The Journey

There is something especially appealing about drafting a blue chip prospect in the mid or late rounds. The notion that you have stolen something makes the player's success all the more satisfying. The three players discussed below were all drafted by organizations that consistently steal late round talent. These three prospects aren't ready now, but they should be watched very closely next season.

When writing about hockey prospects in Toronto, it's tough to avoid the inevitable questions about how the young Leafs stack up against other organizations. Generally, there is a pretty decent group of prospects in Toronto but to avoid further questions, here are a half dozen of Toronto's top prospects, their vital statistics, and their ultimate fantasy potential.  

The absolute pinnacle of "drafting against the grain" is General Manager Doug Wilson of the San Jose Sharks. San Jose's strategy since the 2000 draft has been abundantly clear and abundantly strange. In the nine years between 2000 and 2008, San Jose drafted 12 goalies exclusively in the middle rounds or later. The earliest pick was Tyler Sexsmith in 2007 who was drafted early in the fourth round. To make matters even more strange, four of the 12 goalies were Germans playing in the Bundesliga. Thomas Greiss, a German, taken early in the fourth round in 2004, is the only goalie yet to pan out and it appears the Sharks have abandoned the practise and haven't taken a goaltender since 2008. Patterns like this are interesting and fun to follow, but other teams have patterns that have worked out better than San Jose's and it's worth examining what they were up to in the most recent drafts.

Tyler Toffoli not only led the OHL in scoring this season with 108 points in 68 games but he also scored more goals than any other player in the CHL with 57. Five of those came in the final week of the season (four in the season finale against the Sudbury Wolves), earning the Ottawa 67’s right winger CHL Player of the Week honours.

In this special edition of PROSPECT PRESCRIPTION, DobberHockey spoke with the coaches of two players who made big news this week, namely 15-year old phenom Aaron Ekblad and free agent French national and Merrimack College standout Stephane Da Costa.

You’ve all read or heard the quote about Washington Capitals’ top prospect defenceman Dmitry Orlov: “I think as far as a 19 or 20-year-old, after just a few games, it’s the best 19 or 20-year-old that I’ve seen in Hershey at this level.”

The man behind the quote is Doug Yingst and after watching the 19-year old native of Novokuznetsk, Russia now for a dozen games in his recently launched professional career, the president and general manager of the AHL’s Hershey Bears isn’t about to change his tune.

In three successive seasons, future #1 NHL draft picks John Tavares, Patrick Kane and Taylor Hall were named CHL rookie of the year. The following season, the winner was Brett Connolly. So the Tampa Lightning product certainly has the pedigree to become a major stud in the NHL.

Shaquille O’Neal. Alfredo Pacino. Esperanza Spalding. Some names are destined for greatness. And Nino Niederreiter is proving that he’s got the game to match the name.

Brian Burke has his detractors, no doubt. But when you consider Tomáš Kaberle had the Toronto Maple Leafs’ over the proverbial barrel, a hotshot prospect like Joe Colborne and a first round draft pick is a pretty decent return. Especially, if Colborne, and his six-foot-five frame, dominates at the NHL level in a few seasons, the way many believe he can.