FUTURE WA TCH
AFTER A 12-PICK haul in 2020, the Leafs fell back to just three selections in 2021, headlined by power forward Matthew Knies, who turned it on in the second half with USHL Tri-City. Toronto has been all about skill lately, with drafts punctuated by the likes of Nick Robertson, Rodion Amirov and Roni Hirvonen. The system got a boost from Finland when D-man Topi Niemela went off at the WJC and high-scoring winger Veeti Miettinen helped St. Cloud to the NCAA final.