Jacob Quillan and his Quinnipiac teammates broke Matthew Knies’s heart聽a year ago, beating the University of Minnesota in the NCAA final.
And it was the newest Maple Leafs prospect who scored the overtime goal that gave Quinnipiac its first national championship. Quillan was the tournament MVP.
鈥淚t was a dream come true, for sure,鈥 the 22-year-old forward says. 鈥淚t was good to bring the first championship to the school. It means a lot to the program.鈥
He had multiple offers to turn pro at that point, but returned to school to finish a three-year degree. He then signed聽a two-year, entry-level contract with the Leafs. That deal kicks in next season.
The AHL Marlies signed him to a professional tryout for the rest of this year.
Now Quillan finds聽himself in the same organization as Knies.
鈥淢atthew Knies, I thought he was probably one of the best players in college hockey (last) year,” Quillan says.
Knies says he still smarts from the semifinal loss.
鈥淚t’s easy for him to take the high road; he’s got one up on me,鈥 says Knies. 鈥淏ut I’m happy for him.鈥
Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold believes Quillan could make the Leafs as a rookie.
鈥淗e obviously scored a lot at this level last two years (36 goals and 84 points in 80 games); I think he will score a bit in pro,”聽Pecknold says. “But he’s got a great defensive game. I could see him helping the Maple Leafs to start as a rookie as a fourth-line centre, killing penalties.
“He plays hard, he competes hard, he defends. There’s a lot to like about his game.鈥
The six-foot, 200-pound centre can also play on the wing. He was in Grade 9 when he committed to Quinnipiac, a private university in Hamden, Conn., then played two years at a U.S. prep school and one with the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League before joining the Bobcats.
Pecknold, who has also coached Colorado’s Devon Toews and Buffalo’s Connor Clifton, was surprised when Quillan went undrafted.
鈥淚 have a lot of friends in the NHL and the scouting world, and I’m like: Just take him, he’s going to get there,鈥 Pecknold says. 鈥淗is freshman year, he had nine points. It just took him a little bit to blossom. He was a really good player 鈥 he should have been a late-round pick 鈥 but it worked out better for him. He could go where he wanted.鈥
Growing up in Dartmouth, N.S., Quillan was excited to watch Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon practise in the summer, but the team he loved was in Toronto.聽
鈥淚 watched the Leafs as a kid,” he says. 鈥淚 loved the organization. Had some Zoom calls with the management. We lost (in the quarterfinals this season), then the next day (general manager Brad Treliving) gave me a call.鈥
The Leafs have had success with undrafted players over the years, from Tyler Bozak to Bobby McMann.
鈥淭he development here is the best there is,鈥 Quillan says. 鈥淚 just want to take advantage of all the resources they have and continue to better my game every day.鈥
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