FIVE HIGH ON LEAFS’ RADAR (OR SHOULD BE)

CHICAGO— It promises to be a volatile NHL draft, with the guesswork starting from the third pick on. It’s deep with quality players who are nonetheless difficult to project. One team’s firstrounder could be another team’s thirdrounder. Gems will be found late. This is good news for teams such as the Maple Leafs, picking 17th in Friday night’s first round. Here’s an idea of who the Leafs might be interested in, according to independent pro scouts Mark Seidel of North American Central Scouting and Ryan Wagman of McKeen’s Hockey:

KAILER YAMAMOTO, RW

Spokane (WHL)

Hometown: Spokane, Wash Vitals: Five-foot-eight, 146 pounds

Ranking: No. 17 North American skater by NHL Central Scouting Undersized, but favourably compared to Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane and Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello . . . Racked up 42 goals, 57 assists for Spokane. . . . McKeen’s has him 24th overall. ... Invited to USA Hockey Summer Showcase.

Seidel says . . . “Fits that mould of high-end skill, puck possession. Makes plays. Not afraid. Not the biggest kid in the world, but he plays hard and puts up points. When you’re picking where they are, you’re starting to think if you can get one of the most skilled guys in the draft. It’s just his size that hurts him. They weren’t afraid of (Mitch) Marner’s size.”

NICOLAS HAGUE, D

Mississauga (OHL)

Hometown: Kitchener Vitals: Six-foot-six, 207 pounds

Ranking: 20th among North American skaters Led Steelheads D with 46 points in 65 games. … Compares himself to Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson. ... McKeen’s has him 27th overall. ... Stock dropped in second half of the season. ... Put up 191 penalty minutes.

Seidel says … “Best shot in the draft. His feet are a bit of an issue, but he’s (big) and growing into his body. That’s not a huge issue. He’s one of those anchor guys on the blue line. He’s never going to put up 50 points for you, but he’s got that long reach and he can bomb it from the point.”

ROBERT THOMAS, C

London (OHL)

Hometown: Aurora, Ont. Vitals: Six-foot, 193 pounds

Ranking: 22nd among North American skaters Third in Knights scoring with 66 points. … Won the Memorial Cup in 2015. ... McKeen’s rates him 15th. ... Models game after Nashville C Mike Fisher. ... Sens fan growing up. ... Invited to Canada’s world junior summer camp.

Seidel says . . . “He is just Mr. Fix-It. He does it all. Coaches love him. He’s always on the right side of the puck. He’s got more offence than people give him credit for, and that will develop. He’s not a star on a winning team, but he’s going to end up being a piece on a winning team. That’s what they need.”

NICK SUZUKI, C

Owen Sound (OHL)

Hometown: London, Ont. Vitals: Five-foot-11, 183 pounds

Ranking: 10th among North American skaters Fifth in OHL scoring with 96 points, including 45 goals, in just 65 games ... McKeens rates him 16th. ... On Team Canada’s radar. ... Named the OHL’s most sportsmanlike player. ... Related to environmentalist David Suzuki.

Wagman says … “He should be gone, but if he’s available that would be a fantastic pickup. He’s another skill guy. He plays a solid two-way game as well. . . . He’s not going to be huge, but he’s talented. It’s not a comparison, but sort of a similar style of Marner. Not as high end, but that’s his style.”

ERIK BRANNSTROM, D

HV71 (Sweden) Hometown: Eksjo, Sweden Vitals: Five-foot-nine, 179 pounds Ranking: Ninth among European skaters Six points in 35 games with the senior HV71 team, the Swedish league champion, and 23 points in 19 games for junior squad. ... Fits the mould of small, fast, puck-moving defencemen Leafs like. ... Compared to Flyers D Shayne Gostisbehere. ... McKeen’s rates him 19th overall. … Represented Sweden at every age level.

Wagman says … “Small defenceman, but super fast with great puck-possession skills. At the world under-18s, he led the tournament in shots by a massive percentage. Always has the puck on his stick, always doing something with it.”