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Maple Leafs 2016 Draft Review – Carl Grundstrom

By Torrin Batchelor

Mar 21, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (39) and defenceman Jake Gardiner (51) and defenseman Connor Carrick (8) and forward P.A. Parenteau (15) celebrate a goal by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman (not pictured) during the second period against the Calgary Flames at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander (39) and defenceman Jake Gardiner (51) and defenseman Connor Carrick (8) and forward P.A. Parenteau (15) celebrate a goal by Toronto Maple Leafs forward Zach Hyman (not pictured) during the second period against the Calgary Flames at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Get To Know: Carl Grundstrom

Continuing on with our breakdown of all the Maple Leafs 2016 Draft picks, we start right back up with the Leafs second 2nd round pick; Carl Grundstrom.

Right Wing – 6ft – 194Lbs – Age: 18 – Shoots Left – Drafted 2nd Round / 57th Overall 2016 NHL Draft

For much of the season the Swede was considered a lock as a first round pick. Many mock drafts had the Maple Leafs taking him with the Pittsburgh pick before it was traded to Anaheim in the Andersen deal. For the Maple Leafs to get him, not only in the 2nd round, but with their second 2nd round choice has to be considered somewhat of a steal right off the bat.

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Part of the reason for Grundstrom’s fall in the late season rankings was due to the fact that he played for an abysmal team in MODO of the SHL, who were relegated to a lower tier league after their terrible season. By all accounts Grundstrom, who posted 7 goals and 16 points in 49 games played – in the notoriously low scoring SHL – had a great draft eligible season and has all the markings of an NHL forward in the making for the Maple Leafs.

One of the few first time draft eligible players the Maple Leafs drafted, Grundstrom fills the role of your typical NHL power forward. He is not a speed demon by any means, but is strong on his skates and maintains good balance. The only real knock against his skating is that it can take him several strides to reach top speed, despite this, he has a great first step and can use his size to gain an edge on defenders in races for the puck.

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Carl Grundstrom likes the puck, he likes it a lot and is willing to do a lot to go and get it. One of the best fore-checkers in the draft, Grundstrom hunts down the puck in the offensive end with a passion and is not afraid to use his NHL ready size to throw defenders out of his way to get it.

He won’t wow you with any Patrick Kane style dangles, but he does posses a powerful wrist shot that he loves to shoot from anywhere, and often. To reach the next level he’ll have to work on getting that shot off more quickly as it does take some time to get off his stick. His hockey IQ is not elite by any means, but he does have excellent positioning at both ends of the ice – which helps make up for his lack of top end speed.

A very hardworking winger and great team player. Grundström plays an aggressive in-your-face type of game with plenty of intensity. Is strong on his skates, fore-checks well and is very valuable on the penalty kill. He is not the most technically skilled player, but will chip in offensively and reads the game fairly well. – EliteProspects.com

Before he makes it to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Grundstrom does have some things to work on; Quicker release on his shot, skating stride mechanics, adding a few pounds to take advantage of his frame and finally, choosing his shot selection more carefully instead of just always firing the puck at the net from anywhere.

This may seem like a long list, but Grundstrom is already a pretty polished product, who is eligible to play for the Toronto Marlies right away. He was picked up by defending SHL champions Frolunda after his MODO team was relegated to a lower tier, and will spend at least next season with Frolunda. It speaks volumes about his ability that a pretty deep team like reigning champ Frolunda would want him after MODO’s terrible season.

Expect to see Grundstrom in North America sooner than later, but by all accounts it seems the Maple Leafs nabbed a 1st round pick late in the 2nd round. Chalk another one up for Mark Hunter and company.

Related Story: Leafs 2016 Draft Review Rounds 3-7

What do you think about the Toronto Maple Leafs choice of Carl Grundstrom? Did they make a mistake? Who would you have drafted instead? Should we be upset at how the draft was handled or do we give Hunter and his team time before judging them? All of these and more are great questions, feel free to give me a shout on Twitter @TorrinBatchelor and we can carry the discussion on.

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