Harry Nansi went from flagged skater to the Maple Leafs most improved prospect

Harry Nansi's biggest flaw was his skating when he was drafted but in the span of a year he has turned into Toronto's most improved and up-and-coming prospect.

Maple Leafs development camp was underway with a scrimmage on Saturday as the Whites and Blues faced off where you had names like Gavin McKenna, Tinus Luc Koblar, and Ethan MacKenzie among the young hopefuls who are looking to perhaps get their foot in the door professionally before heading to the NHL in due time.

There was one surprise already with Kieran Cebrian coming away with two goals against the Gavin McKenna line, and it shows that perhaps he could be in line for an AHL deal and may be a hidden gem who went from undrafted free agent to pro hockey player in quick succession.

But in addition to McKenna and Koblar, there was a third person on that line who certainly made waves himself despite not having a lot of fanfare: Harry Nansi.

The weakness in Nansi's game in 2024-25 was his skating so he decided to make it a focal point

Nansi, drafted 153rd overall by the Maple Leafs in 2025 had some struggles with his skating and acceleration that was a big red flag when he was drafted. Sure there was time for him to improve but if you aren't a strong skater, then the NHL is a much harder beast to tame.

Well, Nansi took last year and turned it on its head. With 56 points in 67 games he showed a lot more poise on his feet, was faster, more agile, and looked a lot more comfortable as the season wore on.

That's a huge part of this new regime's MO which is getting more mobile, faster, and tougher to play against. He's big at 6-foot-3 and if he's able to add a jolt of energy to that frame then it'll play well in the future. Already great at crashing the net and providing chaos for goaltenders, Nansi's speed will now allow him to crash even harder and faster.

The staff praise for Nansi extends far beyond just the coaching staff

Nansi's development has been catching the eye of not only the coaching staff but of someone who not only has a wealth of experience in playing, but is a key part of the front office - Dr. Hayley Wickenheiser.

The former Olympian turned executive had nothing but praise for Nansi's improvement and flat out called him the most improved prospect in their system and how he needs to use his strength to his advantage:

I thought Harry has been our most improved prospect. He's very gifted physically. I don't know if he's realized himself how strong he can be and there's a couple of plays down low here where I was thinking, just take it to the net and he deferred to a pass...we are really excited about the player that he can be and his skating still has a ways to go, but it's come a long way.

That's pretty high regard from someone who is a bonafide legend in Canadian hockey and knows her way around the ice. The assignment for Nansi was to get better at skating, and whatever he did to work on that is a resounding success.

Especially since Mark Leach, Director of Scouting for the Maple Leafs pointed out that Nansi needed to work on his footwork, and the rest will fall into place:

Big, raw, rangy. Skating has to get quicker. Feet have to get better. But he's a kid who really works and competes.

It's not easy to suddenly have much better balance and speed, so it goes to show the hard work and dedication he's put in only in a year. If he can progress this quickly, he could be on the fast-track to an NHL job before any of us anticipated.

So for all the hoopla around McKenna, Koblar, and the other top draft names, it was Harry Nansi who stood tall as someone who not only improved the most on the ice, but also may have improved his chances of making the Maple Leafs in the future.

Also read on Hockey Patrol :
An unknown 23-year-old kept scoring on the McKenna line at Leafs dev camp