5 Players Toronto Maple Leafs Could Pick In First Round

The Toronto Maple Leafs hold the 15th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

It’s an exciting time of the year to be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan.

After trading away their first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the Leafs may be in a similar situation this season. However, until the team actually trades it away let’s assume they’re going to use it to select a prospect.

If you look back through the years of Leafs draft picks, some are incredible and some are busts (*cough, cough, Tyler Biggs*) but that’s going to happen every year. Every year, your favourite team can’t be like the Colorado Avalanche in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft when they picked Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie and Ryan O’Reilly in three different rounds.

No matter how good a prospect looks in junior, it’s hard to predict what type of player they’re going to be for the next 20 years. That’s what makes the NHL Entry Draft so much fun, yet so difficult at the same time. Every team is taking a chance on an 18-year-old player, hoping that they will develop into a star hockey player. However, if they don’t turn into that star in the next three years, typically they’re traded out or out of the league. Tough business.

The Leafs have fortunately done a great job in terms of drafting and developing players over the past 10 years, and hopefully that trend will continue this year. With their last two first round picks, they’ve drafted two defenseman (Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Lilejgren), who should both be in the Leafs line-up next season.

Before that, the team stacked up on offense drafting Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander with their three first-round picks in a row. As you can see with those selections, the core of a hockey team can be built in the draft and it’s so important to choose the right player. Of those past five first-round picks, I’d say the Leafs did an amazing job and deserve an A+ grade.

Now, let’s look at five players the Leafs should target in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

#5. Tyson Foerster, RW (Barrie Colts, OHL)

As someone who grew up watching the Barrie Colts, I may have bias but Foerster’s scoring ability should not be overlooked. A number of mock drafts and scouting reports have him near the end of the first-round, so I think the Leafs could still trade down to select this player if they wanted to.

TSN’s Craig Button described Foerster’s game as the following:

“Plays the game in all areas and all situations. He plays with skill, smarts and is very competitive. He has progressed significantly in two seasons and as he becomes more mature, he will only get better.”

Foerster reminds me of Nick Robertson. Not based off size, but in the sense that they’re both late bloomers. In 62 games, Foerster finished with 36 goals and 80 points and was the number-one scoring option on the Barrie Colts. Not only that, but by all accounts, scouts say that he had a late start.

If Foerster returns to the OHL for the 2020-21 season, it wouldn’t be shocking if he was close to the lead league in goals and points, because he’s only going to get better. With a rocket shot and ability to score, I think Foerster would be a great fit in the blue-and-white. Also, he was born and raised only a few minutes north of Toronto, so you know the kid would love to dawn his hometown team’s colours as well.

#4. Rodion Amirov, LW (Toplar Ufa, MHL)

This description by Dobber Prospects, should get any Leafs fan excited about Amirov:

“Amirov is simply one of the best two-way players eligible for the 2020 Draft. Despite a lack of strength and size, he reads the ice well in the defensive zone to be in the right areas, block lanes, and apply pressure.”

Although a scoring right-winger would be great for the Leafs like Foerster, a two-way player could be a better fit for this team. Ranked anywhere between 15-22 in most mock drafts, Amirov has a smart hockey IQ and is on his way to becoming a top-six player in the NHL.

Amirov has an advantage over some prospects, because he’s playing against men in the KHL and has looked good. He’s a little undersized weighing only 165 pounds, but with growth and age that should change.

With comparisons to Jake DeBrusk, Amirov has a net-front scoring presence that should excel him to become a full-time NHLer for the foresseable future.

#3. Braden Schneider, RD (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

If Schneider was a 30-year-old player heading into Unrestricted Free Agency, I think the Toronto Maple Leafs would offer him $8M per season. That’s the type of player you should think of when you think of Schneider.

“A two-way, right-shot defenseman capable of playing the power play and the penalty kill with great competitiveness and smarts. Schneider scored 42 points (seven goals, 35 assists) in 60 WHL games,” said Mike Morreale of NHl.com.

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Schneider can not only provide a physical element but he can score as well. With comparisons to Jacob Trouba, scouts believe that he’ll be a top-four defenseman in the next few years. He’s literally the perfect fit to Toronto’s blue-line, but like I’ve mentioned before, the team shouldn’t draft him because of that. If Schneider is the best available player when they draft, go ahead and select him, but if they have other players higher on their own rankings, then select the other player instead.

After reading what Steve Kourmianos of The Draft Analyst says below about Schneider, it could be hard to resist selecting him:

“He uses his length and strength well off the rush, too, but his biggest asset is his ability to take away time and space in the defensive zone, close out the wall, win puck battles and advance the play back up ice with a quick outlet.”

#2. Yaroslav Askarov, G (St. Petersburg, KHL)

Askarov is the number-one ranked goaltender for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has potential of becoming a world-class goaltender.

Here’s what Daniel Tiffany of Dobber Prospects had to say about his game:

“The most highly touted prospect at the goalie position since Carey Price. Russian phenom Yaroslav Askarov blends great positioning and incredible athleticism to make difficult saves look easy.”

Tiffany isn’t the old scout to predict that he could be as good as Price. TSN’s Craig Button projected the exact same thing, while mentioning the following:

“His physical attributes and ability to read the play puts him in a category of excellent prospect. He has composure, an assuredness and a defiance in the face of challenges.”

Although the Toronto Maple Leafs could be set up with a future number-one goaltender if they draft him, it’s unsure whether or not he’ll actually be there at 15 still. Many projections have him getting selected by Nashville (11th overall) or Carolina (13th). If Askarov is still available when it’s time for the Leafs to pick, they should seriously consider him.

Picking a goaltender in the first round is very risky, but if he’s going to turn into Price, having a goaltender like that on an Entry-Level Contract would be unbelievable and potentially extend Toronto’s opportunity to win a Stanley Cup even longer.