Leafs Top Ten Prospects: #7 - Jeremy Bracco

By Alex Hobson

On Draft day in 2015, the biggest day so far for the Leafs heading into their rebuild, they owned two first round picks. They used the first to select Mitch Marner of the London Knights, but when they reached the 24th overall pick, something odd happened. The Leafs traded their 24th overall pick to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for picks #29 and #61. Either way, when the time came for the Leafs to pick at #61, they selected forward Jeremy Bracco from the USNTDP. This was a great pickup for the Leafs, as many scouts had him going early second round. But why was this a good selection? Let's take a look.

The first thing you'll notice about Bracco is his size. He's small, standing at 5'10 and 160lbs, he's not physically intimidating. But that doesn't matter when you look at the rest of his game. He is third all time in USNTDP scoring, sitting only behind Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel, and carries a strong playmaking game. He plays a style game very similar to Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames. He had an impressive development camp with the Leafs and will play for Boston College this coming season.


 
PROBABLE NHL ROLE: 2ND LINE SCORER

If Bracco's development goes the way Leafs management wants it to, then there's no reason he shouldn't turn out to be a solid second liner in the future. He possesses all the offensive tools to get the job done, so time will tell whether Bracco can bring those tools to the NHL.

PROSPECT GRADE: B+

Given the fact that we haven't seen too much of Bracco in a Leafs uniform besides development camp, it's hard to give him a higher grade right now. But if we see a strong season from him at Boston College, his grade will shoot up.

What do you think of Bracco, Leafs fans? Weigh in below.

Montreal Canadiens 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson


2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

LW Max Pacioretty (37 G, 30 A, 67 P)
C Tomas Plekanec (26 G, 34 A, 60 P)
D P.K Subban (15 G, 45 A, 60 P)

LAST SEASON

The 2014-15 Montreal Canadiens season was the same old song and dance as the previous year. They finished first in the Atlantic Division with a record of 50-22-10, and made it to the second round of the NHL Playoffs. Notable free agent signings the year before included defenseman Tom Gilbert, forward Manny Malhotra, and prospect out of the KHL in Jiri Sekac. During the 2014 playoffs, backup goaltender Dustin Tokarski had a solid outing over a few games, so the Habs traded Peter Budaj along with Patrick Holland to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for Eric Tangradi.

Heading into the 2014-15 season, a few early trades included sending Travis Moen to the Dallas Stars in exchange for Sergei Gonchar, and trading Rene Bourque to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Bryan Allen. Nearing up to the trade deadling, the Habs went on to improve their roster in preparation for the 2015 NHL playoffs by trading Jiri Sekac to the Ducks in exchange for Devante Smith-Pelley, bringing in defenseman Jeff Petry from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a 2nd and a 5th, and aquiring depth forwards Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn in seperate deals for a pick and prospect Jack Nevins respectively.

Heading into the playoffs, they defeated the Ottawa Senators in round one, but fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in round two. Goaltender Carey Price took home four awards including the Vezina Trophy and the Ted Lindsay award, so in the end the Habs didn't have too much to be upset about.

OFFSEASON

IN

Joel Hanley
Mark Barberio
Bud Holloway
Zack Kassian
Ryan Johnston
Daniel Audette
Alexander Semin

OUT

Brandon Prust
Joey MacDonald
P.A Parenteau
Sergei Gonchar
Andreas Engqvist
Davis Drewiske
Bryan Allen
Manny Malhotra
Mike Weaver
Brian Willsie
Drayson Bowman

The Habs didn't do too much to their team in the offseason. They didn't neccesarily downgrade, but they didn't upgrade either. They went into the offseason and used their first round pick to draft defenseman Noah Juulsen from the Everett Silvertips of the QMJHL. They entered free agency, where their only real notable transactions were trading Brandon Prust to the Vancouver Canucks for Zack Kassian, and inking Alexander Semin to a one year contract. They said goodbye to veterans Manny Malhotra and Sergei Gonchar, along with younger players such as Drayson Bowman.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE

