Sifting for Gold May Pan Out for the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs will select 28th overall in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.

The NHL Entry Draft always brings excitement. It means a fresh crop of prospects and the feeling of hope for future success. With the Toronto Maple Leafs falling short of their ultimate goal after being embarrassed by the Florida Panthers, looking to the future is exactly what they need.

The Leafs currently have three picks in the upcoming draft. Our mock draft should help determine who could be taken in the first round. The remaining pair of selections are in the fifth and sixth rounds. While the chances of finding a future NHL player is slim that late in the draft, it’s so much more rewarding if it works out. That’s why the team needs to sift for gold.

These are some of the selections who may be available for Toronto to consider once it’s their turn at the podium.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Sifting for Gold

Ty Higgins

Ty Higgins is a 6’0″, 187 lbs defenceman. He was invited to the QMJHL after being drafted in the second round of the 2021 OHL U18 Priority Selection. He was taken 30th overall by the Owen Sound Attack. Instead of joining Owen Sound, Higgins instead went to play for Acadie-Bathurst Titan in the QMJHL.

In his first year with the Titan, Higgins established that he has offensive upside. The 18-year-old from Stratford, ON recorded three goals and 10 assists in 31 games. This season, he found himself on the scoresheet with even more frequency. In 68 games, he scored 13 goals and 28 assists for a total of 41 points.

Higgins is ranked 147th by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters.

Connor MacPherson

Connor MacPherson is a 6’0″, 176 lbs right-winger. He is one half of a hockey playing twin set, suiting up next to his brother Ryan.

Connor, like Higgins, was drafted to the OHL and chose to go a different route. In 2021, his name was called in the tenth round, 188th overall by the Ottawa 67’s. The Windsor, ON native instead decided to play for the Leamington Flyers in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL).

There is a risk for the Toronto Maple Leafs drafting anyone headed to the NCAA. While the organization wants to see their prospect develop, should the player go four years without signing with the organization, the team’s rights are gone and the player becomes a free agent. The Toronto Maple Leafs looked at signing some college free agents as recently as this past April. A player can graduate, get their degree, and if they’d performed well enough in the NCAA, they can choose which team they’d like to negotiate with.

For the Toronto Maple Leafs, in the fifth and sixth rounds, there is little risk with taking a college player. That’s why MacPherson committing to the University of New Hampshire shouldn’t be a cause for worry. If MacPherson is selected and chooses to play out his four years without signing with Toronto, the only thing that is lost was a late round pick. It would hurt much more if this happened with a first or a second rounder.

MacPherson is ranked 128th by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters.

Cooper Conway

Cooper Conway is a 6’0″, 163 lbs left shooting forward. He has been utilized in multiple positions up front for his high school team, the Andover Huskies in Andover, MN.

Conway has mastered high school puck. In 31 contests, he scored 46 goals and 41 assists for a total of 87 points. Clearly, he outgrew the competition. Next season, that may change as Conway heads to Colorado College, a Division I team in the NCAA. If he continues to thrive in that environment, it will be clear that he is a true sniper.

Conway is ranked 151st by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters.

Hunter Anderson

Hunter Anderson is a 5’9″, 181 lbs forward. He is a product of Shattuck St. Mary’s 18U Prep, one of the best prep schools in the United States. It played a hand in the development of Sidney Crosby, Zach Parise, and Jonathan Toews, among many others who made the NHL. Anderson hopes to add his name to the long list of alumni that joined the NHL after attending the school.

Note: All statistics are from Elite Prospects.

Anderson’s high school numbers are outrageous. In 54 games he registered 59 goals and 56 assists for a total of 115 points. Next season he will continue his hockey journey playing for the University of Denver.

Anderson is ranked 111th by NHL Central Scouting for North American skaters.