Get To Know Keaton Middleton
D – 6ft5 – 234lbs – Age 18 – Shoots Left
Drafted 4th Round – 101st Overall
A behemoth on the blue line, Keaton is an average skater with decent passing skills. He excels at the physical aspects of the game and thrives in a shutdown role, playing heavy minutes against others teams best players every night for the Saginaw Spirit the past two seasons.
He’s shown next to no offensive inclination up to this point in his career, scoring a paltry 13 points in 127 games in the OHL. There have been suggestions that his development curve is similar to St.Louis Blues behemoth rookie sensation Colton Parayko, but that is a few years away before we can judge this pick.
Get To Know Adam Brooks
C – 5ft11 – 176lbs – Age 20 – Shoots Left
Drafted 4th Round – 92 Overall
Going back to last years formula the Leafs selected the smaller but supremely skilled Adam Brooks. Brooks led the entire WHL in scoring last season in his D+2 season, scoring 38 goals and 120pts, he followed that up by scoring 23pts in only 12 playoff games.
Adam Brooks is your typical late-blooming player, couple that with his smaller frame and it allowed the Toronto Maple Leafs to luck out in the 4th round. He’s a plus skater, with plus vision and although he doesn’t do anyone one thing that blows you away, he’s a very well-rounded player that uses his brain and elusiveness to be an offensive threat.
He also spent the last 2 seasons really developing his defensive game, and gets back on the back check to break up plays. If Adam Brooks was an inch taller, or if he was 20lbs heavier, he would’ve gone in the top-60. Brooks should join the ECHL Orlando Solar Bears as their No.1 center, potentially playing his way directly to the Marlies, so Leafs Nation will get a close look at him almost immediately.
Next: Pick No.4&5