Report reveals a surprising Maple Leafs prospect who could make the team

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Tyler Ball
August 10, 2024 (5:43 PM)

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This afternoon a new report written by Mike Gould of Daily Faceoff has revealed that the Toronto Maple Leafs could look to a newly signed prospect to play NHL games in 2024-25.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled over the last several years to find young players on cheap contracts to contribute to the NHL roster in a meaningful way. In past years players like Nick Robertson and Timothy Liljegren were looked at to fill these roles and failed to thrive. Despite the lack of success at developing players one source from Daily Faceoff named Mike Gould believes the Maple Leafs could give this strategy another try.

New report reveals which young player could make the Maple Leafs roster

In a new piece for Daily Faceoff Mike Gould discussed the upcoming season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. When looking at who could be a surprising player to make the opening night roster Mike Gould pointed to forward Jacob Quillan.

"The Dartmouth, Nova Scotia-born Quillan was named the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player in 2023 after scoring three points in a 5-2 win over the University of Michigan and the overtime winning goal in the National Championship game against Minnesota. Quillan followed that up with 46 points in 39 games as a junior at Quinnipiac in the 2023-24 season, after which the Leafs signed him as an undrafted NCAA free agent. According to Daily Faceoff�s Steven Ellis, «his growth the past two years, his cheap AAV and his ability to kill penalties and draw energy makes [Quillan] an interesting bottom-line option."
-Mike Gould on Quillan

Jacob Quillan played in plenty of high-stakes hockey during his time with Quinnipiac University in the NCAA. Scoring the National Championship winning goal in 2023 and then being a main contributor on the 2024 team who eventually fell short.

In his career at Quinnipiac, Jacob Quillan played 116 games and racked up 93 points. Jacob Quillan's best season with the Bobcats came as a junior with 46 points in 39 games as an assistant captain.

After ending his collegiate career Jacob Quillan signed a deal with the Maple Leafs and played 7 games last season with the Toronto Marlies where he had one point. Jacob Quillan's game is described as an offensive-leaning player who fights for the ice he gets and is willing to go to the dirty areas to create chances.

A player like this that is willing to play in the corners and create space for himself and his teammates could be exactly what the Maple Leafs lineup needs. The determining factor over whether or not Jacob Quillan makes the final roster will be his performance throughout the preseason. Even if he does not make the opening night lineup a hot start in the AHL could do the trick as well.

At just 22 years old Jacob Quillan has plenty of hockey ahead of him in his career. It will be interesting to see if he can break the mold of other recent Maple Leafs prospects and stick on the NHL roster if he gets his shot.

Source: Maple Leafs Daily
Reporter identifies one Maple Leafs prospect who may make NHL debut this season

Source: HockeyDB
Jacob Quillan Stats