The Edmonton Oilers dropped game 3 to the Florida Panthers and did so in commanding fashion. On one hand, it’s nice to see that it’s not just the Leafs that can lose games to Florida by way of a 6-1 score, but on the other hand the Leafs own the Panthers’ 2nd round selection in the 2025 draft, so losing to the Oilers would help the Leafs in a very small way by moving their pick up a single slot.
With that pick it’s going to be impossible to predict who the Leafs will take, so I’m going to attempt to talk about a very large number of prospects in a very short amount of time, while giving a broader view of their game.
For this part of the series we’re going to look at some of the defenders that are ranked in that general area of the draft:
Max Psenicka
Position: Right Defense
Age: 18
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 185lbs
Junior Team: Portland Winterhawks, WHL
Psenicka is a towering defender that relies on his wingspan and physical presence to defend, which he does very well. He has a lot of room to add weight to his frame and when he does so he’ll become very hard to deal with in the tough areas of the ice. He skates well enough for a big man, but as expected with players of his size, his agility could use some work. Generally you think of defenders with his size as being the stay-at-home type, but Psenicka isn’t afraid to break the puck out and tries to involve himself in the offensive side of the game as much as possible. He has room to improve on the 1G and 7pts he produced in 24 games for the Winterhawks this season and he could prove to be a steal if he falls to the bottom of the second round where the Leafs can pick him. He began the 2024/25 season by playing in Czechia, where he split time between HC Plzen U20 (20GP, 3G, 11Pts) and HC Plzen (16GP, 2G, 2Pts). He’s expected to take on a much larger role with the Winterhawks next season, which could help accelerate his development.
Peyton Kettles
Position: Right Defense
Age: 17
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 195lbs
Junior Team: Swift Current, WHL
Peyton Kettles is a long term project, but may be one that pays off huge for the team that takes him off the board. He shows flashes of offensive potential and he isn’t afraid to shoot the puck, whether it’s in order to score or to look for tips and rebounds. He posted 5G and 14pts in 53 games for Swift Current this year, where he played a top pair role in all situations and logged over 22 minutes a night. He skates well enough but he needs to work on his first few strides. If he can get up to speed quicker it will go a long way towards keeping him in the play as he moves up to higher levels of hockey in his career. He uses his size at times, but needs to be more consistent in taking the body and could use to add a little more snarl to his game. Overall, he brings the entire package of size, skill, skating and defensive positioning, he simply needs to learn how to do it all consistently and work on his explosiveness.
Quinn Beauchesne
Position: Right Defense
Age: 18
Height: 6′
Weight: 190lbs
Junior Team: Guelph Storm, OHL
Quinn Beauchesne is a top end skater and uses that skill to it’s fullest. He isn’t afraid to join the rush and after he does he can return to a good defensive spot quickly. When he has the puck on his stick in the offensive zone he uses his lateral movement well to get himself into good shooting positions. With 6G and 24pts in 49 games for Guelph this year, he’s only scratching the surface in terms of what he can bring to the scoresheet. In terms of his defensive game he also uses his skating well to close on opponents quickly, while never seeming to be out of the play. He could use to add strength down low in the zone, where he is sometimes outmuscled on retrievals, but with a solid NHL frame there’s no reason for him to not be able to do that. He also sees the game a little too much like Morgan Rielly, which means that he approaches it with a “I’ll play offense, you play defense” point of view, which can be concerning for those that would prefer more of a two-way defender, rather than a pure offensive defenseman. It’s also worth noting that Beauchesne is often ranked a little lower than the late 2nd round, which means the Leafs could potentially pick him up with their 3rd round selection, but if they’re high on him we know they’re more than willing to reach a little. In short, Beauchesne has all the tools to grow into a solid two-way defender that can quarterback your 2nd powerplay unit, he simply needs to clean up his defense a little and add some muscle.
Luka Radivojevic
Position: Right Defense
Age:18
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 170lbs
Junior Team: Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL
If you looked at Luka’s weight and height and guessed him to be a highly skilled, fast, offensive minded defender that needs to work on his defensive game and strength, then you hit the nail on the head. What may separate him from the Tyson Barrie’s of the world is his solid compete level and commitment to defense. While he does need to work on his own-zone play, his flaws revolve more around closing on his opponent too quickly and getting burned, or trying to force breakouts that aren’t there and causing turnovers, rather than not showing the effort to defend in the first place. He sees the ice extremely well and scouts rave about his high hockey IQ, so there’s no reason to believe that he can’t work on and address those concerns. After that he simply needs to hit the gym.
