Maple Leafs Prospect Skyrockets in New Rankings, Emerging as a Hidden Gem
Photo credit: Steven Ellis
A late round Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has taken a massive jump in a recent reevaluation.
A 2024 NHL redraft by The Athletic's Corey Pronman has moved up Leafs prospect Miroslav Holinka a whopping 108 spots from his selection in the fifth round of the draft at 151st to now the 43rd pick in the redraft.
Pronman had an assessment of Holinka earlier in the offseason, where he viewed the potential of the Czech center as a potential bottom-six forward in the NHL.
Honlinka had a decent first season in North America, but played at the top of his game at the World Juniors.
He's a center with intriguing tools, and a good skater with strong puck skills who can beat defenders one-on-one with pace. I don't think he's a great playmaker or finisher, but he's strong enough in both areas.
His compete level is decent. Coaches trust him, and he can play both ways, but he's not overly physical. He checks a lot of boxes, even if he doesn't stand out at anything, but he could be a bottom-six forward in the NHL.
He's a center with intriguing tools, and a good skater with strong puck skills who can beat defenders one-on-one with pace. I don't think he's a great playmaker or finisher, but he's strong enough in both areas.
His compete level is decent. Coaches trust him, and he can play both ways, but he's not overly physical. He checks a lot of boxes, even if he doesn't stand out at anything, but he could be a bottom-six forward in the NHL.
Why Holinka's Ranking Jump Is Turning Heads
Miroslav Holinka's boost is in part of his growth and acclimation to the North American style of hockey, but also his mature two-way game that has shown a highly translatable style for the pros.
Holinka has been viewed as a likely defensive forward in the NHL, but he showed some very strong puck skills and creative upside playing in Czechia, making him a player with much more promise than just a role player on an NHL roster.
The need for prospects in the Leafs system is known, and Holinka adds a very exciting player who looks like someone who fits the part of an NHLer, and if he can continue to mature his game could quickly become of the team's top prospects in short order.
Not only did Holinka take a jump upwards, he had a massive three round jump that shows that Holinka isn't just improving, he looks like a possible draft steal as well.
What His Rise Means for the Maple Leafs' Future Depth
The meteoric rise of Miroslav Holinka into one of Toronto Maple Leafs top prospects has made him highly valuable in a prospect pool lacking higher-end talent.
With the focus being on size and being able to potentially produce at the end of a lineup, having higher upside guys like Holinka is beneficial in giving the Leafs a boost overall and not just baking on any of their lottery picks to hit.
The selection of Holinka is interesting because he was never the biggest player, and yet it was this break from the Leafs recent draft strategy that has managed to create a potential breakout success.
Most NHL scouts lauded not Leafs top pick in 2025, 6'3 Tinus Luc Koblar, but more scouts were higher on the 6'1 Tyler Hopkins, who plays a flashier and more mature game. Perhaps the success of Holinka has the Leafs scouting team considering their philosophy a bit on what works.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 8 | 1021 ANSWERS Maple Leafs Prospect Skyrockets in New Rankings, Emerging as a Hidden Gem Will Miroslav Holinka play in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 690 | 67.6 % |
| No | 331 | 32.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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