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Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Getting To Know Greg “Kegger” McKegg

By Torrin Batchelor

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Every Tuesday throughout the NHL season we will be updating you on the development, potential and realistic expectations for key Toronto Maple Leafs prospects with up-to-date stats, analysis and scouting reports.

Is this season over yet? Can the pain of cheering for such a terrible team subside and rampant fever for the draft start to take hold? Can we be done with all the negativity surrounding Phaneuf’s Captaincy, Kessel’s lack of media presence, Bozak’s worthiness as a Number One center and Lupul’s apparent injury curse?

Unfortunately, not quite yet as there are still 15 games to play in this miserable season. What we can start to look forward too are some of the heirs apparent to the Maple Leafs we so maddeningly love. To that end this week on the Prospect Report we are going to be looking at the Toronto Marlies number one center and fourth (tied) leading scorer: Greg McKegg.

Getting To Know: Greg McKegg

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Posting a 14G – 13A – 27Pts record in 45 games played so far (good for a .60PPG rate) which is a little off of last years pace of 19G – 28A – 47Pts in 65 games played (good for a .72PPG rate). A lot of that can be attributed to a Marlies team that has had issues scoring and are still fighting to secure one of the last spots in the AHL’s playoff race. When McKegg is on his game he is a natural goal scorer who out works his opponents in every area of the ice. He has deceptive hands that allow him to get through tight spaces along with a penchant for seeing the play develop that allows him to score or create goals for his teammates.

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He is a heady player whose unmatched work ethic and determination stand out on every single shift. He will go into the corners aggressively on the fore-check and knock bigger defenders off-balance. While not a plus skater, he does have deceptive bursts of speed that catch defenders off guard and allow him to drive wide into the offensive zone. He has a good quick wrist shot with surprisingly deadly accuracy and is able to use his body to protect the puck in the corners or on the half boards with ease.

McKegg’s main draw backs are a lack of physical strength, overall skating ability and game to game consistency. His skating has seemed to vastly improve year to year thanks in part to Leafs Skating Coach Barb Underhill. He has gotten stronger each year and especially this year really tried to get into he weight rooms to bulk up, but there is still room for improvement.

McKegg can be guilty of over skating pucks at times, and although very good defensively for a younger player – that is still an area he needs to develop further. The biggest thing holding McKegg back is his ability to process and make decisions at the faster pace of the AHL compared to Junior. This will come with time, and if given the chance to play with higher quality offensive line mates (like Connor Brown this season) he has a very good chance of further increasing his offensive ceiling.

HockeysFuture.com gives a good talent evaluation of McKegg:

"McKegg is capable of lining up at center and wing and is an offensive catalyst with a good mind for the game. He is a natural goal scorer who can find numerous ways to score goals. He is not overly physical, but doesn’t shy away from contact…. Long-term McKegg’s offensive instincts and ability to read the play make him a consistent scorer at the minor pro level but he has not yet demonstrated that he can produce at that level in the NHL."

It really is Greg McKegg’s work ethic that sets him apart from other prospects. He has the tools to potential be a good top 6 forward in the NHL, if he reaches that level is anyones guess. His work ethic, drive and determination however, will make sure that at the very least he is a very good, team first 3rd line player capable of chipping in timely goals.

Upside: Top 6 two-way scoring forward, 20+ goals / 50-60 points

Realistic Projection: 3rd line checking center that can score

NHL Ready: 2016-2017

NHL Player Comparable: Mike Richards

Next week we’ll continue to break down the Leaf’s prospect pipeline.

As always, feel free to comment below or reach out to me on twitter @TorrinBatchelor as you can never have too many conversations about hockey in a day!

Next: Will TJ Brennan Get A Shot?

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