It’s well known that the Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect pool isn’t as strong compared to the league. With Easton Cowan and Ben Danford as the only prospects with projectable upside, there are still some unknowns with the rest of the prospect group.
They had to fill out the depth with key collegiate free agents like Luke Haymes, Ryan Kirwan and John Prokop. While there could be promise with them, there’s one name that has been continuing to gain some attention over the last few months.
Owen Conrad, who plays defence for the Charlottetown Islanders of the of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League, was invited to the Maple Leafs’ development camp in June and has since been a part of every major showcase for the team. Now that he survived the first-round cuts, could there be a potential entry level contract on the horizon after recently going undrafted? Here’s a breakdown on who Conrad is and why he deserves it.
Conrad’s Style and Draft Year
It really was a surprise to not see Conrad get selected as he easily could’ve been a valuable pickup as a fourth or fifth round selection. In my final rankings, I had him ranked 112th because of his defensive vision and physical play in battles. While he wasn’t near the caliber of defenders Matthew Schaefer, Jackson Smith or Cameron Reid in the draft, I still liked the upside of Conrad as he still provides a steady two-way game.
As he was still on the board and the Maple Leafs with a seventh-round pick, I was hoping that they would select him. That wasn’t the case as they selected Matthew Hlacar. It’s never a great feeling to put in that hard work and not get selected. While Conrad doesn’t have high offensive upside (only 26 points last season), the defensive game and breakout and transitional play stands out as an effective two-way defender. He isn’t going to wow you by any means, but he’s effective in everything he does and shows the competitive drive and work ethic.
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Conrad’s defensive zone presence is what makes him successful. He reads and anticipates plays very well using his position to block shots and stick to break up plays in the zone or at the blueline. He shows great patience and evades pressure well on the breakout when he has the puck and is strong in protecting the puck with his 6-foot-2, 207-pound frame. He’s strong in one-on-one coverage, staying with his assignment and shows great strength in battles. He’s quick to retrieve pucks and has the mobility and speed to get the puck out efficiently. While his skating may have been a concern, it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be.
Offensively, he has good reads and is decisive with his decision-making to pinch up on the attack and keep plays alive or even jump in for a scoring chance. There are times where he can get caught, but not to the point where it leads to a quick counter attack as he reacts to what’s unfolding. He has a decent point shot to get pucks through traffic and does a great job to open lanes up to create them. While he may not find the scoresheet often, he’s effective creating opportunities and quality looks when he’s involved.
Continuing to Impress at Camps, Possible ELC
While it wasn’t enough to get selected, the Maple Leafs took note of his game and definitely thought there was something as they invited him to the team’s development camp. It was a good first step to getting noticed by an NHL team despite not getting drafted.
At that point, Conrad was coming in with a lot to prove and a chip on his shoulder. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. He then earned an invite to the team’s prospect showdown and while he didn’t find the score sheet, the defensive game and ability to break up plays was once again evident. He even showed some edge and bite to his game. After that, he was invited to the team’s training camp and with the first-round of cuts done, Conrad is still with the team.
With preseason games already starting, Conrad didn’t make the trip for the first game against the Ottawa Senators where the roster was composed mainly of bottom-six players, prospects and minor leaguers. Conrad not being on the list could be seen as a positive step. Needless to say, he’s doing something right if he’s still with the Maple Leafs. It’s now at the point where they could sign him an entry-level contract. While nothing is set in stone, if Conrad does continue to standout in the preseason, then that contract definitely feels more likely as the days go by and he remains with the team.
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Conrad has definitely put himself on notice for the Maple Leafs in a short amount of time. It would be a great story for him that immediately after being overlooked in the draft, he made his opportunity count to get on an NHL team’s radar and earn a contract. He ultimately could be a steal for the Maple Leafs as they still saw something in him that other teams didn’t see.
His defensive game and mindset match that with the team and he could easily add depth to the team’s prospect pool.
