At the 2022 NHL Draft, the Leafs were in a tough spot, desperately needing to move on from Kyle Dubas' horrendous bet on Petr Mrazek. In what many saw as an apology to Dubas for a deadline deal leaking, Kyle Davidson and the Chicago Blackhawks agreed to take the last 2 years of Mrazek's deal. The cost? Swapping a late first rounder for an early second round pick. That second round pick was then used to draft Kamloops Blazers forward, Fraser Minten. At the time, Dubas proclaimed that had they picked in their original slot, Minten was going to be their guy anyway. You can take that with a grain of salt.
Of the few picks the Leafs have made over the past few seasons, Fraser Minten is, as of right now, very arguably the most promising. This of course assuming that Matthew Knies has pushed past the "prospect" title and is a full time NHLer come October. Minten, a 6'2, 180lb left-handed center, plays a hard working, physical style and is a lethal shooter, who also happens to be a powerplay specialist. He racked up 31 goals and 67 points in 55 games with the Kamloops Blazers last season. Now it appears he will have a shot at playing for Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World U20 Hockey Championships.
As a 19-year-old, this will be Minten's last shot at making the U20 roster. He's now made it over the first hurdle, with his name appearing on the list of players invited to Team Canada's World Junior Summer meetings. There are just over 4 months remaining between now and the tournament. How exciting would it be to have a Leafs prospect wearing the red and white again!? Minten would be the first Leafs prospect to suit up for Team Canada at the tournament since Ian Scott in 2018-19.
