Leafs invite Israel’s Levin to rookie camp
The Toronto Maple Leafs have invited undrafted Israeli prospect David Levin to their annual rookie development camp.
Levin has had hype surrounding him ever since he stepped foot on North American ice.
The 18-year-old native of Tel Aviv grew up playing roller hockey and traveled to Netanya to play the game he loved.
After speaking with scouts, it became more apparent to the youngster that he could become a high-level player in ice hockey.
While he had never played on ice before, Levin learned quickly and was a staple of the Don Mills Flyers AAA squad during the 2014/15 season. He would finish that year with 39 goals and 80 points in 55 games, which set the table for Levin to be selected first overall by the Sudbury Wolves in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection.
Levin played his first OHL game just after turning 16 years old, scoring in his first contest. In his rookie campaign, he had 30 points in 47 games. The next season, Levin doubled his goal total, posting 18 for the Wolves and adding 35 assists for a career-high 53 points.
While Levin looked poised for a breakout year this past season, it was everything but. Sudbury finished with the worst record in the OHL (17-429-10) and Levin’s draft stock suffered as a result.
His 29 points left him eighth-best in scoring on the team. Ahead of the 2018 draft, Levin was only ranked by Future Considerations, who placed the winger as the 208th-best name available. Unfortunately for him, Levin went undrafted.
At camp, the 18-year-old will have a chance to prove himself to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ brass, as well as other teams who could possibly take a waiver on him if Toronto chooses not to.
The competition will be tough, with several other forwards being in the same position as him. Levin will have to rise to the top and truly distinguish himself as one of the best names in camp.