Maple Leafs quietly sign former Kings draft pick after breakout 46-point season

In a flurry of small signings for the Maple Leafs, they added perhaps one of the top ECHL players in Ben Meehan, who just exploded for a 46-point season with Reading.

Toronto has not been shy about making signings though they are certainly favouring their depth options over big names. Besides Darren Raddysh and Sergei Bobrovsky, we're seeing names like Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, and Colton Sissons come in to solidify the bottom-six.

That continued on Friday with the Toronto Marlies as the team added two players back into the fold while adding five others to the roster. Sam Stevens and Ken Appleby are returning, meanwhile the team added Matt Copponi, Matt Anderson, Ross Mitton and Sawyer Boulton were all brought in, but no one may be better than defenceman Ben Meehan.

Ben Meehan's 46-point breakout made him one of the ECHL's top rookie defensemen

Meehan, 24, is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts - Lowell and spent five seasons there where he amassed 68 points in 145 games. He followed in the footsteps of his father Scott, who also played for the same University, and Ben was captain his last two years.

But it was in the ECHL where he decided to showcase exactly what he could do. With the Reading Royals, he recorded 46 points in 69 games (12 goals, 34 assists) in his first season in pro hockey. The Los Angeles Kings' 140th overall pick in 2020 wasn't brought back by the team, a bit of a shock considering his output.

What's great is that Meehan adds yet another offensive defenceman who is mobile and uses quick thinking and silky hands to make opponents look foolish.

Elite Prospects wrote of Meehan in 2020:

Meehan's decisiveness and timing in his actions was a hallmark of his game this season. He can process the play on a loose puck and close instantly, often deploying his full weight against the opponent. His play off the left point is full of deception, regularly freezing forecheckers with body-feints & faked shots and facilitating movement down the right-hand boards.

Well if there's anyone the Maple Leafs would be targeting to improve the blueline, it's obvious why they chose to bring in Meehan.

Toronto is betting that Meehan's offence and leadership can translate to the Marlies

The team has had some success bringing in former talents to step into the lineup as Vinni Lettieri was impressive meanwhile Henry Thrun and Matt Benning were great pieces of the blueline that brought leadership (Benning) and youth (Thrun).

But they're hoping that Meehan can add both. Already a natural leader and someone with captain experience, he's also only 25 and is just reaching the prime years of his career. If he can build off his 2025-26 season or be even better then Toronto could have a steal.

There is also a chance that he's part of the group that heads to Cincinnati; Toronto's ECHL affiliate, but with how strong of a season he had, it's at least worth a look though they also have several key defenders too with Noah Chadwick, Ben Danford not to mention their NCAA signings like Hayes Hundley and Vinny Borgesi.

Too many bodies doesn't exactly bode well for Meehan though he could put together a strong showing at camp and earn his spot on the roster though may not be starting right away.

Either way, Toronto found themselves another mobile defender with an offensive touch. I guess John Chayka's mantra is much like Brad Treliving's was: You can never have too much of a certain thing.

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