Leafs prospect potential draft gem after latest performance

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka is putting the entire WHL on notice with some recent performances.

The 20-year-old center is leading the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings to a whole lot of wins on their top line and most recently, Holinka had a weekend to remember.

On Saturday against the Red Deer Rebels, Holinka secured an assist earlier in the game but it was his emphatic overtime finish that seemed to come out of nowhere in a quasi desperation attempt that really got his weekend rolling.

The wherewithal to pick up his own rebound and not just try to poke it through, but forehand-backhand it past the goaltender and into the back of the opposing net was just a beautiful sight to see. With a two-point performance, Holinka's weekend just started to get rolling.

Against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday, Holinka picked up his first hat trick for the Oil Kings as he unleashed a total of eight shots on goal during that collision.

A five-point weekend is nothing to sneeze at. Holinka now has already improved on last year's goal total with Edmonton (it's December, by the way) with 20 goals and has 48 points in just 31 games, leading the Oil Kings in scoring and his 1.55 points per game is good for fifth among all WHL skaters this season.

Holinka, the 2024 fifth-round pick, has already signed his entry-level contract with the Leafs so it is almost guaranteed that he will be lacing up for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL next season as he continues to climb the developmental ladder.

There's not much you can expect from a fifth-round pick who was drafted as an overager and is now lighting up the WHL as a 20-year-old, but Holinka certainly possesses some tools like his defensive acumen and size, that makes any fan at least a little bit intrigued to see him at the next level.