The Canadian women's soccer team recently had their first game at the FIFA Women's World Cup, which inspired this thought: who are the best soccer prospects on the Toronto Maple Leafs?
Mitch Marner, the current Toronto Maple Leafs MVP, has to be included on this list. He has creativity and has already demonstrated "sick" passes with his head. One can only imagine the crossers or drop-passes he would deliver on a large soccer field. Plus, his relentless energy and fitness would help him excel.
He uses his imagination constantly on a sheet of ice. Seeing what he could do on a playing surface that is more than twice the size would be worth the price of admission. His cheekiness might come in handy on penalty kicks too.
But he's not the only one:
5 Best Soccer Propects on the Toronto Maple Leafs
William Nylander has to be included on our soccer list because of his silky smooth skating style. This would likely transition to the pitch. He would endlessly possess the soccer ball until the other team's defenders were exhausted. Then, taking advantage of their advanced metrics, many Leaf goals would soon follow.
Also, Sweden is a highly-ranked soccer nation worldwide. He likely played a lot as a kid and has some hidden soccer skills.
Auston Matthews on this Mitch Marner header pass on Sunday:
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 28, 2023
"I had to take a second look ... He was chuckling when we got back to the bench asking us if we saw it ... just thinking outside the box ... the creativity & willingness to pull it off is pretty special."
⚽️🏒 https://t.co/JyzQpOdaH6
As a striker, Nylander wouldn't have to pay much attention to the defensive side of the game. He could concentrate solely on offense.