Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 NHL Draft Preview: No. 17 Callan Foote

As the Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL prepare for the draft, we look at Callan Foote. He is the son of former NHL’er Adam Foote, but he plays a completely different game and is garnering lots of interest around the league.

The 2016 draft had several headlining players that controlled the main portion of the coverage in North America. This was particularly true north of the border, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and every other Canadian team failed to reach the playoffs.

This summer will be a different story. Further, there has been a lot of movement in the draft rankings over the course of the season.

On Saturday, we looked at Juuso Valimaki. Today we turn to Callan Foote, who is the 17th-ranked prospect on our board.

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Foote is one of the players who has dropped due to several risers in the first round rankings. He started out as a top 10 pick in most mocks.

He was taken by the Kelowna Rockets with the 43rd overall pick of the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. Foote was also selected 46th overall by the Omaha Lancers in the 2014 USHL Futures Draft.

He did have a brief stint with Omaha, playing two games — and getting an assist — while playing his last season of U-16 with the Colorado Thunderbirds.

His first season with the Rockets went well offensively. He had 36 points, with eight goals, in 71 games. He finished 11th on the team in scoring.

This season with Kelowna, Foote had 57 points, which was good for fourth in team scoring. His best performance came against the Prince Albert Raiders, where he had a three-point game:

Foote plays with a mean streak much like his father did and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves if needed:

Foote was also suspended for three games near the end of the season for a headshot on Portland’s Skyler McKenzie:

Kelowna made it to the third round of the WHL Playoffs, before they were eliminated in six games by the Seattle Thunderbirds. Foote finished with seven points and 24 penalty minutes in 14 games.

Teams are coveting right-handed defenders at the moment, so there’s a real chance that Foote makes a big jump up the board, possibly into the top 10 depending on how the early part of the draft shakes out.

Next: Jeremy Bracco dominant in Memorial Cup victory

What’s your take on Foote? Do you agree with the current projection that he will be drafted 17th overall, or is this too high or low? Further, what kind of career are you predicting for him in the NHL? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.