Thursday, June 23, 2016

Maple Leafs' overhaul continues with 1st pick in NHL draft (Yahoo Sports)

FILE - In this May 15, 2016 file photo, United States' Auston Matthews, left, fights for the puck with Germanys Torsten Ankert during a Hockey World Championships Group B match in St.Petersburg, Russia. About a year before Matthews was born in Arizona, professional hockey descended on the desert. Learning to skate might never be a top-of-the-bucket-list item for the youth of the American Southwest, with a prohibitive climate and a scant tradition, but hockey has been on the rise in the Phoenix area since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg in 1996. The embodiment of the sports expansion, though, will be on stage Saturday, June 25, 2016at the NHL draft. Matthews is expected to be the first pick. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)

Hiring coach Mike Babcock and general manager Lou Lamoriello last offseason was the Toronto Maple Leafs' first major step in their high-priced bid to restore relevance to one the NHL's most recognized franchises. The next significant piece in the Maple Leafs' rebuilding plan will be added Friday night, when Toronto has the first pick in the NHL draft. The 18-year-old Matthews, who played pro hockey in Switzerland last season, is ranked first by NHL Central Scouting.


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