2015 NHL Draft Class: Mitch Marner Brings Uber Talent
With Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel locked into being drafted off the board at the #1 and #2 spots (unless there is a complete and utter shocker in store), the remaining seven spots, or picks rather, in the top 10 remain very intriguing. By all means there is lots of talent within those spots for teams to choose from, but one player that sticks out to me is potential future game-breaker Mitchell Marner.
Mitch Marner is extremely talented, period. If you aren’t too familiar with this London Knight product, he tallied 44 goals and 82 assists to amass an astounding 126 points across 63 OHL games. The list of other London Knights to achieve the 100+ point echelon? Well those names would be Patrick Kane, John Tavares and Corey Perry – not bad company to have by any means. That’s not it, in the playoffs for the Knights he put up an almost unbelievable 9 goals and 16 points in just seven games! This kid screams pro talent. This is what Dan Marr, the chief scout for the NHL’s Central Scouting bureau had to say about Marner as reported by Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,
"“After Connor (McDavid), Mitch might be the most skilled player in the draft. Similar to Connor, it’s just the quickness in which he can process the game and execute plays. That really stands out in his favour.”"
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The only major knock against the kid, is his size. Listed at 5’11” and 160 lbs, I can see some GMs’ concerns about how his game might change at the pro level. Yes, he tore up the OHL with his ability to create odd-man rushes and mix speeds, but he’ll have to deal with veteran defensemen and power forwards who aren’t afraid to throw their weight around on the ice. However, look at the success of Patrick Kane (also former London Knight alumni, who Marner is being compared too by many) and Marty St. Louis, these guys have made a good-living in the NHL and are nearly identical when speaking about size. Putting a little weight on shouldn’t be hard for Marner to adjust to the ‘big dance’ in my opinion.
It’s hard to say but I believe we will see Marner in either Leafs’ blue and white or as a Carolina Hurricane, but either way he’ll go as a top 5 pick in the first round.
So where will he end up? When will his name be called come Friday night’s draft? Both are good questions. It’s hard to say but I believe we will see Marner in either Leafs’ blue and white or as a Carolina Hurricane, but either way he’ll go as a top 5 pick in the first round. Mark Hunter is the connection that I think will bring him to Toronto if he is drafted by the club. Hunter was hired on to the the Leafs organization as the Director of Player Personnel last fall. What position did he hold before that? Well the answer is Head Coach of the London Knights. See the connection? Heck, even Marner is up for the idea of playing for Hunter again as stated in a report by
. Marner had nothing but praise for Hunter in stating,
"“He’s a guy that for sure I’d love playing for again. He’s taught me a lot about hockey, so for me to go back to his team in the NHL would be special for me personally.”"
However, the Leafs in my opinion may also opt to go with a defensemen such as Noah Hanifin or Ivan Provorov to build around if they are truly in the “rebuild” stage and especially if Dion Phaneuf is really on his way out-of-town. That brings us to Carolina, a team that finished last season 4th worst in the league in both Goals Per Game (2.23) and 5-vs-5 Goals For/Goals Against Ratio (0.76). They could most definitely use the offense firepower Marner brings to the table, as Eric Staal at age 30 was the team’s leading goal scorer/point leader last season with a meager 23 goals and 54 points. However looking considering the team’s history, Carolina has only drafted just one forward in the top 37 overall picks of the last four NHL drafts. Is that going to change this year?
I will have my popcorn on my armchair-rest come Friday night’s NHL Draft, to see how all the pieces fall into place within the top 10 selections. Just don’t expect a long wait to hear Mitch Marner’s name be called in BB&T Center.