Sean Barnhill
Position: Right Defense
Age: 18
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 205lbs
Junior Team: Dubuque Fighting Saints, USHL
I hate to flood this piece with “prototypical” players but that’s generally what is available at the end of the 2nd round and beyond. If you could find 6’5″ right shot defenders that were solid defensively and contributed a lot on the offensive side of the ice in the 2nd round, you’d be dreaming because they’re in the 1st round and usually at the top. We are always going to be looking at projects at this point in the draft and that’s exactly what Barnhill is. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s calm, he’s makes a good first pass but, like a lot of other teenagers that stand at 6’5″, he’ll need to work on his skating, puck control and offensive game.
Lesse Boelius
Position: Left Defense
Age: 18
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 185lbs
Junior Team: Assat U20, Assat (Liiga)
Lesse Boelius is what some are starting to refer to as a transitional defender. His game is built around solid skating, high hockey IQ, a solid first pass and trying to get the puck to his forward group as quickly as possible. His offensive game is good, not great, as is his defensive game. He could use to be a little more physical as well but as he grows into his frame and gets stronger that side of his game could round out as well. Boelius is the epitome of the “when you don’t notice him, he’s doing well” defender.
Carter Amico
Position: Right Defense
Age: 18
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 225lbs
Junior Team: USNTDP Juniors, USHL
In order for the Leafs to scoop up Amico he would have to fall to the later part of the 2nd round or they’d have to jump up a few spots and the only reason he’d be available in a spot where they could potentially jump to is due to a knee injury that limited him to 4 games this season. Before that injury Amico was slated to be a 1st round selection and by all accounts, rightfully so. Amico already has NHL size and he uses it to punish the opposition physically. He’s a force in front of the net and in the corners, while also having a solid defensive stick and good positioning. Going into the year scouts were interested to see if he could add some offense to his game and thought he could be on track to do just that, with 2 assists in 4 games, but nobody is exactly sure how much progress he would have been able to make there. His skating is solid, his first pass good and his projection is that of a 2nd pair defender if his injury is behind him, but with men this size it’s always worth asking if one knee injury can lead to long term issues. Either way, Amico embodies everything that Brad Treliving and Craig Berube want in a defenseman, so if he’s on the board when they pick he’s an easy choice.
Kurban Limatov
Position: Left Defense
Age: 18
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 190lbs
Junior Team: MHK Dynamo Moskva, MHL
Limatov is a two-way defender with a lot of upside, but he’s very raw still, so he’ll need time to develop his skills. With solid size and skating, Limatov is both physical in terms of laying the body and playing hard in the tough areas of the ice, but he’s also not afraid to join the rush and shows above average offensive skills. He produced 8 goals and 23pts in 46 games in the MHL and suited up for a single game in the KHL this year, where he is expected to push for more games in the coming season. While his defensive game is generally good, he has lapses in coverage and his decision making is suspect at times. He doesn’t play a calm game in his own end, where he panics at times and gets running around or, with the puck, he can rush plays and create turnovers. While there are times that he can appear calm and in control, he simply needs to learn to do that consistently. It’s those consistency issues, alongside the same consistency issues in terms of producing offense, that will keep him on the board longer than some. With all the physical tools to be a top 4 defender in the NHL, it’s simply a matter of how well he can learn and develop moving forward.
Jacob Rombach
Position: Left Defense
Age: 18
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 200lbs
Junior Team: Lincoln Stars, USHL
Rombach is committed to the University of Minnesota for the upcoming season, where he can work on his skating and offensive game. He’s touted as having a very high floor, but his ceiling isn’t much higher. He’s a coaches dream in terms of being able to play within a solid structure and easily shuts down plays defensively before transitioning the puck up ice. He isn’t a physical defender, instead relying on his long reach and good stick to defend. While his defensive game is still a strength, that can be infuriating to watch from a player with his size.
Charlie Trethewey
Position: Right Defense
Age: 17
Height 6’2″
Weight: 200lbs
Junior Team: U.S. National U18 Team, NTDP; USNTDP Juniors, USHL
Trethewey is a high energy, physical two-way defender that the Leafs should be happy to land if he’s still on the board when it’s their turn to make their first selection. If you want to change the DNA of the team, drafting players like Trethewey is certainly a way to do it. One of the biggest knocks on him is that he can be too intense, which leads to undisciplined penalties at times. He’s not afraid to throw his body around, is adept at clearing the crease, shows great potential offensively and skates very well. All of those traits, while being packaged in a solid NHL frame, could turn Trethewey into a top 4 defender at the NHL level. His poise under pressure could use some work, as does his shot accuracy, but overall Trethewey brings a solid, well rounded game.
We’ll finish here, as there are simply far too many possible defenders to cover for a single article, while we still haven’t covered the options that could be available at the forward position. With no high selections, once again it’s impossible to predict what the Leafs will do when they step to the mic. What we do know is Treliving values size on his blueline and the organization has very little in terms of defense prospects. We also know that the centre position is extremely valuable to any team that wants to contend for the Stanley Cup and the Leafs have no centre prospects with top 6 potential, so that’s what we’ll cover next time.