Consolidated Rankings: A Seven Round Toronto Maple Leafs Mock Draft

In lead up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, plenty of prospects have been mocked to be drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

With the sheer number of mock drafts and rankings out there, it can be difficult to get a true idea into where a prospect is projected to go. As such, a consolidated ranking taking into account many of the top rankings will give us a clearer view as to who the Maple Leafs may select on Friday and Saturday.

The consolidated list takes into account the following 17 rankings (* denotes first round only):

Bob McKenzie (TSN)
Kevin Papetti (SB Nation)
Ryan Kennedy (The Hockey News)
Will Scouch (Scouching)
Larry Fisher (The Hockey Writers)
Cam Robinson (Dobber Prospects)
Canucks Army (Nation Network)
Scott Wheeler (The Athletic)
Corey Pronman (The Athletic)
Craig Button (TSN)
Hockey Prospect*
Sam Happi (Puck Authority)
McKeen’s*
Future Considerations
Derek Neumeier (SB Nation)
ISS*
Steve Kournianos (Draft Analyst)
Alex Hobson* (Editor in Leaf)

The number of rankings taken into account will give us a good idea as to where each prospect should go. Using the consolidated list of 217 prospects, let’s take a look at who the scouts believe will be the newest Toronto Maple Leafs by Saturday afternoon.

52nd Overall – Jakub Lauko
High – 29th (Kournianos)
Low – Unranked (Kennedy)

Coming in at 52 on the consolidated list, Jakub Lauko is another player that has split scouts. Ranked from the first round all the way to the fourth, Lauko plays for Pirati Chomutov in the Czech League.

Playing in a men’s league is a noteworthy achievement for a draft-eligible prospect, and Lauko did it as the youngest regular in his league. Appearing in 42 games, Lauko scored nine points for Chomutov in his second season with the top club.

Similarly to Berggren, Lauko scored at an impressive rate internationally. He played at the World Juniors as a depth player for the Czech Republic, where he scored one point in six games, but his most impressive performance came at the U18s.

Lauko led the Czechs in scoring with six points in seven games at the tournament, cementing his placement within the second round for most outlets. Listed at 6-foot, 179 pounds, Lauko projects as a centre, a position of need for the Maple Leafs.

Adding to Lauko’s draft value is his defensive play. He is a solid player in his own zone already, and will only get better with the strength that comes with ageing. His responsibility in the defensive end has helped him gain opportunity as a bottom six player, as evident in his 70 career games in the Czech League and World Juniors appearance.

While Toronto doesn’t pick up a defender in the first two rounds of the consolidated draft, Lauko is another quality prospect that has talent which should put him higher than the slot he comes in at.

Sources: Kerr, Last Word on Hockey; EliteProspects

83rd Overall – Axel Andersson
High – 52nd (Robinson)
Low – 122nd (Kournianos)

More Europeans, anyone? Swedish defenceman Axel Andersson ranks at the Leafs third round selection, 83rd overall.

Coming out of the SuperElit, just like Jonatan Berggren, Axel Andersson registered 31 points in 42 games for Djurgardens IF J20. Those numbers put him third in defensive scoring, and second among first-year eligible players.

Other than having a stupendous name, Andersson brings a lot to the table. He’s the prototypical, new age defenceman. Andersson is a silky skater with a crisp first pass, as evident by his SuperElit best 25 assists by defenders. At 6-foot, 179 pounds, Andersson is another player on the smaller side of average that the Leafs could look to grab later than he should be available.

As you can see in the clip above, Andersson is also right-handed, making him even more valuable to a team such as Toronto with an organizational weakness at the position. His point totals stand out, but Andersson is steady in his own zone as well. He is a player you are comfortable with in all three zones.

Internationally, Andersson played on the Swedish U18 team at the Worlds but was limited to just two assists through Sweden’s seven games.

Sliding in at 83, Axel Andersson is another player that has the talent to go earlier, but average size (at best) looks like it will push him down the board, right to the Leafs selection where they can take advantage.

Sources: Pike, Flames Nation; Biech, Canucks Army; EliteProspects

118th Overall – Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup
High – 94th (Kennedy)
Low – Unranked (Robinson)

The lone overage prospect that ranks in a Leafs selection on the consolidated list, Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup will look to get drafted in his third go around in the NHL Entry Draft.

Schmidt-Svejstrup had a breakout season with the Fargo Force of the USHL, scoring 26 goals and 43 points in 40 games. The Danish winger also appeared for his country at the World Juniors, scoring two points in five games at the tournament.

