The Leafs rookie tournament is quickly approaching, and it is an event I get a great amount of enjoyment from. Often, the local watering holes in London will fill up with NHL personnel from all the teams involved in the weekend and this makes for some unforgettable memories and opportunities to meet players and management from the present and past. It really is a great time and I highly recommend it to everyone. For the players themselves, it is an opportunity to stand out in what is - in most cases - their first actual game against another club while wearing the blue and white. Therefore, I like to make predictions every year of the top 5 players that I think will stand out and be looking to turn heads with their respective performances. Without further adieu, here are my top 5.
5. Adam Brooks - F When the Leafs drafted Brooks this year, he was among several overage draft picks that I honestly did not have on my radar. As was the case with most 2016 draft selections, the first I had heard of Brooks was when his name was called. After I did some research, I had to hand it to Hunter. Here was a guy who put up 120 points in 72 games played for Regina in the WHL and yet somehow was passed over 91 times (not to mention two entire drafts prior) before the Leafs took him 92nd overall. At 5'10, Brooks struck me as more the kind of prospect that the Leafs would have drafted in 2015, with a clear emphasis of skill over size. That being said, struggles in his draft year and the fact that his torrid scoring pace could potentially be attributed to being an overager, one can see why other teams would have passed on him. Still, one team's loss is another team's gain and I see Brooks lighting it up at the rookie tournament. He had a good showing at prospect development camp, and I predict the same here.
4. Tobias Lindberg - F The sleeper piece of the trade that sent Phaneuf to Ottawa, Lindberg got time at both the AHL and NHL level this year. That, coupled with his size and skill level, will make him one of the guys to watch this year. Keeping in mind that most of the rookies at this tournament have no experience beyond junior, and one has to think that a player of Lindberg's ilk will be able to impose his will out there. I expect him to be one of the standouts of the tournament, though it will - as always with Lindberg - depend on his willingness to do so.
3. Andrew Neilson - D The big defenseman got 5 games in with the Marlies last season (2 assists), after putting up 70 points in 71 games for Lethbridge in the WHL. While that point production should more or less be expected from a '96er playing junior, the fact that Neilson also netted 122 PIMs in the same span is clearly indicative of his willingness to play the lunchbox style that Leafs fans seem to love. Neilson brings a physical prowess and backs it up with some chippy skills as well. I think he is going to be a force on the back end and will make life very difficult for opposing forwards throughout. I can't say whether or not we will necessarily see him on the scoresheet a whole lot, but he can stand out in other ways, specifically by laying big hits and dropping the gloves when need be.
2. Kasimir Kaskisuo - G I debated including the Finnish goaltender, acquired by the Leafs out of Minnesota-Duluth back in March, largely due to the fact that I think more emphasis will be on his counterpart between the pipes, Antoine Bibeau. That being said, there are 3 games over the course of the weekend and I have to think Kaskisuo will get the start in at least one of them. I pick him as one to watch largely because he is relatively unknown and, with the acquisitions of Frederik Andersen and Jhonas Enroth, is projected to be competing for a spot on the Marlies. While Garrett Sparks and Antoine Bibeau have the Marlies goaltending tandem seemingly locked down, I don't expect this feisty Fin to go down (to Orlando) without a fight. Therefore, I think he will be looking to steal the game he does start in and will do everything in his power to make his presence known to the powers that be. An intriguing prospect; if he works out, he is what we would call "found money" in that he cost no assets to acquire.
1. Mitch Marner - F This should come as absolutely no surprise to anyone. I feel like I can confidently state that this will be the last rookie tournament that Marner will play in. While I personally fully expect him to make the Leafs this season, I think he will be looking to use the rookie tournament as the first step in silencing those who doubt that. Not much needs to be said about Marner's incredible amount of skill and hockey IQ that we don't know already. I expect him to be a game breaker and a difference maker in every shift he plays. If there is any chance to get out to a rookie tournament game this year, make it the Saturday evening. Mitch Marner wearing blue and white playing against the Montreal Canadiens in London, ON. The roof is going to come off the place. I expect it to be by far the most exciting game of the weekend, and I have no doubt in my mind that it will be Marner who is the centerpoint of that.
The rookie tournament is September 16-18 and should be one of the best ones yet, as the prospect pool is deeper than it has ever been.
Leave some comments about who you are most excited to see, and I look forward to discussing it with you.
As always, thanks for reading!