Toronto Maple Leafs pre-season prospect rankings: 16-20
18. Andrew Nielsen
Once thought to be a top defensive prospect for the Leafs, Nielsen’s stock has declined as other defencemen have surpassed him on the depth chart like Dermott, Timothy Liljegren, and Rasmus Sandin.
At 21-years-old there’s still time for 2015 third round pick to turn things and get back into the conversation for a call-up down the road. What gives him an advantage is that he’ll get more playing time with the Marlies if Dermott and Justin Holl stick with the Leafs.
Where Nielsen needs to improve on is getting back to playing the style of game that made him worth being a higher pick in the draft.
It starts with getting back to being an offensive contributor as he dropped from scoring 39 points in 74 games in 2016-17 to 26 over 65 games in 2017-18. Nielsen also took a lot of penalties which comes from him playing a more physical brand of hockey and getting caught making some poor decisions.
While not every player drafted isn’t going to turn out, it’s too early to close the book on Nielsen as he still has a chance to prove his value even if it’s as a depth option going forward.