The Habs' offense will be lead by the services of their 2014-15 point leader Max Pacioretty, along with secondary help from Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher. Look for newly-signed Alexander Semin to have a rebound season, along with Alex Galchenyuk to step into a bigger role for the Habs. Expect rookies Christian Thomas, Sven Andrighetto, and Michael Bournival to push for roster spots.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

The Habs' defense will without question be quarterbacked by 2013 Norris Trophy winner P.K Subban, with help coming in from Andrei Markov and Jeff Petry. Expect Nathan Beaulieu to challenge for a full time roster spot on the back end.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

There is no debate whatsoever on who the Habs will start next year. Carey Price will without a doubt get most of the starts, while Dustin Tokarski will back him up. Nothing else to be said on the topic.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Brendan Gallagher
Alex Galchenyuk - Tomas Plekanec - Alexander Semin
Jacob de la Rose - Lars Eller - Devante Smith-Pelley
Dale Weise - Torrey Mitchell - Zack Kassian

Andrei Markov - P.K Subban
Jeff Petry - Alexei Emelin
Tom Gilbert - Nathan Beaulieu

Carey Price
Dustin Tokarski

Follow Alex on twitter for Leafs updates! @PHUHobson

Top Ten Leafs Prospects: #8 - Frederik Gauthier

By Alex Hobson

When you think of the 2013 shortened NHL season for the Leafs, the first thing that will come to almost everyone's head is the fact that it was their first playoff appearence since 2004. What everyone seems to overlook, however, is the draft following that season. The Leafs held the 21st overall pick, and with that pick they selected Frederik Gauthier from the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL. Many people were surprised about this pick, considering there was still top end skill such as Hunter Shinkaruk, Marko Dano, and Andre Burakovsky availible, but there had to be a reason why the Leafs snagged up the big centre instead of any of these players, so let's take a look and see the reasoning by this pick.

The minute Leafs management announced this pick, the first thing that came to Leafs fans' minds was that he was a bust. He didn't post amazing numbers with Rimouski and he wasn't really known for his offensive side. That being said, Leafs fans should not give up on this guy. He's a big body on the ice, standing at 6'4 and 216lbs, and he's great defensively. He is great at faceoffs and can be relied on in pressure situations. At the World Juniors in 2015, he was used as a defensive forward with penalty kill time, and even though his game reflects on his defensive side, he has the ability to chip in offensively too. All in all, when the time comes that the Leafs could be a contending team and ready to go into the playoffs, they would love a player like Gauthier to use during pressure situations. Goal scoring plays a huge factor in the game, but defensively you need players like Gauthier to do well.

 

PROBABLE NHL ROLE: MIDDLE SIX FORWARD

If you want to look at it realistically, the most likely role for Gauthier in the future is a #3 centre. He posseses just enough offensive ability to be able to score some, but not too many goals, and he has a great defensive side. That being said, Gauthier was almost a point per game player in junior, so if he can pick up his offensive game a little bit, then it wouldn't be surprising to see him as a second line centre.

PROSPECT GRADE: B-

Gauthier is not really considered one of the Leafs top prospects, but he's still up there in the A to C range, and given his ability offensively and defensively, this grade seems reasonable for him.

What do you think of Gauthier, Leafs fans? Is #8 a good ranking for him or should he be lower, or higher? Leave your opinion below.

Minnesota Wild 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

LW Zach Parise (33 G, 29 A, 62 P)
RW Jason Pominville (18 G, 36 A, 54 P)
LW Thomas Vanek (21 G, 31 A, 52 P)

LAST SEASON

The 2014-15 Minnesota Wild season was not one worth complaining about. After finishing 4th in the Central Division with a record of 46-28-8, they certainly didn't have much wrong going for them. This past season, however, was called the year of the goalie for a reason. The Wild were one of many teams that had a goaltender break out and earn a better reputation than they were used to. The Wild had this happen with Devan Dubnyk. Since the start of his career with the Edmonton Oilers, the Regina, SK native was deemed a bust, and after being passed around between the Nashville Predators, Montreal Canadiens, and Arizona Coyotes, Dubnyk found his way to the Wild, and did not look back.

