Underrated Leafs Prospect Makes Strong Case for Future Success After Breakout Performance

If you look at the draft history of the Maple Leafs over the past decade or so, the names that have come into the team are some of the world's best.

Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, and Joseph Woll have all created or are in the middle of sensational careers.

But they've also done well to add a lot of depth to their prospect pool, and the team is looking to make sure they have more than enough pieces to sort through in order to make sure who is the best possible fit going forward.

If they were concerned about who their next blueliner of the future would be, they may have a head start thanks to one prospect who has come out of nowhere to showcase just how good he truly is.

He's not going to make the team this season of course, and there's a hard case for him to make it next season unless he plays out of this world and somehow usurps a name like Simon Benoit or Philippe Myers, but Sharpe has a spot in the Leafs blueline no doubt, and he's got pretty good timing.

Signed as an undrafted free agent, he's is looking like a very solid insurance policy for the years ahead.

Toronto has committed a LOT of money to some veteran defensemen, and they aren't getting younger.

Chris Tanev is 35, Oliver Ekman-Larsson is 33, Jake McCabe is 31 and Morgan Rielly is 30, and with each man signed to multi-year deals, and by the time Sharpe comes in, Tanev is pushing 40 and everyone else is 36.

So it's perfect that he can come in toward the end of their runs and learn some sage wisdom before the burden lies on him to help lead the team in the next generation.

This season with the Cincinnati Cyclones; Toronto's ECHL affiliate, Sharpe has 15 goals and 11 assists, and it's great to see the Leafs have such an offensive weapon in their system who could grow into a very dangerous player.

In his season with Mississauga last year, he had 19 goals and 34 assists which is a staggering amount of goals from a blueliner. Blessed with a blistering slapshot and a deceptively accurate wrister, Sharpe doesn't just have to clap bombs from the point.

He plays on the right side, is a right-handed shot, and if he steps into the Marlies next season, could instantly be one of their game changers before transitioning into one of the Maple Leafs' more reliable defensemen.

While it's going to be a few years before he's a mainstay on the roster, there's no doubt Toronto's future is looking pretty Sharpe.