Toronto Maple Leafs: 2018 NHL Draft Player Rankings

Rasmus Dahlin unsurprisingly comes in at number one, while several others rise and fall in the draft rankings following the 2018 World Junior Championships, as we look at who the Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL will potentially select in June.

With the NHL season reaching the All-Star break, you can start to look towards the NHL Draft in June as a piece of solitude for a lost season. There are certainly some prizes to be had for teams picking in the top 10, as this year’s crop is much stronger than 2017. The Toronto Maple Leafs will likely be picking much higher this year, somewhere in the early to mid 20’s after selecting Timothy Liljegren 17th overall last season.

One of the obvious needs for the Leafs at the draft should be to build depth at center and defence, especially early on. They did that last season, picking Liljegren and Eemeli Rasanen in the first two rounds of the draft.

Following the World Junior Hockey Championship, scouts have gotten a better grasp of which prospects have earned the hype and there are certainly some NHL teams that will want the Draft Lottery to be in their favour.

This year’s draft will likely project more defencemen and wingers to be drafted in the top 10. Their will probably be a lot of movement ahead of the draft, but for a couple of prospects their spot should be locked up ahead of the draft in June.

These rankings are based on average draft projections, taking into account rankings from ISS Hockey, HockeyProspect.com, Future Considerations and McKeen’s Hockey. Four of the top scouting services available to the public.

With all of this in mind, let’s jump into it.