Round 7 Pick 182 – F Josh Nicholls
With their final selection in the 2010 draft, the Maple Leafs selected forward Josh Nicholls from the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL.
Nicholls was actually a decent pick here, as he was emerging as a top producer in the WHL.
During his 5-year WHL career, Nicholls would score 313 points in 332 games. Although very impressive, this production never quite translated to the NHL.
Nicholls went unsigned by the Leafs, making him a free agent at 20 years-old. The British Columbia native was signed to an ELC by the New York Rangers in 2013.
From there, Nicholls would struggle to find his place in the AHL, scoring a total of 4 points in 22 career AHL games. However, he would be a top scorer in the ECHL, recording 162 points in 204 career ECHL games.
Despite a solid run for the Colorado Eagles (then of the ECHL) in 2017, Nicholls saw better opportunity in Europe.
he would become a journeyman, playing for 4 teams in 2 years.
He had a notably good 20 points in 22 games with Storhamar of Norway in 2017-18, which earned he a KHL contract.
This past season, Nicholls struggled to keep a roster spot on the Chinese KHL team Kunlun Red Star, notching just 1 assist in 16 games.
Currently, Nicholls doesn’t have a contract to play anywhere, which may lead to early retirement for the 27-year-old.