Miroslav Holinka is outscoring first round picks in the WHL playoffs while proving the Leafs found a steal
Miroslav Holinka is outscoring first-round picks in the WHL playoffs. Not bad for a fifth-round pick who barely spoke English a year ago.
As the Toronto Maple Leafs face a season without the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Edmonton Oil Kings are doing pretty well for themselves in the WHL Playoffs however are down 3-2 in the series vs. Saskatoon.
A huge part of them getting to the playoffs was Maple Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka, who put up 80 points in 59 games (37 goals, 43 assists) and ranked 15th in the entire WHL this season.
He's continued right where he left off with eight points through five games, and he's outscoring some pretty impressive competition too:
He's outscoring first round picks like Braeden Cootes and Carter Bear and for a fifth-round pick who had to battle homesickness and a language barrier — he's crushing it right now.
The Maple Leafs are facing massive pressure to score in the playoffs and Holinka provides just that
But this is perfect news for a team desperate to add playoff scoring to their resume as the future progresses. One of the worst things about Toronto in the postseason was their lack of goals, but if Holinka can translate this into NHL-calibre performance then they could be in good hands.
These are the types of players you need to foster and nurture in your system and there can't be any indecisiveness either. So many times we've seen players traded or let go because they weren't viewed as part of the future and Toronto can't risk doing the same for Holinka.
Whoever found Holinka though should be one of the last ones cut if the organization goes scorched earth because this is Detroit-levels of prospect scouting.
Though, all signs point to Radim Jelinek; Toronto's lone Czechia/Slovakia scout. If he can find those hidden gems then perhaps he should be given a bit more focus.
Finding an elite gem in the fifth-round is no easy task and could be the only way Toronto finds hope in their future
Holinka has leapfrogged some of the most anticipated names in the WHL and it's rare that you see a fifth-round pick hanging with the likes of Tij Iginla who's last name alone evokes memories of superstardom.
He had 80 points this year, and 45 a year ago while battling some seriously debilitating roadblocks. The more he gets comfortable, the better he is and this is proving it. He's only 20 years old, and could easily slide into the AHL in the top-six and make an impact.
Plus there's other names like Luke Haymes and Borya Valis who also could benefit from an offensive force like Holinka, and if they get some chemistry going then we could be looking at a very exciting yet defensively gifted trio of forwards in the near future.
Toronto's retool, rebuild, reimagining or whatever you wanna label the vision — it needs to be different. Historically the team has decided to go through the veteran pipeline to give them the scoring and energy they need and it's failed every time.
That's why Holinka is so intriguing because he's proof the youth movement can be just as effective. It's about time the Maple Leafs found out.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 4|822 ANSWERS Miroslav Holinka is outscoring first round picks in the WHL playoffs while proving the Leafs found a steal Should Toronto give Miroslav Holinka a shot at the AHL level next year? | ||
| Yes | 755 | 91.8 % |
| No | 67 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||