Leaf Draftees Excel In World Junior Championships

With the Leafs sitting comfortably out of the playoff picture and hope quickly dwindling, fans can take consolation in two future Leaf staples who took part in the World Juniors.

Nasty Nazem

With time ticking away in the third period of the gold medal game and Team Canada in need of two goals, coach Willie Desjardins marched out the two best players in junior hockey — Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle — anchored at centre by Leaf prospect Nazem Kadri. Canada tied the game and Kadri was on the ice for both goals, assisting on the second.

Kadri was initially slated to be the team’s fourth line centre, but that changed quickly when Willie Desjardins elected to bump him up in the lineup to play with Taylor Hall. Hall and Kadri clicked (what a tease eh Leaf fans?), impressing Desjardins to the point of promoting Kadri to the first powerplay unit. Nazem occupied the right side on the powerplay all tournament long and seemed to earn the trust of his coach as an offensive threat.

For those who watched Brayden Schenn and Nazem Kadri for the first time at this tournament, they were treated to a couple of highly skilled youngsters with vastly different skillsets. Schenn is a big-bodied playmaker who shows tremendous poise, protecting the puck seemingly at will with his strong frame. Kadri on the other hand is elusive and quick, relying on his speed and vision to set up teammates and create plays. Both players were critical pieces of the Canadian attack, but Kadri’s offensive ability made him stand out.

Will Nazem be an ideal linemate for Phil Kessel? He certainly possesses the talent that Matt Stajan lacks, and attracts defenders the way Marc Savard does. Kessel needs a linemate who can hold the puck and while he gets open, and who will also muck it up in the corners. Kadri doesn’t shy away from digging along the boards — something Kessel’s linemates absolutely must do to compensate for the sniper’s unwillingness to exhaust his energy digging for pucks.

The Three D’Amigos

Jerry D’Amigo had to be the surprise breakout player of the tournament. A 6th round pick in 2009, D’Amigo starred at this year’s World Juniors, scoring 12 points to finish tied for 3rd in scoring. Amazingly, D’Amigo is only 18 and should be back to lead Team USA next year. The left-winger scored the goal that put the Americans up 4-3 in the gold medal game, and it was D’Amigo who innocently fluttered the puck towards Jake Allen which resulted in the tournament’s most memorable blunder.

Hockeysfuture.com describes D’Amigo’s skillset as such:

” D’Amigo has offensive talent, but doesn’t have a well-rounded game to go with it. He’ll make bad passes and bad decisions in the same game as a well-executed manoeuvre around the net. “

This was written a year ago, so it’s reasonable to believe that D’Amigo’s solid performances at RPI (NCAA) and the World Juniors has improved his overall game and his projection as an NHL player. Though a successful pro career isn’t guaranteed based on success in the WJC — See this link for details — D’Amigo showed a balanced all-around game and contributed offensively at big moments. His 12 points placed him second in team scoring behind Derek Stepan, tied with Taylor Hall for third in tournament scoring.

As far as organizational competency goes in terms of scouting, the Detroit Red Wings have established a reputation for finding star players in later rounds. The Leafs on the other hand are known for their incompetence at the draft table, with Tomas Kaberle being one of the only well-known late round pickups in the modern era of the club. Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk were 6th round picks taken in 1998 and 1999 respectively, and because of these two, people seem to assume that Ken Holland and his scouting staff find a gem in every draft. Aside from Jonathan Ericsson as the last overall pick in 2002, the Wings failed to find a late round gem in the last decade. Darren Helm was taken in the 5th round in 2005 and has yet to firmly establish himself as an NHL talent. Aside from Ericsson and Helm, there is not a single notable Red Wing draft beyond the 3rd round pick to speak of in the last decade. The Leafs haven’ done much better — Ian White being their only notable late round pick of the last 10 years — but there isn’t much difference between these two clubs and their performance in the draft since the year 2000.

This is why a Jerry D’Amigo can go a long way in building organizational depth and rejuvenating the Leafs’ reputation as a draft-savvy club. Top-10 picks are expected to make an impact at the pro level, as it appears Nazem Kadri will. However, landing a couple of late-round surprises every decade can propel a club to the top of the standings. Where would the Wings be today if not for Zetterberg and Datsyuk? They’d likely be near the league basement and without a 2008 Stanley Cup Championship to speak of. For a Leaf club that must rely heavily on late-round picks and free agent signings to bolster their skill level in the coming years, a couple of standout performances from players already in the system gives Leaf management some assurance that the cupboard is not as bare as many perceive it to be.

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