I find that sometimes drafts have a theme once you get out of the 1st round. The 2024 draft was the year of the big, sturdy defender. 2025 saw a lot of prospects that I’d describe as bottom 6 grinders. 2026 is a bit of a different beast in that it appears to have a sprinkling of everything. There are a few overage prospects, passed over in the draft not once, but twice that appear to be worth a risk. Some towering defensive defenders, smaller offensive defenders and two-way forwards.
I think what this draft will provide Leafs fans is a glimpse into what direction the new management group intends to take. I feel as if Brad Treliving would have taken a flyer on a massive defender like Maksim Sokolovskii in the late 2nd to early 3rd round, while Kyle Dubas would look towards a Tomas Galvas type of skilled, puck moving defender.
What I’m wondering is if John Chayka can find a happy medium between the two previous GMs. They leaned so far to one side or the other that it was problematic. What gave me hope about Chayka’s vision for the roster is his statement that a winning team should be able to “do everything.” Which is to say they should be able to play a physical game, a defensively stifling game, an offensively dangerous game and if he’s able to build a roster that can do all of those things, they have a legitimate shot at winning.
If he wants that vision to come from the draft, then maybe they should select…
Giorgos Pantelas
Position: Right Defense
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 210lbs
Last season Pantelas made a name for himself for being a physical, hard to play against, stay at home defender.
This season, he showed the Brandon Wheat Kings that he can be much more than that.
Jumping from 10pts in 61 games to 37pts in 68 games is quite the leap. Especially for a defender that was said to be a complementary player, rather than a play driving puck mover. Pantelas plays a very physical brand of hockey. He loves to battle and use his size to lean on the opposition. His gap control and active stick allows him to break up plays efficiently, while his solid skating ability keeps him on the right side of the puck the vast majority of the time. It’s these qualities that project him to be at least a 3rd pair, shut down defender at the NHL level.
He has been building his offensive game though. He has solid vision, playmaking skill and hockey IQ, which allows him to make stretch passes efficiently and/or find his teammates in the offensive zone. His poise with the puck is a quality that many big, shut down defenders don’t possess and it’s that poise that has allowed him to become more of a two-way defender at the junior level. He won’t wow you with high end skill, as he plays more of a straight forward style of game, but his simplistic game is effective and projects well to higher levels of hockey.
If Pantelas can make another jump in his development next season, whoever takes him in the draft will appear to have gotten a steal in the mid-to-late 2nd round.
Also, Pantelas, a player that can skate, is growing his offensive game, has high end defensive skills and loves to play a physical brand of hockey, would represent a direction for the organization that I could really get behind.