Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 3 Late Round Picks Since 2010

Every year each team in the NHL hopes to have a late-round steal. The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a couple of notable ones in past years. Which are the Best?

There was a total of 217 Picks in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and odds are that there will be a number of players who will prove they should’ve been selected higher. This year, the Toronto Maple Leafs made three sixth round selections and three seventh round selections, hoping to strike gold late.

Some notable Steals over history include names like Brett Hull, Pavel Datsyuk,  Doug Gilmore, and Henrik Lundqvist – not a big deaaaaaaal.

With names like Morgan Rielly, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Nick Robertson, it seems over the past decade, the Leafs have been putting the past of terrible drafting behind them. In addition to those, there’s been a couple of late-round steals who have proved that they should have been drafted higher.

Often it’s rounds 1, 2, and 3, that are looked at as the primary and most important. Beyond that, often picks are all over the board. For that and the purpose of this list, we will only be ranking players who were selected in the fourth round and beyond.

With that in mind, let’s get into it.

Mikhail Abramov

The Toronto Maple Leafs third-best steal still has a lot to prove but from what we’ve seen it seems like he could prove to be a very valuable pickup.

Abramov was picked up in the fourth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at 115th Overall. In his draft year, with the Victoriaville Tigres of the QMJHL, the Russian winger put up 54 points in 62 games. He followed that up last year with a sophomore season of 35 goals and 76 points in 63 games – not too shabby.

Standing a 6’0″, 185 lbs, Abramov is described by DobberProspects.com as a “High-ceiling playmaker diversifying into a volume shooter”. He sees the eyes very well, making crisp passes while flying up the wing with speed. He doesn’t have a blazing fast shot, but when he does shoot, he’s smart with it. His potential is looked at to be a solid top-9 winger, and at best, top-6.

Prior to the COVID-19 pause, on March 10th, Abramov signed his ELC with Toronto, which was very well deserved. Following the COVID-19 pause, Abramov resumed playing with the Tigres where he is serving as captain. In 9 games, he has recorded 4 goals and 14 points.

Abramov has since left Canada to go to the Russian WJC Selection camp in Moscow, where is a lock for a spot on the team. He will play alongside fellow Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Rodion Amirov and Artur Ahktyamov.

In hindsight, Abramov could have been picked much earlier in the 2019 draft and the Leafs were lucky to get him where they did. With a high-ceiling player like Abramov, he could prove to be very valuable.

Keep in mind though, he is unproven therefor which makes him only the 3rd ranked steal – miles behind the other two on this list.

Connor Brown

Unlike Abramov, Connor Brown a proven NHLer was a hometown name that all Leafs Fans name to love during his tenure in the 6ix. Brown was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 6th round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, 156th Overall.

In his draft year, Brown led a subpar Erie Otters with 25 goals and 53 points in 68 games. In his second year, he would then leap to 69 points in 63 games. Then in his third year, Brown erupted for 45 goals and 128 points in 68 games ultimately capturing the OHL and CHL scoring title. That season he was also awarded the Red Tilson Trophy being named the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player. In his last 2 seasons, Brown served the Otters as Captain before being succeeded by some guy named Connor Mcdavid.

After his outstanding junior career, Brown was quickly brought to the next stage in his career, the AHL. Over two seasons, Brown would put up 90 points in 110 games.

Brown was easily able to find a scoring touch early in his career it seemed to transfer over to his NHL career quite seamlessly. In his rookie campaign with his home town team, he would put up 20 goals and 36 points in 82 games.

In 253 career games over four seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brown recorded 99 points while bouncing up and down the lineup consistently. His most memorable moment in his tenure was the game-winning goal that would ultimately send the underdog Leafs to the playoffs in 2017.

I remember this game like it was yesterday. I had just finished a long day at school and had to work that night from 7-11. Once I got to work I begged my boss to let me do dishes in the back so that I could listen to the game. I remember listening to Joe Bowen make the call of the goal and then screaming in the back of the restaurant as my co-workers wondered what the hell was wrong with me.

I remember how cool it was to think that a hometown kid who was picked just in the 6th round of his draft year had come this far to send his team to the finals and I remember how ecstatic it made me to see.

Sadly in 2019, Brown was included in the dire needed Nikita Zaitsev trade. Brown was sent to Ottawa where at least he was given the opportunity to flourish. In Ottawa Brown’s ice time rose from 13:48 with the Leafs, to 20:07. On a very inadequate Senators team, Brown tallied 16 goals and 43 points in 71 games.

To this day Connor Brown has not missed an NHL game, playing 324 straight without injury. Not too bad for a 26-year-old 6th round pick.