Toronto Maple Leafs: Adam Brooks and Stephen Desrocher Earn CHL Awards
Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Adam Brooks and Stephen Desrocher were recognized by the CHL this week as 2017 opens on the right track.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been fortunate to have prospects that were not considered high level players go through big improvements after they were drafted by the team. Jeremy Bracco, Andrew Nielsen, Martins Dzierkals, Carl Grundstrom, Joseph Woll, and Andreas Johnsson are examples of prospects that have received more attention for their strong play after the Leafs drafted them. 2017 will continue to see the spotlight shine bright on the Leafs prospects and it got off to a great start.
Congrats to #Leafs Prospects Adam Brooks & Stephen Desrocher. Named @TheWHL player of the week & @OHLHockey DMan of the month, respectively!
— Kyle Dubas (@kyledubas) January 4, 2017
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Adam Brooks was a fourth round pick (92nd overall) by the Leafs in the 2016 draft and had an impressive 120 points in 72 games with the Regina Pats in the WHL and 23 points in 12 games in the playoffs. Brooks could have played with the Toronto Marlies this season but he was sent back to Regina as an overage player.
In 30 games this season Brooks has 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points, which has him tied with Sam Steel for the top spot in the WHL. Brooks is also the captain in Regina, who are the top team in the WHL with a 26-3-6-1 record, and has a league high 198 goals for and 108 goals against, which is good for third in the league.
Our own Jake Middleton had Brooks ranked fourth in our latest Leafs prospect rankings and believes that he will be a big contributor with the Marlies next season. It would not be surprising to see Brooks as a long-term project that could be a part of the Leafs top nine, but he will have a tough time cracking what is already a good young forwards group.
Stephen Desrocher was selected in the sixth round (155th overall) in the 2015 draft as an overage player as well. The left-handed shot defenceman was awarded with the OHL defencemen of the month award after leading all defencemen with 15 points in 10 games. He was acquired by Kingston Frontenacs’ GM Doug Gilmour last season from the Oshawa Generals where he won a Memorial Cup back in 2015. He has 25 points in 34 games this season and could be traded to a contender at the trade deadline, which is January 10th.
He has good size at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds, and strong leadership qualities, which landed him the captaincy in Kingston. He has tried to work on his all-around game and has been a reliable two-way player for the Frontenacs. He has worked with the Leafs development staff as well as their strength and conditioning coaches. He will join the Marlies next season and continue to develop into a consistent contributor on the blueline much like Nielsen is doing right now.
Next: How Does Auston Matthews' Rookie Season Stack Up So Far?
Brooks and Desrocher are good examples of prospects that were overlooked in past drafts and were given a chance at their NHL dreams by the Leafs and have not disappointed. Now just because they are performing well at the junior level does not mean that they will carry that over in the NHL. However, the Leafs have put together a strong development system for their prospects to succeed and it’s a big reason why the Leafs have a bright outlook moving forward.