Tip of the Tower
Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs pre-season prospect rankings: 11-15

By David Morassutti

General view prior to action between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
General view prior to action between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Toronto Maple Leafs
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 24: Eemeli Rasanen poses for a photo with coach Mike Babcock after being selected 59th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 2017 NHL Draft. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

12. Eemeli Rasanen

Like Dzierkals, Eemeli Rasanen decided to go to the KHL on a two-year deal and it might come as a wise decision for the 2017 second round pick.

It didn’t seem like his game was taking off in his second season of the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs, so maybe the move to the KHL will help him to reach his potential.

Rasanen’s skating is one area that many were hoping to see improvement in, but other parts to his game are going to take time to develop, since he’s still in the early stages of his career.  His big selling feature is his booming shot and if he can continue to use this, he can eventually be an asset on the team’s powerplay.

At 6-foot-7, 209 pounds Rasanen does use it to his advantage, but he’ll have to adjust to the larger ice surface after spending the past two seasons in the OHL.

He told Luke Fox of Sportsnet that the decision to go to the KHL, which came at Christmas time, was made because of Jokerit’s new head coach Lauri Marjamaki, who has worked with many NHL players. He also wants to compete against more experienced players, rather than go up against junior level competition.

It helps that the Leafs will monitor Joshua’s development over the course of his time with Jokerit. Hopefully, the decision give the Leafs some much-needed depth on the right side of the blue line, which has been an issue for them the past couple of seasons.

Home/Toronto Maple Leafs