---

Though the Leafs may not have had their first or second round picks, incredibly high ones at that, thanks to a trade that like it or not will be one of the most controversial in team history for years to come, the Toronto Maple Leafs have definitely made some serious waves in the 2010 Entry Draft in spite of all of that. Heading into the draft missing first and second rounders, the Leafs were able to make enough moves to pick seven players in the draft, and still manage to trade a 5th round pick for Mike Brown.

In the end of the day, the Leafs walked out with Bradley Ross, Greg McKegg, Sondre Olden, Petter Granberg, Sam Carric, Daniel Brodin, and Josh Nicols. Before we go into details on the guys, here’s a minor summary.

Location: 4 of the 7 picks were Canadian, along with two Swedes and a Norwegian. All 4 of the Canadians came from the CHL (2 WHL, 2 OHL), the Norwegian and one of the Swedes played in the Swedish Jr league, and the other remaining Swede was already playing in the Swedish Elite League.

Position: This draft saw the leafs walk out with two left wingers (a desperately needed hole to fill), one dual-winger, one right winger, two centres, and a defeceman.

Draft Round: The Leafs made picks in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th round, with no 1st or 6th. The Leafs had at one point three picks in round five, but traded one away for Mike Brown.

Size: All seven players are at least 6 feet tall, and 170 pounds. No massive weights though, with 200 being the heaviest of the bunch, regardless of two of the picks being 6’3″.

With all of that said, lets get to the point. We’re going to use the prospect of the day format.

The 5 W’s

Who are they?

Brad Ross is a Left Winger from Lethbridge, Alberta, born on May 28th, 1992. A right handed shot, Ross comes in at 6’1, 167lbs. He is the highest pick of the Leafs 2010 draft class.

Greg McKegg is a Centre from St. Thomas, Ontario, born on June 17th, 1992. A left handed shot, McKegg comes in at 6’0, 185lbs. He is the player with the best name of the Leafs 2010 draft class.

Sondre Olden is a Right Winger from Oslo, Norway, born on August 28th, 1992. A left handed shot, Olden comes in at 6’4, 176lbs. He is the tallest player of the Leafs 2010 draft class, along with being the youngest.

Petter Granberg is a Defenceman from Gallivare, Sweden , born on August 27th, 1992. A right handed shot, Granberg comes in at 6’2, 201lbs. He is the only defenceman of the Leafs 2010 draft class.

Sam Carrick is a Centre from Stouffville, Ontario, born on February 4th, 1992. A right handed shot, Carrick comes in at 6’0, 188lbs. He is the player born closest to Toronto of the Leafs 2010 draft class.

Daniel Broden is a Right Winger from Stockholm, Sweden, born on February 9th, 1990. A right handed shot, Brodin comes in at 6’0, 163lbs.  He is the oldest player of the Leafs 2010 draft class.

Josh Nicholls is a Centre from Tsawwassen, British Columbia, born on April 27th, 1992. A right handed shot, Nicholls comes in at 6’2, 170lbs. He is nothing spectacular in terms of uniqueness, but he probably does have the coolest sounding home town name.

What did their stats look like this year?

Brad Ross scored 27 goals and added 41 assists for 68 points in 71 games with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL. This was good for third on the team in scoring, actually ahead of the 5th overall pick in the draft and teammate Nino Niederreiter (who to be fair, had played 6 less games and got better as the season went on, so its not like I”m saying we got the better player). He was also first on the team in Penalty Minutes with 203, and plus minus with a +22. In the playoffs, he dropped to 6th on the team in scoring, with 9 points in 13 games, with 36 penalty minutes, first on the team again, added for good measure.

Greg McKegg had a spectacular year on an admittedly good (in the regular season) Erie Otters of the OHL. Potting 37 goals, 48 assists, and 85 points, this was good for 2nd on the team in Goals, 3rd on the team in points, and 11th in the entire OHL in points. He had 32 penalty minutes, about  middle of the pack on the Otters. Lastly, his +18 was 3rd on the team.

Sondre Olden spent the year playing throughout Modo Hockey’s junior program, playing 8 games in the J18 Elite, getting 11 goals and 15 assists in that time, before quickly being promoted to the J18 Allvenskan, getting 13 points in 16 games (10 goals), along with 1 goal in 5 playoff games. He would get one more promotion, earning 7 goals, 20 assists, and 27 points in32 games with the MODO J20 tem in the J20 SuperElit. As icing on the cake, he played for Norway at the U18 World Juniors, getting 22 points in 5 games (leading the tournament in assists and points!), followed by 4 points in 5 game sat the U20 World Juniors (the one we care about).

