Alright folks, we’re off and running towards the NHL Entry Draft here in Leafs Nation, while the rest of the world is awaiting the puck to drop on the 1st round of the playoffs.
We’re not going to speak about the young men at the top of the draft just yet. There’s a better chance that the Bruins will own that pick come draft day than the Leafs keeping it, so until there’s clarity there I won’t waste a ton of time talking about it.
What we do know is that the L.A. Kings made the playoffs, which means the measly 3rd round selection that Brad Treliving got for Scott Laughton has upgraded to a 2nd. That 2nd round pick originally belonged to the Buffalo Sabres, which they traded to Ottawa as part of the Dylan Cozens/Josh Norris trade, before Ottawa flipped it to L.A. for Warren Foegele. With that (mostly) unnecessary information out of the way, we’ll get to the point; as of today the Buffalo Sabres 2nd round selection lands at #61 according to puckpedia.com, while the Leafs own 3rd round pick (which they still own, somehow) will be #69 (nice!!). So, let’s talk about some players that may still be on the board around that time.
Brooks Rokowski
Position: Centre/Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’7″
Weight: 231lbs
We’re going to start big, REAL big, by talking about the behemoth that is Brooks Rokowski.
As with most players his size, Rokowski isn’t exactly flying around the ice, but that doesn’t mean he’s a bad skater, he gets where he needs to go and why wouldn’t he? Nobody can stand in his way. With that said, the general consensus is that he needs to become far more intense and utilize his size more. He could easily impose his will at the OHL level, where the Brighton, Michigan native has played for the past two seasons, but he’s too soft on the puck and on his skates. If he could simply adopt a Matthew Knies like mindset, you’d have a player that very few defenders in the world could handle.
What Rokowski does well is pretty much everything else. He has soft hands and a good shot. His overall skill level is developing, due to his growing up with more of a focus on baseball rather than hockey, but it’s developing quickly. He went from playing high school hockey in Michigan to suiting up for the Oshawa Generals and has been getting better at an amazing rate at the Jr. level. The Generals have used him as a net front presence on the PP, where his hands are soft enough to bang in rebounds and tip pucks effectively, but he’s also been used on the PK and in checking roles due to his strong defensive game.
Rogowski was nearly a PPG for the Generals this season, which shows a growing offensive game. It’s his mix of size and skill, with a solid defensive game that will intrigue a lot of teams come draft day. He’ll play for the Generals for another season before heading to Michigan State University to play college hockey, where he has already committed for the 2027-28 season.
Rogowski isn’t a player that you’ll see in an NHL lineup any time soon. He needs to work on some aspects of his game, such as his confidence with carrying the puck and his aggressiveness. However, if he can figure out how to use his size better and continues to develop at the rate he has been, his lack of experience compared to others in this draft class won’t matter because you can’t teach 6’7″. I wouldn’t label Rogowski as a boom or bust prospect, as his size and defense could land him a 4th line gig down the road, while his skill and PP ability could push him up to being a possible 2nd liner or a 3rd line checker with some offense. Instead, I’d call him a very raw prospect that will need time and the proper development if he ever wants to make it to the NHL.