have a couple that were drafted by other teams and acquired via trade. One of these trades took place in February 2015, when the Leafs began to clean house by trading Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Olli Jokinen, Brendan Leipsic, and a 2015 1st round pick. Jokinen was traded to the St Louis Blues a couple of weeks later, and the 1st round pick was traded in a series of deals that resulted in the Leafs acquiring more picks for the draft, but the key name in that deal was the prospect they recieved in return in Brendan Leipsic. Lets take a closer look at this young forward and see what he could bring to the Leafs in the future.
The Leafs haven't had a true fan favourite since the early 2000's with Tie Domi and Darcy Tucker. However, they may have just found their next. Leipsic earned the reputation of a pest while playing for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. He plays much bigger than his size, which is a small 5'10 and 176lbs. He was drafted by the Predators in the 2012 NHL Draft in the third round, and since then has continued his game of a pest with an offensive kick. If you want a player to compare him to, think Brendan Gallagher. Someone who's small, but plays with lots of heart and gets under his opponent's skin. He finished his first AHL campaign this year, recording a total of 54 points in 74 games split between the Toronto Marlies and the Milwaukee Admirals, the Predators affiliate. He's also known by hockey fans for this infamous stunt against the Vancouver Giants, shown below.
PROBABLE NHL ROLE: MIDDLE SIX FORWARD
Leipsic doesn't have enough of an offensive kick to be a first liner, but there's no reason he shouldn't develop into a handy second or third liner. He's a player you want on a contending team to get on the nerves of opposing players when it matters, and can still provide some scoring ability.
PROSPECT GRADE: B
We have all seen what Leipsic is all about, and given his production in the WHL and the AHL, a grade like this seems reasonable for a player of Leipsic's calibre. He can score goals and play a gritty game that involves hitting and annoying the other team, so he should be able to solidify himself a spot on the Leafs in the near future.
What do you think of Leipsic, Leafs fans? Should he have been ranked lower or higher, or is 9 reasonable? Weigh in below.
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