Depending on how things play out with the NHL’s April 18 draft lottery, it’s well within the realm of possibility Erie Otters star Dylan Strome ends up being taken by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
If the draft order were to end up mirroring the current standings, the Maple Leafs would hold the No. 4 pick.
Strome, a projected top-five pick, grew up in the Greater Toronto Area a fan of the team and says he would be okay if the struggling franchise selected him. “I think I am for sure,” Strome told Hockey Central at Noon on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Thursday. “It’s the craziest hockey market and the most passionate in the whole world.”
Since mid-December, the Maple Leafs have plummeted in the standings. Every hockey fan knows the story of the club’s demise this season, however Strome is optimistic things can turn around whether or not he ends up being part of the solution. “It’s just a matter of getting the job done. They have the talent and they’re a good team and they have been for a while. Nobody really knows the problem, but I think it’s gonna come. It has to,” said Strome, who admitted he hasn’t paid much attention to NHL standings of late.
“It’s just about timing and if I’m fortunate enough to be drafted by the Leafs I think it would be a really good opportunity for myself. I’m just looking forward to hopefully being drafted and if it’s by the Leafs I’ll be really excited, if it’s by another team I’ll be excited.”
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The transition from junior to pro is tough for any player, but there’s undeniably added pressure if you’re a high first-round pick of the Maple Leafs—just ask Morgan Rielly, Nazem Kadri and Luke Schenn. Strome feels his experience playing with hockey prodigy Connor McDavid and being on a team that was constantly in the spotlight was a good learning experience that could help prepare him for what to expect should he end up in a market like Toronto.
“I think it’s helped a little bit just seeing all the stuff you have to go through and obviously with the hand injury and how the hockey world kind of blew up after that (but) I’m not really sure what the next level brings.”
The 18-year-old finished the 2014-15 regular season with 45 goals, 84 assists in 68 games. He won the Ontario Hockey League scoring title by leapfrogging fellow projected top-five pick Mitch Marner of the London Knights with a dramatic four-goal, six-point effort in the regular season finale Sunday.
His 129 points set a new Otters record for points in a season, breaking Maple Leafs prospect Connor Brown’s record of 128 points he set last season when the two were teammates. Depending on where the Maple Leafs pick and what their draft strategy is, Strome and Brown could end up being teammates again next season.
Strome and the Otters open their first-round playoff series against the Sarnia Sting Thursday.
