
Joseph Duszak #6
Duszak scored 18 points in his first 23 professional games as a defenseman. He is 23 now and though he’s a late bloomer, his time as a prospect would be running out on most teams. The Leafs, however, recently promoted 27 year old rookie Justin Holl to their top four and he performed like a seasoned star last year.
Duszak drew rave reviews from the AHL, and people talk about how his offensive game is of NHL quality. He also drew equally bad reviews about his size and defensive abilities.
Duszak was signed as an undrafted free agent, and he destroyed the ECHL and was very good in the AHL. If you’re scoring a point per game as an AHL call-up, that is a very good sign as to your NHL potential.
He’s a right handed shot, and his potential is off the charts because of his talent. If he learns to be defensively responsible he could be a solid NHL contributor. NHL prospect guru Corey Pronman said he was concerned about his skating and ability to defend, but called him intriguing and potentially an NHL player because of his “skill level and great offensive hockey sense.” (Pronman, the Athletic, 2020).
This is another case of ranking talent higher than potential to just be an average NHL player. If Duszak does make it, it’s probably going to be because he made himself into a key member of a really good blue-line.