With the 2026 NHL draft having concluded, the Toronto Maple Leafs landed the most interesting prospect at the #69th overall pick.
Ethan MacKenzie is an overager at 19 years old and turns 20 in December but due to injuries, MacKenzie remained undrafted. Still, after a Team Canada stint at the World Juniors and a breakout season, he is a Toronto Maple Leaf.
MacKenzie was linemates with Ben Danford, a fellow Toronto Maple Leafs prospect who contributed massively during the Toronto Marlies' Calder Cup run at the World Juniors this past season.
Interestingly enough, MacKenzie had significantly more points than Danford had at the tournament. But the third-line pairing looked very strong, and may or may not have contributed to the Maple Leafs drafting him.
The University of North Dakota commit is poised to have his first full season in college hockey. This comes after he finished with 22 goals and 36 assists for 58 points with the Edmonton Oil Kings last season.
Why MacKenzie got passed over and what changed last year
Some guys are late bloomers, and this might be one of the biggest outliers we have seen in recent memory.
He was eligible in the past two drafts and did not get taken, and suddenly had a really strong breakout in 2025.
Especially at this stage of development, some players, for whatever circumstance, can develop later, especially since this guy is still just 19.
That said, breaking down his past seasons is tough when looking at stat lines. He had an okay first year in 2022-23, putting up 12 points in 50 games, but in 2023-24, he was injured, and his stat line regressed to six points in 26 games in his would-be draft year.
The following season was much better, but he remained undrafted. In his 2024-25 season, he put up five goals, 27 assists for 32 points in 54 games, a significant jump in production where he showcased development in his play-making ability.
However, this last season everything changed, we saw a massive bump in production, playing time and even saw him play on Team Canada at the World Juniors.
His stat line with the Edmonton Oil Kings this past season was 22 goals, 36 assists and 58 points in 59 games. His shot developed like crazy on top of a still-improving playmaking game, and to boot is responsible in his own zone as well.
His WJC stat line was one goal, four assists in seven games while playing bottom pair minutes.
This level of production in terms of play, continuing to be a late bloomer with incredibly solid statistics, enamoured the Maple Leafs enough to draft him in the third round.
There could certainly be a world where MacKenzie is more pro-ready than some of the players picked before him as well, just due to being older and more mature.
His numbers stack up against Ben Danford's more than you might expect
Ben Danford has not been someone who was never touted as being a defenseman with a strong offensive game, and while he holds his own, three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in 45 games is just not someone who has high-end offensive potential.
While Danford is clearly the bigger player at 6'2 194 pounds, and stronger defensively, he lacks upside offensively, while MacKenzie is still 6'1 187 pounds, so he is no slouch and has great puck-moving abilities, combined with a developed shot/play-making ability.
This is not to compare the two, and say MacKenzie will develop into the better prospect, but I think when comparing the two players, they do complement each other, and we saw that at the WJC.
But when comparing the two, it is much easier to see that MacKenzie, at least in terms of a point getter and offensive defenseman, has just more ability, while Danford is the more physically imposing player.
Ultimately, they could be a pair that is something the Leafs could see together. Both of them project as bottom-four forwards with a bit of upside, and are both mid to larger size players with different skill sets that fit together.
MacKenzie shoots left while Danford is a right-shot defenseman, and could be a pair we see working together as line-mates for the Toronto Maple Leafs in a few seasons and beyond, potentially.
Which recent Maple Leafs draft pick will play for the Toronto Maple Leafs first?
Also read on Hockey Patrol :
Claude Giroux is hitting free agency and he fits a real Maple Leafs need