The next step in the once-iconic franchise’s rebuilding plan takes place on Friday, June 24, 2016 when the Maple Leafs are expected to pin their hopes on Arizona-born center, Auston Matthews, with the first pick in the National Hockey League draft.
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Matthews is seen as having all the desired traits – size, speed, skill, and smarts – of a future top-line centre, a long-standing area of need for the Leafs since probable Hall of Famer Mats Sundin departed the organization in 2008.
Matthews’ family moved to the Valley when he was an infant.
Because Matthews comes from the hockey outpost of Phoenix he was slow to get on the radar of the USA’s National Team Development Program. Auston attended Coyotes games with his uncle, starting at the age of 3. Matthews said he’s a big baseball fan and even played until he was 13. Laine was named tournament MVP at the World Championships after being picked MVP of the Finnish league playoffs following his championship season with Tappara Tampere.
This year’s draft could be the first time ever that two Finnish players are selected in the first three overall picks, and the first time since 2002 that a pair of Finnish players could be drafted in the first four picks.
Puljujarvi had surgery on his knee in May but that shouldn’t scare off the Columbus Blue Jackets who have the third pick. He lives in NY.
“We think the logo we have now is nice, but it’s more of a corporate logo, not a brand”, stated Bob Fallen, USHL Commissioner, “we wanted something that would resonate more with fans and players, something that would symbolize what the league represents”.
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“There’s a lot of talk, and it’s no secret we’re in the market for a defenceman, and we’re fully engaged”, said Chiarelli, who guessed there’s a better than 50 per cent chance Edmonton will retain the pick. Russian defenceman Mikhail Sergachev and Swedish forward Alexander Nylander are also rated in the top five.
