Between May 16^th and June 4^th, LeafsHQ has decided to pick a Leafs prospect for every day, and write up a report on them. Check in every day for the latest prospect!

The 5 W’s

Who is he?

Korbinian Holzer is the most recent addition to the Leafs list of contracts, according to an interview with assistant GM Dave Poulin. Now, he’s not the newest member of the Leafs organization – but definitely the most recent to sign a pro contract with the team. Korbinan is a 22 year old defenceman from Munich, Germany. A right handed shot, Holzer is another Burke-sized prospect in our system, towering at 6’3 and weighing in at a lanky 190 lbs. He has not played North American Hockey yet, his career involving 3 years in the DEL (Deutsche Eishockey Liga, or the German Ice Hockey League).

What did his stats look like this year?

Holzer played 52 games this year for the DEG Metro Stars, amassing 22 points (6 goals 16 assists) in this time, along with 96 penalty minutes. This was good for second on the Metro Stars for points by a defenceman, behind NHL ex-pat Patrick Traverse. The 110 PIM was good for 4th on the team, 1st for the D.

When/how did the Leafs acquire him?

As we all know, the John Ferguson Jr. era had one reedeeming quality, and that was the quality of draft picks. Holzer is no exception to this rule, being yet another JFJ-era Leafs draft pick thriving in the system. He was picked in the 4th round, 111th overall in the 2006 NHL entry draft.

Where has he played?

Holzer has spent all 3 years of his professional career with the DEG Metro Stars, improving his play year by year. His hard work lead to him being put on the German Olympic Team this year, as the icing on the cake to his current team portfolio.

Why was he acquired?

Its hard to judge, seeing as he was a 4th round pick and not as much thought gets put into the mid-late rounds, but size had to play a factor in the desicision.

What’s been Said…

HockeysFuture.com

While Holzer has appealing size at 6’2, he needs to bulk up his wiry frame. That being said, he’ll have plenty of time to pack on the pounds as he looks to stay overseas for a couple more years at least, refining his skills.

Matias Strozyk, EliteProspects.com

A large and right-handed defenseman with a defensive mindset. Plays physically and checks hard. Could improve his physical game but has the potential to be more than “good”.

In The System

Whats his role expected to be next year?

Considering the new contract that Holzer just signed, it’s very likely we’ll be seeing him in a Toronto Marlies uniform next year as he continues his march through the ranks of pro hockey.

Has he exceeded or failed to reach the expectations had of him since being acquired?

Exceeded. Not many players in his draft range have accomplished anything yet, with Columbus’ Derek Dorsett and Toronto’s own Viktor Stalberg the only ones to play 40 NHL games. Holzer may not have that, but he has Olympic experience, which is hard to come by when going through the 2006 drafts players after the first round.

Where is he ranked in the Leafs depth chart for his position?

Hockeysfuture.com has him 5th (6th, but they have Gunnarsson as a prospect still, so we’ll assume fifth), behind Jesse Blacker, Keith Aulie, Phil Oreskovic, and Juraj Mikus. His ranking is a 6.5C, meaning he could be a 4/5th defenceman.

The Big Question

What does the future hold for him? Does he have a shot at being a contributing full time Leaf?

He’ll have to really make an impact in the next year or two with the Marlies to have any significant chance at a shot with the Leafs organization long term. With the depth the team has on defence, along with him not being in the top 3 defensive prospects, he’s got some work to do, no doubt. Depth will be the biggest hurdle to his success here, and might mean a career with a different NHL team.

Anything Else?

The German Gunnarsson?

A lot of talk is being made of the potential of Holzer taking a similar role to Carl Gunnarsson, quietly working his way through the Leafs system until finally making it and making a decent impact right away as a solid 2nd pair defenceman. Holzer still has a bit to prove before I buy into this though, just like Gunnarsson had to prove his ability to everyone else.

See Them In Action

One Problem…

If you thought OHL and AHL footage was hard to get, the DEL is like pulling teeth. I can’t find anything definitively Holzer to put up here that would be particularly interesting. So no video, this time. Sorry!