After moving several draft picks and prospects over the last few seasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving continues to sign undrafted prospects and he was back at it.
On Thursday the Toronto Maple Leafs social media account announced that they had signed Ontario Hockey League prospect Blake Smith from the Flint Firebirds. You don't need much information on Smith to make an accurate presumption of what type of model the Oshawa, Ontario players comes with when Treliving signs him. Smith is a 6'5", 225 lbs defenseman.
Smith comes from a long list of NHL family members as his father Derrick Smith played over 500 games with the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota Stars (along with one game with the Dallas Stars)., while his brother Dalton is currently playing with the Hershey Bears and has one NHL game to his credit, You may have also heard of his uncles Wayne and Keith Primeau, and cousin Cayden Primeau.
🖊 We’ve signed defenceman Blake Smith to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season pic.twitter.com/uFGJkCx38l
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 10, 2025
Smith was drafted by the Oshawa Generals in the seventh round of the OHL draft and played a year and half for his hometown club before being traded to the Flint Firebirds during the 2022-23 season where he continued to play until they were knocked out of the first round of the current playoffs.
In his draft year (2023), the NHL Central Scouting's Preliminary Rankings had him projected to be selected between the fourth and sixth rounds, however, he would go undrafted in both that year and this past 2024 Entry Draft.
Over a four year span split between Flint and Oshawa, Smith played in 244 games scoring 13 goals and 54 points, ten of those goals and 32-points came this past season.
With the signing the Maple Leafs currently have 34 of their 50 contract space for next season occupied with ten additional restricted free agents that could take up those spots, as well as potentially Mitch Marner and John Tavares to be added.
Maple Leafs continues to restock the cupboards
The Toronto Maple Leafs sit without any first round picks until 2028 and have just two selections in the first four rounds of this upcoming NHL Entry Draft, while also trading away top prospects Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin at this past trade deadline which has left the futures cupboard bare.
Blake Smith joins Borya Valis, Luke Haymes and John Prokop as undrafted prospects that the Maple Leafs have signed to entry level contracts over the last month.
The 6'2" Valis is currently still playing in the WHL playoffs and has put seven points first round after scoring 34-goals in the regular season. Prokop is a 6'3" defenseman that finished up his NCAA career playing at Union College and has already got into three games with the Toronto Marlies, while Haymes is a 6'1" forward who played at Dartmouth College and has a goal and an assist with the Marlies since signing.
After joining the Maple Leafs organization, Treliving has yet to sign or draft a player under six feet tall with Easton Cowan being the smallest and is credited on hockeydb,com as 6', 185 lbs.