While the first three selections are realistic options for the Leafs, Schmidt-Svejstrup does not seem to be the kind of prospect Kyle Dubas would target, especially as early as the fourth round.

Schmidt-Svejstrup did have a solid season and could be a later round selection. It seems doubtful that the Leafs would take a double overage prospect with a mediocre history as early as the fourth round when solid, underrated prospects will still be available.

While he may not be a fit with Toronto, Schmidt-Svejstrup will be a fascinating name to watch on Day Two. A Dane who has played in North America since age 15, it would be fantastic to see Schmidt-Svejstrup’s name called at the draft.

Regardless as to what happens on draft day, Schmidt-Svejstrup will head to the University of Maine next season to play for the Black Bears, where he will look to replace some of the production that leaves in now former Leafs prospect Nolan Vesey.

Sources: Kennedy, The Hockey News; EliteProspects

149th Overall – Alexander Zhabreyev
High – 70th (Kournianos)
Low – Unranked (Kennedy)

Alexander Zhabreyev is tiny. Like, 5-foot-7, 152 pounds, tiny. Despite the significant concern of size, Zhabreyev has tools that make him an intriguing late-round selection.

Toronto has taken multiple Russians in recent drafts. Mid to late round selections include Vladislav Kara and Nikolai Chebykin, but unlike the Leafs Russian draft picks, Zhabreyev is in his first year eligible for the draft.

Appearing for MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg in the MHL, Zhabreyev posted 30 points in 40 games. These totals were good enough for him to be named to the Russian U18 team, where he scored four points in five games. This is the first year that Zhabreyev has represented Russia at the international level, with the U18 Worlds being the first best-on-best tournament of his career.

The U18 Worlds were even more special to Zhabreyev as they were held in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, where he left at just 14 to join the Dynamo St. Petersburg system.

Currently a centre, Zhabreyev will certainly shift to the left wing once he graduates into the professional game. His electric speed and high skill could make him a very intriguing prospect in a couple years, especially on the wing.

This is exactly the boom or bust kind of player the Leafs should not be afraid to take. With good numbers at a young age in the MHL and even better numbers internationally, Alexander Zhabreyev could be due for a breakout next year.

Sources: MHL; HFBoards; EliteProspects

209th Overall – Damir Bilyalov
High – 125th (Kournianos)
Low – Unranked (Rest)

Damir Bilyalov is in a similar mould to Alexander Zhabreyev. Another diminutive Russian, listed at 5-foot-9, Bilyalov primarily played for Krasnaya Armiya Moskva of the MHL this past season.

After starting the year in the Russian U18 league, Bilyalov made the jump to the MHL, scoring 11 points in 30 games. While he didn’t get the call to the Russian U18 team at the Worlds, Bilyalov did play for the Russian U18s in five exhibition games over the year.

Linking up with the previously mentioned Alexander Zhabreyev a couple of times, Bilyalov was able to produce four points in five games for the national team. Playing for Krasnaya, Bilyalov was behind two higher ranked prospects in Ruslan Iskhakov (consolidated 78th) and Nikita Rtishchev (consolidated 151st).

As such, NHL scouts will have seen Bilyalov as a result of his higher-profile teammates. With a combination of playmaking and speed off of the left wing, he could make for an intriguing pick at the end of the draft.

211th Overall – Carter Robertson
High – 95th (Button)
Low – Unranked (Rest)

If Mark Hunter were still around in the Leafs front office, Carter Robertson would be a player I would expect Toronto to take at some point in the draft. With Hunter gone, however, there is little chance Robertson is a Maple Leaf come Saturday evening.

A solid 6-foot-2, 181 pounds, the left-handed defender posted just 18 points in 57 games for the Ottawa 67’s. Unranked by all major outlets, other than Craig Button, Robertson simply isn’t the type of player the Leafs will look to draft both now and into the future.

To his credit, Robertson is a good skater, using his mobility well when defending. His solid 6-foot-2 frame is also a benefit in his own zone.

The problem lies in the offensive capabilities, where there is limited potential. Robertson doesn’t have much NHL upside, and the Leafs would be better suited searching for players with more control than the two seasons they have with CHL prospects at the end of the draft.

Next: Evaluating the Connor Carrick Contract

Sources: Eurolive Scores; Kournianos, Draft Analyst; EliteProspects; Tiano, OHL Writers; EliteProspects