Toronto Maple Leafs: 4 Draft Targets – April Update
By Austin Owens
Akil Thomas, Centre, Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
Thomas is a player who didn’t have a particularly hot start to his 2017-18 season. But he’s turned it on to end the year and has scouts looking at him as a much bigger talent than they might have before.
He had a typical rookie season by a first rounder in the OHL, netting 48 points in 2016-17, with 21 of those being goals.
This season, Thomas was able to be a driving force offensively for the IceDogs. He finished with 81 points on the season and managed 59 assists, which was the fifth most in the OHL, and second-best among draft-eligible players behind only Evan Bouchard.
Here’s Future Considerations take on the centreman:
"Thomas is a quick, game-breaking offensive talent…skating ability is top-notch; the acceleration and top-end speed he can generate from his first few steps allows him to beat defenders around the edge and pounce on loose pucks…his ability to carry and control the puck at top speed is impressive…his puck control also can lead to some eye-popping moves, and he dominates one-on-one situations with a combination of skating, awareness and stickhandling ability…for a smaller player, he’s also quite good at protecting the puck; his patience and vision with the puck…intense and relentless around the net…a magnet on the puck…a very deadly shot with firecracker release…not currently strong enough to be a presence in board battles, but he’s not afraid to go after bigger players in the corner and initiate contact on the forecheck either…he needs to be more dedicated in his own end, as he often springs the zone and hopes for a Hail Mary pass instead of coming down into his zone to support his defenders…has the potential to become the complete offensive package in the NHL. (July 2017)"
So far in the postseason, Thomas has four goals and seven points in five games for Niagara. The team managed to best the Oshawa Generals in five during the first round and are about to get going with their second-round series against the Hamilton Bulldogs.
The series will be a good test for Thomas, who will have to match up with two solid centres in Robert Thomas and Brandon Saigeon.
It’s hard to say where Thomas projects in the pros. Somewhere around a top-nine centre would be my best guess. The Leafs look like they have their top two centres set for the future. With Tyler Bozak possibly being on his way out in the summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs could definitely use someone like Thomas in the draft.
His willingness to go into the dirty areas, mixed with his offensive ability make him a top candidate for the Buds to consider once their pick rolls around.