Toronto Maple Leafs: Mark Hunter’s 2015 Draft

The Toronto Maple Leafs and their search for a new general manager has boiled down to their two in-house candidates. Them being Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter.

In Dubas’ case, all one must do is shift their focus 20 minutes down the road from the ACC.

Grabbing the reigns in 2015, Dubas has methodically built the Toronto Marlies franchise into the industry’s gold standard for player development today. During the 2017-18 season alone, the Leafs harboured 7 graduates from Dubas’ Marlies, with the added promise of a new crop on the way.

Even more noteworthy, perhaps, is how Dubas succeeded in prioritizing future development without the need to sacrifice immediate success. Under his tutelage, the Marlies have performed to a combined record of 150-63-10-3.

Good for a staggering .664% winning percentage.

Dubas’ credentials are blatantly apparent. The Marlies play 76 games a year, presenting fans and media alike with a serviceable enough sample size to formulate their assessments.

For Hunter, the circumstances are different.

His case centres around the reputation as a “master scout”. More comfortable in a rink than a boardroom, Hunter practically lived at arenas all across the country during his tenure with the London Knights. It was this expertise in prospect evaluation that landed him on the Leafs radar back in 2015.

Now, it may gift him with one of hockey’s most illustrious jobs.

So, while the fruits of Dubas’ labour are regularly on display, Hunter’s are a slow burn. His reputation is built on prospects, and prospects take time. Conducting his first draft in 2015, we’re only just now beginning to see results take shape.

Over the upcoming days, I’ll be peeking into each of Hunter’s three draft classes with the Leafs, in order to determine whether his “master scout” label has been earned.

Let’s start with 2015.

2015 Draft

Regardless of his future with the team, Hunter’s 2015 NHL Entry Draft will forever serve as the one he’s best remembered for.

Identifying the vast depth of the year’s prospect pool, the Leafs continually dealt their upper to mid-tier picks in exchange for a bevvy of mid-rounders. In doing so, Hunter managed to acquire a draft pick treasure trove of relative equivalence to the ones they gave up.

Albeit with more volume.

First Round: Mitch Marner (4th overall), 

Top-five picks are generally thought of as no-brainers. I mean, it’s almost impossible to screw one of those up, right?

Well, grabbing Mitch Marner at 4th overall, just one spot after Arizona’s selection of Dylan Strome, suggests otherwise.

Two years in, Marner’s a bonafide star, a franchise cornerstone beloved by fans and coaches alike. His value to the organization is undeniable, with the 20-year-old continually excelling regardless of context or stage. Only a sophomore, Marner already has two separate 60-point seasons, along with a point-per-game playoff performance fastened securely under his belt.

Strome, on the other hand, has spent the bulk of his post-draft career in the AHL, with NHL cameos being few and far between.

Second Round: Travis Dermott (34th overall), Jeremy Bracco (61st overall)

Still, it’s in rounds 2-7 where Hunter truly put the “master” in “master scout”

At 34th, he nabbed Travis Dermott, our collectively-adopted son.

Funnily enough, Dermott’s scouting report initially told the story of a player who’s at his most effective when least noticed. Whether Hunter identified something unique from that assessment, or simply lucked out, we may never know. Nonetheless, Dermott’s 37-game NHL stint has dispelled all past notions, introducing us to one of the Leafs organization’s more dynamic assets.

On a roster desperately needing blueline help, the 21-year-old is nothing short of a godsend. Debuting on January 6th, Dermott immediately stepped into the NHL lacking the fear or hesitation usually befitting of a rookie. Instead, he took risks, using his fluid foot speed to create end-to-end rushes, while also demonstrating some incredibly advanced gap control.

With Jeremy Bracco, spending a second-round pick on a player with such a diminutive frame presented a drastic shift in organizational philosophy.

In 2015, Hunter joined the Leafs to mop up the mess left from a bygone regime, one who prioritized size over skill. Generously standing at 5’9, Bracco projected to possess all of the latter with none of the former. Even 12 months prior, there’s simply no way he’d have even shown up on Toronto’s radar.

Which is a shame, as Bracco has slowly developed into a promising future piece.

Undoubtedly, Bracco’s strength lies in playmaking. Like Marner, he operates off the wall when in the offensive zone, using his cunning vision to hit open teammates on a whim. And while the bulk of junior-level scorers enter the pro ranks with defensive challenges, Bracco is different.

Instead, his keen positional awareness has moulded him into an adept two-way forward as an AHL rookie.

Three years later, two of Hunter’s initial three picks have already succeeded in the NHL, with the other close behind.

Third Round: Andrew Nielsen (65th overall), Martins Dzierkals (68th overall)

While the NHL Entry Draft’s primary focus may be to identify potential NHL-calibre talent, it serves further a purpose as well.

The one constant permeating every team in the NHL is the need for organizational depth. Not every player on your AHL team will crack the big leagues. But, the ones who eventually do need teammates of which they can learn from. The draft presents the cheapest avenue for acquiring that depth.

Andrew Nielsen and Martins Dzierkals may very well top out as AHL-calibre talent. And, honestly, that’s alright. Both players harbour distinctive weaknesses, having since demonstrated them at their respective levels.

Nielsen possesses undeniable offensive tools in the form of a booming shot and bruising frame. Unfortunately, those strengths have been muted by an alarming penchant for giveaways and a lack of footspeed. Once paired with Dermott as potential Leafs hopefuls, Nielsen has severely lagged behind his draft class cohort.

