Tyler Hopkins will get his first taste of what it means to wear the Maple Leaf in enemy territory this weekend.
His mother Christie and father Glen wouldn鈥檛 miss it for the world.
鈥泪迟’蝉 playing against the Habs. That鈥檚 been a rivalry forever,鈥 said Hopkins. 鈥淎nd obviously it’s their first time to see me in a 海角社区官网Maple Leafs 耻苍颈蹿辞谤尘.鈥
The Leafs drafted Hopkins聽鈥 a six-foot-one, 179-pound centre from Campbellville, Ont. 鈥 in the third round this year. And although he鈥檚 destined to return to the Kingston Frontenacs for another year of junior hockey, he鈥檚 thrilled about taking the first steps toward becoming a professional.
In Montreal, Leafs rookies will play Ottawa Senators prospects on Saturday, and Canadiens hopefuls on Sunday.
鈥淏eing able to put the Leafs jersey on in a real game, this time in front of a pretty lively crowd in Montreal, I’m excited to get into the games, feel the speed; it’s going to be a lot faster than major junior,鈥 said Hopkins.
Each player in camp is at a different stage of development. There鈥檚 perhaps more pressure on 20-year-old winger Easton Cowan to dominate given he鈥檚 their top prospect and the most likely among the group to play for the Leafs this coming season.
鈥淚鈥檝e just got to be a worker, got to be around the net, get pucks out,鈥 said Cowan, a first-round pick in 2023. 鈥淧lay simple. If I do that, my offence will take over. So just focus on defence first and offence will come.鈥
Others such as聽23-year-old centre Jacob Quillan played for the AHL’s Marlies last year and got into a game with the Leafs.聽聽
鈥淚 believe I can (make the Leafs lineup this year),鈥 said Quillan. 鈥淚 put the work in every day, so I’m confident in myself and my abilities.鈥
There’s also 22-year-old forward Luke Haymes, who has followed Quillan鈥檚 path as an undrafted player who went through the NCAA ranks. Haymes got in nine games with the Marlies last season.
鈥淚鈥檓 developing as much as I can, trying to get the most out of the coaches and the players I’m playing with ... I’m a really good 200-foot centre,鈥 said Haymes.聽
Newcomers such as Hopkins are not just getting a taste of what life is like in the pros, but also how much more work he鈥檒l have to put in just to catch up with prospects a few years older, and a few pounds heavier.
鈥淵ou can see everybody’s a little bit bigger and stronger,鈥 said Hopkins. 鈥淚 think getting bigger and stronger is one of the biggest things for me, to be able reach that next level. It鈥檚 going to take a little bit of time to put on that size, that weight, the strength.鈥
That self awareness is one of the things the coaching staff is looking for, beyond skill and speed.
鈥淔or him to see it for the first time, it can be a little overwhelming,鈥 said Marlies coach John Gruden, who is running the rookie camp. 鈥淏ut he also seems like he’s a pretty smart player who understands what he’s going to have to work on as he moves forward with his strength ... He鈥檚 only 18 years old, a young man, so he’s got room to grow, but he definitely has something. He’s got some high IQ.鈥
The games in Montreal will allow Leafs brass to assess what they have in Hopkins and others before final decisions are made about the roster for training camp, which starts Wednesday.
鈥淗opefully I can stick around for a while,鈥 said Hopkins.聽聽
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