Petter Granberg had a similar ascension, starting with Skellefta’s J18 Elit (0P in 2 games), then the J18 Allsvenskan (1P in 4GP), then the J20 SuperElit (40 games played, 2 goals,  7 assists), and finally, 1 game with the big club in the Elitserien (Swedish Elite League, SEL). As for playoffs, he had 3 assists in 3 games in Allsvenskan, and 1 goal in 4 games in SuperElit. He added to his play in Sweden with 6 games played and 1 point with the Under 18 team, and 1 point in 16 games for the same team including various other events (Exhibitions and such).

Sam Carrick had a decent year with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL, at least one that was a considerable improvement from the year previous. With 21 goals and 21 assists in 66 games, this was good for second on the team in scoring, both goals and points. Granted, the teams by far best player in Cody Hodgson was injured for most of the year, and as the only player on the team who averaged a point per game (by a mile – 20 in 13 games), should’ve been 1st on the list, but even then, he’s still top three on the team. He also notched 96 penalty minutes, third on the team, and an even plus/minus, about middle of the pack. In the playoffs, he was 8th on the team in scoring, with 2 goals and 2 assists in 8 games. He added 8 penalty minutes to that, making him tied for 6th in that department.

Daniel Brodin split his time last year between Djurgarden’s J20 SuperElit club, and the big boys in the Elitserien. With the J20 SuperElit team, he had 5 goals, 2 assists, for 7 points in 20 games, and added 12 penalty minutes. With the big club, he had 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points, and 26 penalty minutes in 30 games. He came up rather short int he playoffs though, held pointless in 16 games. Internationally, he had 5 points in 6 games with the Swedish U20 World Junior Team, and 6 points in 11 games including other events for the same U20 team.

Josh Nicholls did decently for a 7th rounder, at least in my opinion, for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL . With 18 goals, 30 assists, and 48 points in 71 games, he was good for 5th on the team in points, and 6th in goals. He had 55 penalty minutes, slightly above average for the team, and the 6th highest plus/minus at a +19. In the playoffs, he had 5 assists and six penalty minutes in 10 games, good for 8th on the team.

When/how did the Leafs acquire them?

Obviously, all of them were picked in this year’s draft. But where specifically, you may ask? Ross was in the second round, at 43rd overall. The third brought us McKegg at 62 and Olden at 79, the fourth Granberg at 166, the fifth both Carrick at 144 and Brodin at 146, and the seventh and final round gave us Nicholls at 182.

Where have they played?

Not shockingly, considering the fact they mostly have played Junior only, none of them have changed their core club that often in their career so far. Ross has played for the Portland Winterhawks his entire career to date, McKegg has always been an Otter.  Olden Joined MODO this year in favour of staying in Norway with Manglerud, his first team. Granberg has played for Skelleftea since his start, but had a cameo with Vasterbotten of the TV-Pucken for 7 games of the 08/09 season. Carrick has always been with the Battalion, Brodin played one year with Almtuna before joining Djurgarden, and Nicholls has played hsi entire career with the Saskatoon Blades. Typically, it seems the European players have changed their teams in notable leagues more often, mostly because leagues get notable earlier in Sweden, where most of their skills have been honed.

Why were they acquired?

First, the obvious, mutual thing – everybody the Leafs picked this draft is a speedster, all of them being ranked rather highly in their leagues for skating ability. One could argue, in fact, that we picked the overall fastest group of picks of any team in this draft.  Other than that…

Ross was picked for his agitation skills, and the fact that he’s not afraid to get gritty and make an effort along the boards, while still being a half decent player himself. Think a skilled version of Minnesota forward Cal Clutterbuck.

McKegg’s best feature at the moment is that he seems to be a mature player in terms of his readiness to play NHL level hockey, with many people thinking that he’s comparable to Ryan O’Reilly, a rather good forward with high offensive production, that got picked low, yet could possibly make the team at 18.

Olden is thought to be rather good with creativity on the powerplay, yet still decent defensively. Like, not a future selke in the making, but rather good at the role.

Gradberg was picked for the fact that he’s a very capable stay at home defencemen, who can catch up to the play rather quickly. He’s not very good with puck moving or any offensive skills, really, but at least he can catch up to the play.

