Sheldon Keefe Reveals Why Fraser Minten Has Made The Team

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Nathan Leblanc
October 9, 2023 (9:26 PM)

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There has been an extremely unlikely story that has developed during pre-season for the 2023-24 NHL season within the Toronto Maple Leafs' camp. Young, promising center, Fraser Minten, has somehow found himself with a full-time spot on the Maple Leafs.

Minten is showing NHL level skills already

Minten has truly blossomed during the pre-season, impressing not only his fellow teammates, but also the coaching staff directly. Despite only playing at the junior level in the WHL last season, Minten is already demonstrating NHL level qualities as highlighted by Sheldon Keefe's comments.

The foundation of his game is rooted in competitiveness, intelligence, pro habits, detail. All of those are things that kids coming out of junior normally have to take time working into their game. He arrives with it.

Keefe challenged Minten for consistency and he delivered

Minten will have every opportunity to keep his spot in the lineup, where he is expected to center the third line to start the season. He has progressed well ever since being drafted during the 2022 NHL draft and has shown strong two-way forward play, a nice shot and high intelligence. However, it has also been his consistency and hard-work that landed him a spot on the roster.

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