Maple Leafs NHL Draft guide: Picks, best fits and analysis

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2024 NHL Draft.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have seven picks in the 2024 NHL Draft: Nos. 23, 120, 151, 152, 157, 200, 216. Here’s what to expect.

Analysis

The Leafs, holders of the No. 23 pick, could use more of everything in their prospect pool — more centres, certainly, and more forwards generally with high upside. That said, defence feels like the biggest weak point internally. The Leafs’ top two prospects are both forwards — Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten — and the organization has taken a forward with their top pick in each of the past five drafts. The last time the Leafs used their top pick on a defenceman was 2018 when Rasmus Sandin was selected with the No. 29 pick.

Then there’s this: In the last three drafts, with 11 picks, the Leafs have taken one — one! — defenceman: Noah Chadwick in the sixth round last summer. The team doesn’t see any sure things coming on the back end either. Does that mean they will prioritize a defenceman with their top pick on Friday (assuming they keep it)? Not necessarily. They will presumably leave it up to Wes Clark, the director of player personnel and amateur scouting who plucked Cowan late in the first round in 2023 and Minten in the second round a year before, to pick whomever he and his staff deem the best player available. — Jonas Siegel

Corey’s team need: Defenseman

Toronto has used whatever high picks it has had on a lot of forwards of late, and after trading Sandin, there isn’t a ton of quality youth in the organization on defense anymore.

More on each team’s biggest need here.

Names to watch

In recent mock drafts, Corey Pronman has projected the following picks:

23. Egor Surin, C, Yaroslavl Jr. (RUSSIA-JR.)
120. Carter George, G, Owen Sound (OHL)
151. Anthony Romani, RW, North Bay (OHL)
152. Adam Hesselvall, RW, Sodertalje Jr. (SWEDEN-JR.)
157. Jan Golicic, D, Gatineau (QMJHL)
200. Topias Hynninen, C, Jukurit (FINLAND)
216. Joona Saarelainen, C, Kalpa Jr. (FINLAND-JR.)

Read Pronman’s latest mock draft here.

(Photo of Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving: R.J. Johnston / Toronto Star via Getty Images)