Toronto Maple Leafs: Looking Back at the 2011 NHL Draft

In what is the final installment of our draft reviews, today we examine the Toronto Maple Leafs 2011 entry draft.

After trading away their own first rounder to the Boston Bruins in the Phil Kessel deal a few years ago, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke pulled off a few deals to acquire a few first-round picks.

Both picks were essential in ensuring that the Maple Leafs were able to add some top tier talent, seeing as they dealt away their second-rounder that year as well.

1st Round

In last year's entry draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired first-round picks from both the Anaheim Ducks (22nd overall) and the Philadelphia Flyers (25th overall).

They would go on to use those picks on American power-forward Tyler Biggs, and the Toronto native Stuart Percy.

Both players continued to develop in junior/college hockey, with Biggs racking up just 17 points in 37 games at the University of Miami (OH) and Stuart Percy playing 34 games with the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors of the OHL where he managed 25 points in 34 games and a player rating of plus-18 as a defenseman.

Over Percy's last two combined season he's posted 58 points in 98 games with an remarkable player rating of plus-68.

While both these players have shown promise, selecting a power-forward type player who projects to be a second line kind of player at best with the 22nd overall pick may not have been the best move.

Verdict: Decent round, though Burke probably could have done better with the 22nd pick.

3rd Round

Toronto's next pick would come until pick No. 86 in the third round, where Burke and company would draft Josh Leivo, a 6' 2" winger from Innisfil, ON.

In his sophomore season with the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL this past season, Leivo found the back of the net 32 times and added another 41 assists for a total of 73 points in just 68 games.

Leivo also proved to be responsible in his own zone, managing a player rating of plus-2 on the year.

Whether or not Leivo is ready to make the jump to the AHL this fall remains to be seen, but he certainly helped his chances by putting together a very nice season at the junior level.

Verdict: Nice find by Brian Burke. Still a long way to go before any real judgement can be made on Leivo.

4th Round

In the fourth round, the Leafs used the 100th overall pick to draft Swedish defenseman Tom Nilsson, who has played the last two seasons with Mora IK of the second tier Swedish league (behind the SEL).

In 44 games this season, Nilsson managed to put up 10 points and a plus-10 player rating in 44 games.

Whether or not we see Nilsson ever make the jump to North America is something only time will tell, but he'll most likely be staying in Sweden for another year, whether it's with Mora IK again, or if he makes the jump to the SEL.

Verdict: Decent fourth-round selection adding to the Leafs defensive depth and was a potential insurance option in case Petter Granberg didn't end up signing (which he did this year).

5th Round

With pick No. 130 of last year's draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs chose Tony Cameranesi, a center for the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL.

Cameranesi was able to tally 42 points in 55 games in 2011-12, and hockeysfuture.com has projected him to be a potential third line player, with a low probability of reaching that potential.

Verdict: While it's not likely that Cameranesi pans out or reaches his full potential, it was only a fifth-round pick, so it wouldn't be a huge loss for the Maple Leafs.

6th Round

The next round for the Maple Leafs saw them take both David Broll (152nd overall) and Dennis Robertson (173rd overall).

As is expected when you're drafted in the sixth round of the most recent entry draft, Broll and Robertson were immediately placed near the bottom of the depth chart of their respective positions (Broll is a left winger and Robertson a defenseman), according to hockeysfuture.com.

Verdict: Too early to tell. If either makes the NHL one day though, they'll have been great value picks.

7th Round

The seventh round of last year's draft was the third time that the Leafs would select two players.

With the 190th pick of the draft, the Leafs chose Elmhurst, IL native Garret Sparks.

This past year with Guelph, Sparks put up a save percentage of .907 and a GAA of 3.11.

Hockeysfuture.com placed him as Toronto's second best goaltending prospect immediately following the draft, behind only Jussi Rynnas and ahead of goalies like Ben Scrivens and Mark Owuya.

At pick No. 203, Toronto elected to select Max Everson, a 6'1" defenseman, who just wrapped up his season playing with Harvard University in the NCAA.

Everson is currently ranked as Toronto's fourth best defenseman prospect by hockeysfuture.com

Verdict: Excellent round when you consider what the professional talent evaluators have pegged Everson and Sparks' potential at.

This wraps up our five-part series on the Toronto Maple Leafs recent draft history. Be sure to check back in after tonight's first round and tomorrow's rounds for a complete breakdown of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2012 draft.

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