Since being acquired by the Wild on January 14th, Dubnyk absolutely broke out of his handcuffs and posted a 27-9-2 record with a 1.88 GAA and a .936 save percentage. Following the additions of other players such as Chris Stewart and Sean Bergenheim, this chain of moves was good enough to carry the Wild into the playoffs. They would defeat the St Louis Blues in round one, but then go on to be swept by the eventual Stanley Cup winners, the Chicago Blackhawks. Shortly after the playoffs, GM Chuck Fletcher signed Dubnyk to a six year contract, ultimately ending Dubnyk's problems around the league.

OFFSEASON

IN

Stephen Michalek
Zac Dalpe
Ruslan Fedotenko
Mike Rielly
Marc Hagel
Tyson Strachan

OUT

Johan Gustafsson
Stephane Veilleux
Chris Stewart
Joel Rechlicz
Jordan Leopold
Josh Harding
John Curry
Colton Jobke
Keith Ballard
Sean Bergenheim
Keith Ballard
Stu Bickel
Kyle Brodziak
Curt Gogol
Cody Almond

As far as transactions for the Wild, they didn't do anything too significant. They began their offseason at the 2015 NHL Draft where they used their 20th overall pick to select forward Joel Eriksson-Ek out of the Swedish Elite League. Heading into free agency, they lost their rental players in Jordan Leopold, Sean Bergenheim, and Chris Stewart, but then brought in an old veteran name in Ruslan Fedotenko and a youngster in Zac Dalpe. In general, the Wild didn't really downgrade, nor upgrade. Their roster remained nevertheless the same.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE

As for offense, the Wild will be lead by Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, and Jason Pominville as their main sources for goals, with youngsters Nino Neiderreiter, Charlie Coyle, and Mikael Granlund stepping in for secondary support. Look for Jason Zucker to have a breakout season after being previously slowed down by injuries.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

The Wild's defense will be quarterbacked by Ryan Suter with help coming in from Jared Spurgeon and Marco Scandella. Also expect Matt Dumba to step into a bigger role in the coming season. Watch for prospects Mike Rielly and Christian Folin to try to secure roster spots.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

After an unbelievable 2014-15 season, Devan Dubnyk is the most deserving of the starting job, with Darcy Kuemper being the most likely canidate to back him up. Niklas Backstrom is a third goaltender option if one of the two were to be unavailible.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Jason Pominville
Jason Zucker - Mikael Granlund - Thomas Vanek
Erik Haula - Charlie Coyle - Nino Neiderreiter
Justin Fontaine - Ryan Carter - Ruslan Fedotenko

Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon
Marco Scandella - Jonas Brodin
Matt Dumba - Christian Folin

Devan Dubnyk
Darcy Kuemper

Leafs Top Ten Prospects: #9 - Brendan Leipsic

By Alex Hobson

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.

Los Angeles Kings 2015-16 Season Preview

By Alex Hobson

2014-15 LEADING SCORERS

C Anze Kopitar (16 G, 48 A, 64 P)
C Jeff Carter (28 G, 34 A, 62 P)
RW Tyler Toffoli (23 G, 26 A, 49 P)

LAST SEASON

If you were to find a word to describe the 2014-15 Los Angeles Kings season, the most appropriate would be disappointing. When I say this, I don't mean it was a bad season, because it really wasn't. The Kings finished 4th in the Pacific Division with a record of 40-27-15, and just barely missed the playoffs. The reason we may call this season disappointing is because just the previous year, the Kings won the Stanley Cup. This could very well be a case of the post-cup exhaustion that some teams experience, but it was still disappointing for Kings fans nonetheless.

The Kings made one major move at the trade deadline in 2015 to hopefully carry them to the playoffs, sending a conditional 1st round pick along with prospect Roland McKeown to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for defenseman Andrej Sekera. Unfortunately, this move would not be enough to clinch a playoff spot, and they ended up with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. However, nobody panicked and the Kings moved forward knowing they still had the pieces to be a contender.

