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Leafs sign Development Camp standout Pospisil to AHL deal |
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have just one spot available to re-sign restricted free agent Connor Brown under the 50 professional contract limit.
That fact may have cost players that the Leafs had interest in signing (like forward Dominic Toninato or defenseman Stephen Desrocher) because they were unable to offer an entry-level deal and are trying to get some of their prospects signed to AHL contracts.
Toronto was impressed with University of Denver’s Trevor Moore at their rookie development camp in Niagara Falls last July and that led to him getting signed to a three-year NHL contract and scoring 33 points as a rookie with the Toronto Marlies.
At this summer’s camp, the eye-openers were USNTDP product Jake Tortora, and USHL forwards Austin Rueschhoff and Kristian Pospisil. Tortora (Boston College) and Rueschhoff(Western Michigan) are still draft eligible and committed to playing in the NCAA this fall, but Pospisil was able and hoping to earn an opportunity with the Leafs and did so on Friday, signing a two-way AHL contract with the club.
The 21-year-old Slovak scored 40 points (25 goals and 15 assists) in 52 games with Blainville-Boisbriand of the QMJHL in 2015-16 and registered the same amount (15 goals, 25 assists) with the Sioux City Musketeers last season.
“I honestly think if this kid can get with the right organization, you're going to have a hockey player,” Sioux City assistant GM and director of scouting Jamie Huffman said to
the Athletic earlier this month. “His skills are impressive. He was the most talented player on our team.”
The club also signed 22-year-old defenseman Alex Gudbranson to a two-way minor league deal. The brother of Canucks blueliner Erik was loaned to the Marlies by the Minnesota Wild organization and played four games with the Leafs AHL affiliate.
Other prospects, such as 2015 third-rounder Martins Dzierkals and 2016 fifth rounder Vladimir Bobylev indicated they were looking to sign pro contracts before the start of training camp and did not want to go back to Junior as overagers, but for them to do so would mean agreeing to AHL deals.
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