Nicholls is thought to be a solid 2 way forward, that can be effective on the penalty kill. He has some leadership qualities, which are good to have in a bottom 6 player as he projects out to be.

Carrick is thought to be a lower version of Ross, in the sense that he’s rather gritty, will drop the gloves, and is speedy. However, his offensive skills are definitely lacking compared to him.

Lastly, Brodin. The fact that he’s a Swedish player who plays with an a chirpiness to his play must’ve impressed the scouting staff, much like it must’ve impressed Djurgarden when they called him up to the big club this year. As with the others he’s got wheels.

What’s been Said About…

Greg McKegg:

Goal scorer with breakaway speed. Very slippery. Defensively responsible. Top-six scorer. He’ll need to gain strength for the pro game. HockeysFuture.com

Josh Nicholls:

Like most of the other picks in this Maple Leaf draft class, Nicholls does a lot of good things on the ice. He forechecks well, plays at both ends of the ice, works hard and earned some PK time for the Blades. MapleLeafsHotStove.com

Daniel Brodin:

Brodin plays with plenty of intensity. Has good speed, drives the net, is willing to shoot the puck and plays the body. Has an edge to his game and is a valuable player for any team. EliteProspects.com

Sondre Olden:

A lanky and offensively skilled forward with surprisingly quick feet. Olden is a creative player with good hockey sense and strong technical skills. A pretty productive player, that thrives on the pp unit, that will put up points on the board, but also contribute defensively. Has, however, some inconsistency issues and must bulk up. EliteProspects.com

Petter Granberg:

A big and strong stay-at-home defenseman. Granberg plays a very solid defensive game and rarely gets caught out of position. He plays a simple and safe game with the puck. Does not shy away from the rough stuff, but could probably play even more physical. Hockey sense is decent, but Granberg will never be a high-scoring defenseman. EliteProspects.com

Brad Ross:

Ross brings energy and grit to the mix, which sometimes makes it easy for his offensive prowess to be overlooked. An in-your-face forward, his presence helps create open ice for his ultra-skilled linemates. NHL scouts recognize Ross’s contribution to the overall success of the forward unit, alluding to his combination of 20-plus goals and 200-plus penalty minutes. He thrives in the role and should continue to frustrate opponents. HockeysFuture.com

Sam Carrick:

He’s an underrated offensive player who should get a chance to post big numbers next season as he will inherit a big part of the scoring responsibility from departing center Cody Hodgson. He plays well under pressure and is often at his best when his team is down or the game is close late. MapleLeafsHotStove.com

In The System

What are their roles expected to be next year?

Its rather simple, thankfully – all of the North American Players are expected to definitely play in the OHL or WHL again next year, with the exception of McKegg, who will likely be back in the OHL, but if the Ryan O’Reilly comparisons are true, is an outsider to make the team in his first year.

As for the Europeans, Brodin and Granberg are definitely expected to play in the Elitseren next year. Olden could, but seeing as Modo isn’t particularly desperate to rush kids, may play one more year in the J20 SuperElit.

The Big Question

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

Its hard to say right now, with six out of 7 of them being 17 or 18, and Brodin still only being 20. They definitely need to show that they can be very good players where they’re playing now first. However, if one had to take a guess, I’d say Olden has the highest potential upside, and McKegg and Ross are the safest picks to make the big show in the next year or two. Granberg is the dark horse – not a logical pick seeing the depth we have on D, particularly in hard hitting defensive D, but if they’re going to pick arguably at our strongest point, they really must see something him.

Anything Else?

Return of the Euros

This years draft was a pleasant diversion from last years “disregard euros, draft goons” philiosophy the team had in 2009, with 3 picks coming from Scandinavia, which probably means that Leafs European Scout Tommie Bergman concentrated his efforts this year to ensure there were guys the team could be so confident in, that they had no choice but to sign him. Plus, there’s always the possibility that Burke had a dream the previous night about a team of 20 Vitkor Stalbergs doing laps around the rest of the NHL. Or both.

Regardless, picking regardless of location is definitely smart. Picks like Jamie Devane last year made many think that this was lost in the Leafs philosophy, but the team has no doubt recovered their reputations with the picks of this year.

See Them In Action

All of these Vids are courtesy of the fine folks at Pension Plan Puppets, except for the last one (Granberg). Enjoy!