The news of Marlies forward Brad Ross signing with Iserlohn Roosters of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga(DEL)Friday was the post script for a high Maple Leafs draft choice that never made it.
The Calgary native was drafted 43rd overall in 2010 after scoring 27 goals for the Portland Winterhawks and had two more solid offensive seasons in the WHL prior to signing a three-year entry-level deal in 2012, but his scoring touch never translated from Junior to the pros, scoring just 18 goals in 125 AHL games.
Ross played mostly as an energy forward with the Leafs AHL affiliate, compiling 166 penalty minutes in the last two seasons, but his lack of development into a more complete player and the influx of young prospects such as Connor Brown, William Nylander, Brendan Leipsic and Ryan Rupert saw his role with the Marlies diminish and had him spend time with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears.
The 23-year-old also was suspended for 20 games last January for violation of the league’s Performance Enhancing Substance rules.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but the “what-ifs… involving Ross are just symptomatic of the Leafs not making the right decisions in the recent past and how that is connected to their current position on the precipice of a organizational teardown.
The feisty winger was selected with a pick obtained from the Chicago Blackhawks, after GM Brian Burke had moved Toronto’s first and second rounders and a 2010 first rounder for Phil Kessel. Burke swapped 2008 second rounder Jimmy Hayes to Chicago(selected by interim GM Cliff Fletcher) who had drafted younger brother Kevin with the 24th pick in the first round.
The elder Hayes was progressing in his sophomore year at Boston College, but it is likely that Burke preferred the pugnacity and testosterone of Ross(203 penalty minutes in the WHL that season) to a 6’6… scoring forward that had just 60 PIM’s in three years in the NCAA.
Four picks after the Leafs took Ross, the LA Kings selected Ottawa 67’s forward and Toronto native Tyler Toffoli.
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Toronto has endured what can only be described as a second round catastrophe over the last decade. In 2007, the Leafs second pick was included in the draft day deal by John Ferguson Jr to obtain goalie Vesa Toskala from San Jose.
The Leafs moved their 2008 pick in deal to obtain faceoff specialist Yanic Perreault from Phoenix in 2007, but selected Hayes with a pick obtained from Pittsburgh for defenseman Hal Gill. The big forward struggled to break into the deep Hawks lineup and was traded to Florida in 2013, where he has 30 goals in the past two seasons.
Fletcher moved the 2009 second pick at the 2008 Draft to move up to select Luke Schenn fifth overall. Second rounders obtained from New York for Nik Antropov and Buffalo for Dominic Moore which were converted into forward Kenny Ryan and defenseman Jesse Blacker.
Of the three second rounders in ‘08-09, the trio of Ross, Ryan and Blacker have played one NHL game.
The 2010 second rounder was part of mega-deal for Phil Kessel. The 2011 second rounder was packaged along with Boston’s first obtained in the Tomas Kaberle deal to move up eight spots to select power forward Tyler Biggs 22nd overall.
Anaheim used Toronto’s choice to select goaltender John Gibson.
Defenseman Matt Finn was selected 35th overall in 2012 and had an impressive career with the OHL’s Guelph Storm but struggled last season between Orlando and Toronto.
The 2013 pick was swapped to the Hawks for center Dave Bolland, who played 23 games in an injury shortened year and left for Florida as a free agent, the 2014 pick was moved along with Blacker to the Ducks for Peter Holland and this year’s second was included in the 2013 deal to obtain Jonathan Bernier from Los Angeles.
For the Maple Leafs organization under Team President Brendan Shanahan, Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter and the soon-to-be-named General Manager have to do a much better job of recognizing and developing their young players for this club to break this cycle of madness.
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