Underrated Maple Leafs Prospect Sees Stock Rise During Stellar First Pro Season
For all of the talk surrounding names like Easton Cowan and Ben Danford, one NHL prospect has found himself shooting up the rankings with a solid season.
When the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Easton Cowan, many fans hoped that he would become the team's next big star, and drafted defenseman Ben Danford as a potential elite two-way threat that could be the true successor to Morgan Rielly once he moves on.
But the Maple Leafs made several other draft picks in that time, and while names like Nikita Grebenkin and Sam McCue have had very solid seasons (with the former even earning a call-up this season) and look set to have a decent, though not necessarily mind-blowing farm system.
However one prospect has come out of the woodwork and begun to show real promise as a potential Top 4 defenseman in the future, and could be the answer to who will take over once their veterans hang up the skates.
Chas Sharpe's Quick Ascent Should Give Toronto Hope For Their Future
Signed by the Maple Leafs last season to a two-year AHL contract, he was an extreme longshot to make the team however was in training camp though ended up causing some headlines when he took part in a fight in his first ever pro shift during the Prospect Showcase.
Blessed with great puck-moving, a hard and accurate shot, Sharpe has become one of the better offensive defensemen in the ECHL and has 12 goals in 36 games played for the Cincinnati Cyclones, and for a defenseman averaging a goal every three games is a remarkable feat.
He's also big, standing 6'3 and still has time to add to his 201-pound frame, meaning Toronto could have a dangerous offensive weapon who can also drop the mitts and play hard and hit hard.
If he had to compare to a former Maple Leafs defenseman, you could argue that Sharpe has qualities similar to another slapshot heavy, hard hitting defenseman in Bryan McCabe.
Toronto is reportedly very high on Sharpe and won the sweepstakes to sign him, but perhaps the fact he would be signing with the team he grew up idolizing had a bit to do with it. Speaking with Lukas Bernasiewicz of The Hockey News in May, Sharpe opened up about what it means to sign with the Leafs:
Sharpe grew up in Orillia, not too far away from Toronto and could have a bigger chip on his shoulder to perform so well given how important being on the team means to him.
He's not a name that fans have been focused on, but if he keeps playing at the pace he's at, they'll have no choice but to stop and take a look at Sharpe and the potential to be a dark horse impact player for the Maple Leafs in the future.
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