Top Toronto Maple Leafs prospect on his way to North America

We are two months away from the start of the regular season, and the Maple Leafs finally have something to look forward to, as one of their top prospects who has been overseas has decided to come to North America and sign with the Edmonton Oil Kings. Fans and the Leafs coaching staff will have their eyes peeled on Miroslav Holinka, who was a fifth round pick of the Leafs at the most recent 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Holinka was also selected 14th overall in June by Edmonton in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft and then only a couple of weeks later was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs 151st overall at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

Holinka is from Komeriz, Czechia, and spent his 2023-24 season playing mostly in his nations junior league where he collected 20 goals and 21 assists in 29 games with HC Oceláři Třinec.

HC Oceláři Třinec is known to be the top hockey organization in the Czechia Extraliga league, due to the fact that they have won five straight championships in the country's highest level of hockey, which is extremely impressive considering how competitive the sport is nowadays and how much parity there is.

Holinka also played for his country at the international level for the U19 and U20 teams, however he did not make any appearances at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Holinka recently suited up for his country's U20 team at a tournament in Finland in July, where he scored three goals and had one assist in three games.

Oil Kings president Kirt Hill was quoted as saying «Since the NHL Draft, Miroslav has continued to impress at Maple Leafs Development Camp, and the Summer World Junior Showcase in Europe. We look forward to him joining our club in early September and adding his offensive abilities and instincts to our forward group.» This is very good news for Leafs fans who hope to see Holinka do damage at the NHL level one day.

The Oil Kings have missed the playoffs the last two seasons in a row, and quite recently had an atrocious 10-54-4 record in 2022-23. Now that they have added Holinka, as well as three other NHL draft picks in Adam Jecho (St. Louis), Parker Alcos (Vancouver) and Gracyn Sawchyn (Florida), the team will attempt to get back in to the playoffs.

Source: HockeyDB
Miroslav Holinka Stats