The Toronto Maple Leafs select double overager right-shot defenseman Axel Rindell with the 177th overall pick in the sixth round. Rindell plays for Jukurit in the Liiga with fellow Leafs prospect Mikko Kokkonen. At 20, he’s described as both a shooting and playmaking threat in the offensive zone. He has skill, but his skating is a weakness.

At 6’0” no one is going to complain about his height. It’ll be interesting to see when he comes over from Finland to the Marlies. It’ll need to be soon if the Leafs want to work on his skating and prepare him for a potential NHL job. He’s an outside pick in a draft where the Leafs have lots of picks so it’s a reasonable enough bet.

Scouting Reports

Scott Wheeler broke his game down at the Athletic in his 10 intriguing prospects out of his top 100.

“Rindell has become a bit of an enigma for me from a player evaluation standpoint. He’s a late-blooming double overager who made waves at Finland’s top level as a rookie defenceman this season with 22 points in 47 games. He’s already 20, so a team might be better off taking their chances that he goes undrafted and then look to lure him to North America with a contract, but there’s no denying his offensive skill. Rindell can create for himself with his aggressive, attack mentality and well above average puck skill.”

NHL DraftMaple Leafs Prospects