2016 NHL Draft

C Michael McLeod

Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)

Steve Kournianos  |  03/05/2016 |  New York  |  [hupso]

Photo courtesy of the Mississauga Steelheads

Profile

Position: Center
Shoots: Right
Height/Weight: 6’2 188 lbs
Born: February 3, 1998 Mississauga, ON
The Draft Analyst Ranking: 24th (February)
Obtained: Selected in the 1st round (5th overall) by Mississauga in the 2014 OHL Priority Selection
Notes: 2015-16: Ranks second on Mississauga in goals (20), shorthanded goals (4), assists (38) and points (58) through March 5th…His four shorthanded tallies through March 5th tied him for fifth in the league…Five of his 20 goals (25%) are recorded by the OHL as insurance goals — tied for third most in the league …Won 58 percent of his faceoffs (674 for 1159)…Missed last two weeks of February with a knee injury…Played for Team Cherry at the 2016 CHL Top Prospects Game…Represented Team OHL at the 2015-16 CHL Summit Series against Russia, where he appeared in one game…Registered two goals and two assists for Team Canada as they won gold at the 2015 U18 Ivan Hlinka…2014-15: Finished 17th in OHL rookie scoring with 29 points in 63 games…Played for Team Canada Red at the 2014 World U17 Hockey Challenge, where he had an assist in five games…

Regular Season

Season Club GP G A PTS PPG Plus/Minus
2014-15 Mississauga (OHL)
63 12 17 29 0.46 -23
*2015-16 Mississauga (OHL) 52 20 38 58 1.12 +8

*Through 05 March 2016

Scouting Report

McLeod is an exciting two-way player with leadership qualities who happens to be one of the best skaters available for the coming NHL draft. He has one-step acceleration which helps him keep defenders off balance once the puck ends up on his stick. From that point forward, it’s off to the races, as McLeod combines his speed with keen vision to not only identify others for an option or two, but create one for himself. The best word to describe McLeod’s game is rapid — everything he does is with effort and a sense of urgency. What separates McLeod from the lot of draft-eligible speedsters is that he has the size, strength and puck-control skills to go along with it. He’s an excellent passer either up the ice or diagonally in the offensive zone, and his ability to thread the needle while moving his feet can force opponents to cheat towards the pass. This creates a parting of the seas, and many times you’ll see McLeod zoom into a massive opening for a scoring chance of his own. Therein lies the rub, however, as McLeod generates a ton of shots towards the cage without the kind of finish you’d like to see from a high-end scoring forward. Nevertheless, he’s a pure center with good faceoff skills and a relentless desire to succeed. There’s no quit in McLeod; something many of his peers are clearly lacking.