With Dzierkals, far less is known. And in all honesty, I haven’t observed him enough to compile an accurate assessment of his potential. All we have to judge him on is a sub-point-per-game season in his QMJHL draft plus one year, and 36 points in 51 games with ECHL Orlando.

What I do know about Dzierkals, is that his improvement will live or die on his skill work.

He’s fast, while still needing to learn to view the game at the pro level.

As such, the Marlies kept Dzierkals with the team to start the season, for the specific purpose of developing him through skill-focused drills with their coaching staff.

Fourth Round: Jesper Lindgren (95th overall)

Of all of Hunter’s later-round picks, Jesper Lindgren is the most intriguing.

Consistently logging top-pairing minutes for HPK of Finland’s Liiga this season, at just 20 years old, Lindgren arrived in Toronto with an aura of excitement. Inking an ATO with the Marlies in March, the Swede initially struggled to adapt to the North American ice, an occurrence not uncommon among European defenders.

So, while his struggles may have shed a level of doubt towards his upside, Lindgren harbours the tools necessary for future success. As a right-handed shot, he holds the advantage of existing within an organization desperate for players of his ilk.

Again, Lindgren has played only 4 games in a Marlies uniform, so the sample size is small.

That said, his success overseas cannot go ignored. Prior to joining Liiga, Lindgren piled up 24 points across 50 games in 2016-17 for MODO of Sweden’s tier-2 league. The speedy defender possesses a wicked wrister from the point which, when paired with his penchant for aggressive rushes, can be deadly.

Still, Lindgren’s impressed at every level he’s played extended periods at. This leads me to believe that joining the Marlies full-time for the 2018-19 season is the best thing for his development. Not only would it give the youngster an entire season to learn the various Leafs systems. But, it would allow him ample time to adjust to the smaller ice surface as well.

Frankly, it cannot be overstated how difficult that is to do.

If Lindgren progresses accordingly, Hunter may have uncovered a promising right-handed defenceman all the way down in the fourth round.

Not too shabby.

Fifth Round: Dmytro Timashov (125th overall)

In Timashov, I’m still not entirely sure that even the Marlies know what exactly they have either.

On some nights, TImashov looks dominant, controlling the puck at will in the offensive zone while finding open space with ease. On others, he’s completely invisible, fading into the game’s background far too often.

The skill is there. The same can’t be said for his consistency.

Like a number of picks in this draft, Hunter took a chance on diminutive players harbouring boatloads of skill. Of the 9 total 2015 selections, 6 of them measure in at below 6 feet.

The 5’10 Timashov is no exception.

Over Timashov’s two seasons in a Marlies uniform, his progress has been relatively gradual. But, it’s progress nonetheless. Building off 24 points in 63 games as a rookie, his 2017-18 totals jumped up to 34 in 67.

Like I said, gradual, but notable as well.

Working in Timashov’s favour is a skill set waiting just below the surface. Both his speed and puck control are fantastic, allowing him to dictate the game at his own pace on the occasions he’s firing on all cylinders.

In fact, this December O.T. winner exemplifies this perfectly, showcasing Timashov’s ability to break the game wide open in crucial situations.

Come playoffs, Timashov has completely flipped a switch as well.

After an inconsistent regular season, Timashov has since staked a claim as the Marlies’ postseason MVP. His 6 points in 6 games were crucial to Toronto’s first-round victory over Utica. And, to counter the Comets’ various NHL reinforcements, the Marlies needed someone to elevate their game to a different level. Timashov was that someone.

As such, Sheldon Keefe specifically identified him as a player whose performance he deemed “fantastic”.

Will Timashov ever reach the NHL? That remains unclear. He’s a winger in an organization harbouring what remains as arguably the largest winger surplus among the 30 other teams.

Regardless, drafting a skilled, potential NHLer at 125th is a success.

Sixth + Seventh Round: Stephen Desrocher (155th overall), Nikita Korostelev (185th overall)

Both Stephen Desrocher and Nikita Korostelev have since parted ways with the Leafs organization, failing to earn contracts prior to their rights expiring this past summer.

Distinct long shots to ever crack the NHL, the pair were undoubtedly victimized by Toronto’s contract crunch, which saw the team sit right up at the 50 contract limit until very recently. Were open slots available, I’d have put my money on Desrocher, a defenceman, earning a deal over Korostelev, a winger.

Covering September’s rookie tournament, I was actually given the opportunity to evaluate Korostelev in person. Albeit in what was an undoubtedly small sample size.

Not the fastest skater by any stretch, Kotostelev impressed in the various things he did around the puck. He used positional awareness and stick movement to effectively close gaps and eliminate shooting lanes. On a team with high profile prospects like Bracco, Dermott, and Timothy Liljegren, Korostelev stood out. That’s not an easy thing to do.

While I’ve never had the chance to watch Desrocher in person, I’ve uncovered a number of articles from 2016 advocating for the Leafs to sign him. Standing at 6’4, he’s the largest of Hunter’s draft class, still managing to produce offensively at the OHL level.

Korostelev recently earned an ATO with the AHL’s Laval Rocket, finishing the season with 2 points in 10 games.

Conclusion

In all, Hunter bucked tradition by prioritizing skill over size.

This strategy gifted him with two NHL stars with one on the way, a promising RHD, promising skilled winger, two pieces of organizational depth and two excess assets. The goal of any draft class is to hit on one or two NHLers. Hunter may have hit on 5.

The 2015 draft served as a successful launching point for Hunter’s tenure as Leafs master scout.

Next: Hockey Men are Killing Hockey

Stay tuned to see if he repeated this in 2016.