Leafs see right stuff in D-man
Liljegren name-drops Karlsson — Salming a bit before his time
CHICAGO— He says he spends too much time on Snapchat, eats too much fried chicken — if he’s at an all-youcan-eat buffet — and likes to fish.
Kevin Hart makes him laugh, snakes scare him and underdogs inspire him.
And if he could be a superhero, he’d be Spider-Man. Or Erik Karlsson.
That, according to his biography, is Timothy Liljegren, the Maple Leafs’ top pick in the 2017 draft.
“It feels amazing. I’m so happy to be a part of Toronto,” said Liljegren, who says he models his game after Karlsson, Ottawa’s captain. “I’m an offensive defenceman. I like to skate with the puck and be on the offensive blue line, and shoot pucks and make points.”
He’s a right-handed shot, a silky smooth skater, and high-end talent whose draft year was sideswiped by a bout of mono. And — if he can be trusted to assess his own talent — he needs another year in the Swedish league before he makes the jump to the NHL.
“We believe in his skill,” said Leafs assistant GM Mark Hunter, who oversaw the draft. “He had a bad case of mono, but he can move pucks. He’s the new NHL kind of defenceman. He can move up and down the ice at a high pace, and make plays out of his own end very quickly.”
Hunter is confident that it was just the mono that hurt Liljegren’s draft year, af- ter a 17-year-old season where he showed “off-the-charts” skill.
“He played in the men’s league in a bit, and he got mono. And when he came back he wasn’t the same,” said Hunter. “It took some time to get him going. But (consider) the year before.
“I always believe in looking at a body of work. You can’t judge a player who, for three months, wasn’t as good as he should be. There were a lot of good things he’s done.
“We’re impressed with him. We’re very happy to have him.”
He joins a franchise that has a history with Swedish stars. William Nylander is a friend, but Mats Sundin was his favourite player and Borje Salming — well, Salming was too old for him to remember, though he did say nice things about the legendary Leaf when prodded.
The six-foot-tall 18-year-old with a right-handed shot is said to be one of the better skaters in the draft with “high-end” potential, according to scouting reports. He had been projected to go much higher earlier in the season, but for the mono.
Liljegren will be part of the Leafs’ development camp in July and joins a franchise that needs defencemen — right-handed shooters in particular. Even so, it’s doubtful Liljegren will make an impact this season.
“An unbelievable skater,” said Mark Seidel, chief scout for the North American Central Scouting service. “He plays the game with pace, loves to join in the rush and has skills. He was a top-five consensus pick before this year, but had a tough year with mono and poor play in the first half. But he finished the year strong. A steal at 17.”
The last time the Leafs picked 17th was 2001: defenceman Carlo Colaiacovo, who went on to play 470 games in the NHL. Colaiacovo played in the German league last year.
Overall, it was a draft that lacked hype and star power, but that didn’t mean it lacked drama. The Vegas Golden Knights were picking for the first time — three in the first round before the Leafs even took the podium. The NHL’s newest team took 94-point centre Cody Glass of the Portland Winter Hawks sixth overall, 96-point centre Nick Suzuki of the Owen Sound Attack 13th and undersized Swedish defenceman Erik Brannstrom 15th.
And a day of trades — with the Blackhawks making two big moves in the morning, including top-line winger Artemi Panarin to the Blue Jackets — led to anticipation there’d be more, with the likes of Montreal and Vegas trying to pry the top selection from New Jersey.
At the top of the draft, there was a debate over whether the flashy style of Nico Hischier or two-way substance of Nolan Patrick would win the night. Ultimately the Devils went for Hischier. The Swiss winger was overcome with emotion after been chosen first overall.
“It feels unbelievable. I was for a long time speechless. I can’t believe it. It feels just great,” said Hischier, a winger with the Halifax Mooseheads. “I can’t describe it. I was happy. I hugged my mom first. She was crying. There was a lot of emotion, but there were no words to describe it.”
Hischier, the first Swiss player ever to go first overall, was rookie of the year in the Canadian Hockey League, having entered major junior hockey to prove his worth to scouts — though not expecting to go first.
“I would lie if I thought this was possible,” said Hischier. “I’m surprised. I knew I had a good season. I know what I can do.
“After the world juniors, I knew I was playing good and I had to keep it up.”
At six-foot-one and 178 pounds, Hischier led Quebec Major Junior Hockey League rookies with 86 points (38 goals, 48 assists) in 57 games. It was a bit of an upset at the top of the draft board nonetheless. Most thought Patrick, captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings, would go first.