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Maple Leafs 2006 draft review
Written by: Matt Peters on 07/16/2006 
Toronto’s only other trade was to exchange picks with Chicago. The Leafs received the 99th and 111th picks from the Blackhawks for their 76th overall pick.
Aside from the goaltender exchange, the Leafs addressed needs on offense throughout the draft. Five of Toronto’s seven picks came from the offensive end, where the Leafs are desperately in need of youth and speed to compliment their aging core. The Leafs also had a focus on Europe with five of their selections coming from overseas, perhaps in reaction to the NHL’s new focus on speedy, skilled players.
Jiri Tlusty, C/W
Kladno/ Czech Republic
1st Round (13th overall), 6’0, 196
Youth and goal scoring haven’t been adjectives that occur very often together within the Maple Leafs organization. Not since drafting Wendel Clark and Vincent Damphousse with back-to-back first round picks in 1985 and 1986 have the Leafs selected anyone regarded as a finisher.
Jiri Tlusty will try to break that trend, even if he was far from a prolific scorer last season. Tlusty netted just seven goals in 44 games with Klando of the Czech Republic, but the Leafs have hopes he could develop into the finisher the organization needs. He is projected as a sniper -- just 18 years old playing in the men’s league and on particularly bad Kladno team.
The Leafs will be hoping he turns out like a host of other European prospects who are noted from their offensive skills but do relatively very little scoring while in their home country. Tlusty was able to showcase his skill enough for scouts to look past his statistics, although he did improve as the season went on. He also has some leadership experience as he captained the Czech Under-18 team to a 2006 World Under-18 Championship. Tlusty was ranked as the fourth-best skater out of Europe according to International Scouting Service. Central Scouting described him as a strong skater, hard worker and player with soft hands. Defense and positional play are areas for improvement. Prior to joining the men’s league, Tlusty posted 46 points in 99 games with Kladno Jr.
Although his offensive upside was most attractive Tlusty is known as a player who does not shy away from using his 6’1 frame for punishment.
Tlusty just signed a rookie deal with Toronto and is expected to play junior for the OHL Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
Nikolai Kulemin, F
Metallurg/Russian First League
2nd Round (44th overall), 6’1, 183
Kulemin was a linemate of Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin in the World Championships. But if Kulemin continues to improve the way he has over the last year, it won’t be long before his name is mentioned by itself and not just in relation to the stars he’s played with.
Kulemin has been old enough to qualify for the draft since 2004. He opted out of the 2004 draft, however, believing he wouldn’t get picked, and remained untouched in last year’s event.
Despite the lack of attention thrown Kulemin’s way, he finished this season as the Rookie of the Year in the Russian Super League last year, while playing for Metallurg with Malkin. While Malkin is known as a pure finisher, Kulemin is known more for doing small things that lead to goals. He excels in forechecking, grabbing loose pucks and making the right passes. His play is normally unspectacular but solid.
Kulemin is known as a team-first player and is comfortable playing in a variety of roles. Although he probably won’t be called on to be goal scorer, Kulemin will do whatever it takes to contribute. He’s a smart player with good hockey sense, but he also has the speed and acceleration. His upside is incredibly high.
James Reimer, G
Red Deer Rebels/ WHL
4th Round (99th overall), 6’2, 208
While the Leafs shipped off their top goaltending prospect, they added another one in the fourth round, although no one will be confusing James Reimer with Rask just yet. Reimer is described as a bit of a long-term project goaltender, but one thing the Leafs won’t change is his size. At 6’2, 208 pounds, Reimer doesn’t have much of a problem filling the net. His style has been described as simply coming out of the crease and challenging shooters to find space around his large frame. While playing for the Red Deer Rebels last season he posted a 2.81 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
Reimer should get a fair shot within the Leafs organization, as they do not have a backlog of talent at goaltender. They do, however, have a fairly young group of tenders with Raycroft now leading the way.
Korbinian Holzer, D
EC Bad Tölz / German Jr.
4th Round (111th overall), 6’3, 190
While the 2006 draft was largely a European affair for the Leafs, they stepped into uncharted territory with the selection of Korbinian Holzer. Holzer is the first German selected in team history. However, it might be a while before he earns the title of being the Leafs’ first German draft pick to make it to the NHL.
Holzer has been described as a sleeper pick but one that will still need a few more years of grooming. He is strong and uses his size well, but also with intriguing offensive skills.
Holzer scored one goal and had two assists at the most recent World Junior Championships. In 32 games, he had two goals and three assists while playing a limited role for EC Bad Tölz in the 2.GBun.
Viktor Ståhlberg, LW
Frölunda Indians / Swedish Jr.
6th Round (161th overall), 6’3, 191
While the new CBA rules limit the time NHL clubs can hold onto the rights of European players, the Maple Leafs shouldn’t have many problems at least bringing Viktor Ståhlberg over to North America. That much has already been done for Leafs. The Swedish forward will play for the University of Vermont next season after playing with a junior team in Sweden last season.
"He has size, incredible speed, great skills and can offer a very different look for us,” Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon said on the Vermont athletics web site. “He had incredible development last year while playing in Sweden."
Ståhlberg appeared in 41 games for the Frolunda Indians last season. He had 27 goals, 26 assists, and 89 PIMs.
Tyler Ruegsegger, C/RW
Shattuck-St. Mary’s/ U.S. High School
6th Round (166th overall), 5’11, 170
Things have been moving pretty fast for Tyler Ruegsegger over the last few months. First his college entrance was moved up a year earlier than expected and then he was drafted into the NHL.
Ruegsegger signed on with Denver University last fall, but wasn’t expected to begin playing for the school until fall 2007. That was until he scored 38 goals and 89 points in 60 games with Shattuck-St. Mary’s. He will be joining the team this fall, which has 11 other NHL draftees, five of whom are incoming freshmen.
Although he was attending high school in Minnesota, Ruegsegger is originally from Lakewood, CO, a suburb of Denver. Ruegsegger’s exceptional stick work and reputation for being highly competitive certainly could be put to good use someday on a Leafs roster that lacks finishers. He took a bit of a different route than many of his collegiate peers as he has no junior-A or U.S. Development Program experience. He was planning on playing for the Omaha Lancers in the USHL before Denver coach George Gwozdecky asked Ruegsegger to come on board immediately.
At 5’11, 170 lbs. he lacks size, but that has become much less of an issue.
Leo Komarov, C
Assat Pori / Finnish Jr. A
6th Round (180th overall), 5’10, 187
If Leo Komarov is able to jump to the NHL, it may be a good bet he will earn his first two minutes in the box before he scores a goal. Komarov greatest skill is his ability to be a pain in the side of the opponent. Scouts have described him as a small, speedy player who likes to mix things up around the crease and take checking assignments – or in short, a pest. Komarov originally hails from Estonia but moved to Finland early in his life.
Even with his somewhat limited skill set he managed 68 points in 133 games over the last four years, although he scored just six points in 44 games playing for Assat Pori last season. His strength is his ability make chaos and use his hands around the net to manufacture points. He’s racked up 274 penalty minutes in the process. In order to make his way out of Finland, he will need to learn to control his emotions. His play beyond areas where he can use his body is limited.
Pekka Lampinen, Sergei Balashov, Eugene Belashchenko, and Leslie Treff contributed to this article. Copyright 2006 Hockey's Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.
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