Round 1 Pick 25 – D Stuart Percy
With the 25th overall pick in the 2011 NHL entry draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs selected defenseman Stuart Percy from the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors of the OHL.
The Oakville native scored a solid 33 points in 64 OHL games his draft year.
this quick tidbit, from the now-defunct Hockey’s Future team, gives insight on Percy’s playstyle and why the Leafs would pick him. (This is from a 2011 mock-draft, the staff at hockeysfuture projected Biggs at #15 and Percy at #29).
"“The mobile puck-moving blueliner will address the organization need for offensively inclined defensemen”"
The lanky defender would progress well following his selection, scoring 70 points in 102 OHL games over the next two seasons, and was named captain of a transitioning Mississauga squad.
To end the 2012-13 season, Percy would appear in 4 AHL games, scoring a goal and adding 2 assists.
Percy would spend the entire 2013-14 season in the AHL, scoring 25 points in 71 games.
Over the following two seasons, Percy would appear in 101 AHL games, scoring 35 points. Percy would also play 12 NHL games, all with Toronto, tallying 3 assists.
After a decent 2015-16 campaign, a 23 year-old Percy was released by the Maple Leafs and entered free agency for the first time in his career. however, Percy wouldn’t have to wait long for an offer, as Percy signed a 1-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1st 2016.
Percy struggled with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring a mere 8 points in 37 games, and was released and the end of the season.
Unlike his first venture into free agency, Percy had to wait, like really wait. On October 27th 2017, a 24 year-old Percy would sign a PTO contract with the historic Rochester Americans. Percy would see a huge bounce back, scoring 37 points in 67 games with the ‘Amerks’.
Percy would move on once again, joining the Belleville Senators of the AHL. In 41 games with Belleville, Percy would tally 19 points. In a somewhat surprising move, Percy was moved to the Providence Bruins, where he’d score 5 points in 14 games.
Percy, now 26, sits as a UFA. I’d love to see him back in Toronto on a cheap deal or on an AHL contract, although that seems unlikely with the plethora of depth signings made on defense this summer.