Toronto Maple Leafs prospect turning heads after hot start to 2024-25 season

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Victor Johansson has caught the attention of some fans after he got off to a hot start to his season back in Sweden.

Johansson is currently playing for the Leksands IF J20 squad, the same place he was last last season during his draft year. Through two games, he has three assists, three shots on goal, and is a plus four. However, his team has also outscored their opposition 7-1 so far, so the quality of competition at this point in the season is questionable to say the least.

With that being said, public analytics models are not high on Johansson. Patrick Bacon's model essentially did not have him ranked at all after he put up just 8 points in 34 games at the J20 level in Sweden last season. Admittedly, players with that kind of production in their draft seasons typically do not develop into NHL players. Even defensive specialists typically put up more production that that when they are playing junior hockey.

Furthermore, Johansson has a long way to go physically before he will eb ready for pro hockey at any level. While he is decently tall for an NHL player at 6'1", elite prospects has him listed at just 159 pounds. He will likely have to put on at least thirty more pounds in the coming years if he is going to be able to withstand the rough and tumble lifestyle of the NHL, especially as a defensive defenseman.

Of course, this does not mean that Johansson can't develop into an NHL player one day. Three points in two games to start the season is certainly encouraging, although again, a short-handed assist and a helper on an empty-netter says more about luck than it does about offensive talent.

Leafs fans should not expect him to ever develop into an offensive threat at the AHL level, let alone the NHL, but teams still need defensive defensemen. Could Johansson be the next stay-at-home Stalwart for the Leafs? Only time will tell.

Source: MapleLeafsDaily
Young Maple Leafs prospect comes out of the gates hot to start his 2024-25 campaign

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