OFFSEASON

IN

Milan Lucic
Jhonas Enroth
Joel Lowry

OUT

Martin Jones
Colin Miller
Mike Richards
Robyn Regehr
Justin Williams
Bud Holloway
David van der Gulik
Jarret Stoll
Andrej Sekera
Andrew Bodnarchuk

Heading into the draft, the Kings made a major deal. After realizing that clutch performer Justin Williams would not return to the team, the Kings swung a deal with the Los Angeles Kings, sending goaltender Martin Jones, prospect Colin Miller, and their 13th overall pick to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Milan Lucic. Heading into free agency, the Kings lost many longtime pieces, including Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll, and Robyn Regehr, as well as recently acquired Andrej Sekera. One could argue that the Kings downgraded from last year, but they made room for their rookies to push for a spot in the lineup. They signed goaltender Jhonas Enroth as a backup goalie to replace Martin Jones, and didn't do too much after that, besides a depth signing in Joel Lowry.

NEXT SEASON PT 1. OFFENSE
The Kings offense next season will be led by Anze Kopitar, Marian Gaborik, and Jeff Carter, with newly acquired Milan Lucic to provide a physical, goal scoring presence that can be useful in the regular season and the playoffs. Youngsters Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson will provide the secondary scoring options for the Kings. Look for Andy Andreoff and Nick Shore to push for regular roster spots as well.

NEXT SEASON PT 2. DEFENSE

The Kings lost two big parts to their defensive core in Andrej Sekera and Robyn Regehr, but luckily for them, they have two young defensemen who appear to be ready to make the NHL jump and replace the two veterans in Brayden McNabb and Derek Forbort. Aside from that, Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin will lead the Kings defensively.

NEXT SEASON PT 3. GOALTENDING

The Kings goaltending will be led by Jonathan Quick as the starter, and Jhonas Enroth as the backup. Look for young Jean-Francois Berube to compete with Enroth for the Kings' backup job.

POSSIBLE 2015-16 OPENING NIGHT LINEUP

Milan Lucic - Anze Kopitar - Marian Gaborik
Tanner Pearson - Jeff Carter - Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King - Nick Shore - Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford - Andy Andreoff - Trevor Lewis

Drew Doughty - Jake Muzzin
Alec Martinez - Jamie McBain
Brayden McNabb - Matt Greene

Jonathan Quick
Jhonas Enroth

Leafs Top Ten Prospects: #10 - Travis Dermott

By Alex Hobson

Last season, the Leafs had a very average prospect pool. They had a couple of big name prospects such as William Nylander and Connor Brown, but there didn't seem to be many names to get excited about. After this offseason, the Leafs currently have one of the best prospect pools in the draft.

That being said, many people seem to forget the definition of a prospect. A prospect is somebody who has been watched in the system and in juniors, but has appeared in little to no NHL games. So while prospects such as Nikita Korostelev and Dmytro Timashov who had outstanding junior seasons may not make this list, that's only because they have not been watched enough to determine whether they will carry their production to the AHL and NHL, or simply be a bust. So to kick off this series, I take a look at who I believe are the Leafs top 10 prospects in the system. Keep in mind that heading into this season, this could very well change. To begin the list, we look at #10, a defenseman on the Erie Otters by the name of Travis Dermott.

The reason Dermott cracks this list is because he's a very well rounded player and even if his skills were to drop once he reaches the AHL/NHL, he still has a lot going for him. A 2nd round pick by the Leafs in the 2015 NHL Draft, he's a solid two way defenseman who can quarterback a powerplay, but he can also be relied on in the defensive zone and can throw the body. He's not the biggest of defensemen, standing at 5'11 and 196lb, but he has enough weight on him that he can make big hits and be tough to push off the puck. A solid playoff run with the Erie Otters saw him put up a memorable 15 points in 17 games, and when the time comes for Dermott to appear in the NHL, he should be a solid top four d-man.



PROBABLE NHL ROLE: TOP FOUR DEFENSEMAN

Like many other defensemen, Dermott plays a game that uses all the tools needed to be a serviceable top four defenseman. He can put up points from the blue line and can be trusted in pressure situations such as the penalty kill.

PROSPECT GRADE: B+

Dermott is not an amazing prospect, but he's far from a bad one. A B+ seems reasonable for him considering he has a good chance at making the NHL, but might not blossom into a top tier defenseman.

What do you think of Dermott, Leafs fans? Should he be at #10, or should he be lower or higher? Weigh in below.