When the Toronto Maple Leafs drafted Nick Robertson 53rd overall they knew it was a steal, but they didn’t know how much of a steal it really was until now.
I think we can all agree that Robertson is the Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect, but who’s next?
There are many definitions to the word “prospect”. Some might say that Jeremy Bracco is still a prospect and you may be right, but his time is running out, very fast. And as much as I’d like to say he is one, I just can’t anymore.
Another player you might be thinking of is Timothy Liljegren. But as he enters the play-in round with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he’s looking to be on the roster for game one against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
I’d like to say he still has the prospect tag, but with an almost clear path to the NHL, the tag seems to be diminishing. He’s ready for the NHL, not ready to still be labeled a prospect of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
There is one player who fits the description of the top prospect behind Robertson in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ system, and it’s a fairly interesting player too.
The Toronto Maple Leafs Next Best Prospect
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL draft, Nick Abruzzese has made great progress at making the hurtle to the NHL.
As a freshman at Harvard University, Abruzzese had his best season of junior yet. The 21-year-old finished with 44 points in 31 games (the most on the team) and had the second-best point percentage in the NCAA (1.42PPG).
Along with that point total, Abruzzese lead all NCAA freshman in points and earned Harvard’s George Percy award for the top rookie who displayed loyalty, team spirit and enthusiasm.
To add to his list of early accomplishments, Abruzzese also was the ECAC’s rookie of the year and had the most points as a division one freshman since the 2016-17 season.
He even had a better freshman year than Adam Fox, who is a young prominent defenseman on the New York Rangers.
But there’s obviously more to Abruzzese than just points and rookie feats.
Particularly his on-ice awareness in impeccable as he can receive the puck and get it back off his stick to a wide-open player just as quick.
Not a playmaker like Mitch Marner, but his ability to do so has some resemblance to Bracco. Still a different player, Abruzzese is also a centre, which the Toronto Maple Leafs may need in the near future.
It’s possible he could reach top-six potential on an NHL team, but he could also become a lethal third-line playmaking centre.
Either way, Abruzzese is a top prospect in the Toronto Maple Leafs system, again though, still behind Robertson.
One possible downfall to the 21-year-old is his shot, again, similar to Marner who’s worked on his shot since and has changed it significantly. Still though, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a steal drafting Abruzzese 124th overall.
While the future of sports is still a little foggy, the same goes for the future of Abruzzese. It’s possible he’s ready to go pro sooner than later, which could be good news for the Toronto Maple Leafs following reports of a flat cap for the next few seasons.
Either way, I believe Abruzzese has moved up to 2nd in the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect pool and has established himself as an exciting player in the coming years.