5 Toronto Maple Leafs Players to Watch at NHL Prospect Tournament

LAVAL, QC - OCTOBER 27: Semyon Der-Arguchintsev #19 of the Toronto Marlies takes a shot near Michael Pezzetta #23 of the Laval Rocket during the third period at Place Bell on October 27, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the Toronto Marlies 5-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

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ALBANY, NY – MARCH 24: Ryder Rolston #12 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and teammates The Fighting Irish won 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Max Ellis

The 22-year-old, Ellis has a ton of skill and performed admirably at the University of Notre Dame last year, however Ellis’ size is a huge issue.

At 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, it’s very concerning to see whether or not he’ll ever be able to compete at the NHL-level.

Ellis had 16 points and 28 points in 39 games last year, leading his team in scoring, but obviously the NCAA game is much different than the professional level.

That’s why I’m so intrigued to see how Ellis does this weekend.

Based on his production with Notre Dame, Ellis was highly-touted and had many suitors looking to sign him as a college free agent.

Toronto was ultimately the winner of that contract and he could be a steal if he can overcome his size issues at the professional level.

It’ll all start this weekend in Traverse City, so hopefully he gets a lot of ice-time and is able to create space, instead of being physically dominated.

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