After looking at two defencemen who the Leafs could take with their second round choice, I am looking at a few that the club could take with some of their later picks.
Evan Passmore
Evan Passmore is a 6-4 209lbs right-handed defenseman playing for the Barrie Colts of the OHL. Through 115 games he has scored three goals and 12 assists for 15 points, 11 of which have come this season. His lack of production is because of a combination of factors; most importantly his playstyle but also his usage and limited ice time.
Passmore is a defensive specialist who utilizes every inch of his large frame to shutdown opposing forces. He uses his body to punish players but he also has an active stick inside his zone which he uses to remove the puck from opponents. On top of his defensive game, he has a very raw offensive side which indicates some promise moving forward and helps his NHL projection as a bottom-pair or depth defenseman.
It’s very rare that a player who produces as little as Passmore has in their draft year to be ranked at all, even on the backend. He is ranked 87th among North American skaters by NHL central scouting. However, there are other things that make him a potentially valuable player and he could be worth a pick in the later rounds. This is especually true with the Leafs’ abundant resources, he could be developed into a useful pro player down the road.
Daniil Skvortsov
Daniil Skvortsov is a big-bodied left-shot defender from Kaluga, Russia who just completed his first season in North America with the OHL’s Guelph Storm. He played 59 games, scoring three goals and 15 assists for 18 points, logging upwards of 20 or so minutes a night and time on the penalty kill consistently.
Despite what you may think given his large 6-4 214lbs frame, Skvortsov is a good skater and it is a trait that realistically should not hold him back moving forward. In fact, he uses his skating to snuff out opposition offense along the boards. Also, in tandem with his long reach and size to direct opponents away from dangerous areas and overwhelm them. He is a proficient defender against the rush and during in-zone play, with again his large body helping him to battle opponents.
I think his limited offensive potential likely holds him back from high end projections but I do think he makes sense as a selection later on day two. He is ranked 154th amongst North American players according to NHL central scouting. On top of being a perfect pick for Brad Treliving, I am confident he will play NHL games in some capacity due to merit either way.
Some other names the Maple Leafs likely consider for their backend is:
- Aron Dahlqvist
- Peyton Kettles
- Joshua Glavin
- Jacob Rombach
- David Bedkowski
- Haoxi Wang
- Artyom Vilchinsky