Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Sam McCue

I've struggled to write a full update on Sam McCue. In fact, I've started and reset this article 3-4 times since the start of the season. Unlike most of Toronto's other prospects who I have yet to give full updates to, it's not because I've found them lacking or frustrating. For what I've seen in McCue's game, there's quite a lot that I like... for what he is.

My problem has been in trying to talk much about what he is.

Here's what I wrote about McCue after the draft:

Getting to Know Sam McCue

Looking at one of Toronto’s newest forward prospects, Sam McCue. He was drafted in the 7th round and will be a particular kind of player, but can he make the NHL?

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The truth is, from what I've seen from McCue's play with Owen Sound this season, he's very much the same as what I wrote in that profile in July. What's different now is a combination of looking better at all the things he was already good at, and getting a much bigger opportunity.

STATS & CONTEXT

Position: Left-shot winger
League: OHL
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 191 lbs
Birth date: Oct 3rd, 2005

McCue started this season on an Owen Sound team that was in a rebuild, getting used on their third line. They had two star prospects – forward Colby Barlow, who was traded to Oshawa almost immediately after the season began, and goalie Carter George who has stayed with the team so far. Since then, McCue has worked his way up to their top line and top powerplay unit, plus some penalty kill time. And he's earned it.

As of writing, he has played in 28 of the team's 30 games so far this season, and McCue leads his team in the following categories:

• 30 points (tied)
• 18 goals (he leads by 8 goals)
• 5 powerplay goals
• 13 even strength goals
• 119 shots
• +6, if that kind of thing floats your boat.

Now, being more than a point per game and leading your team in most offensive categories is great, but it's good to put that into perspective. His production across the board is still well below not only the elite prospects in the OHL, and just below the level below consisting of the "very good" prospects.

So in short, for a D+1 prospect who is already 19 years old, he's doing very well for a 7th round pick but has yet to put himself into the realm of guys with legit NHL potential. He's gotten close, however, and is on pace to surpass his goal and point production from last season in half the games. So, going by his points as well as the context of him earning a bigger role, it would seem as if he's making big improvements to his game.

So let's talk about the eye-test, and if how he looks on the ice supports that notion.

SCOUTING REPORT

In the "getting to know" report, I concluded the following for what kind of player he was in terms of his strengths:

• Energy player that works hard and plays physical.
• Has a nose for the net, goes to the dirty areas.
• He showed a "nose for the net and an innate scoring touch".
• He was a bit of a little things-king, with small details to his game that coaches liked.

All of that is very true when describing McCue this season, but he's gotten better across the board in these areas. He is very often around the net when in the offensive zone, and has an uncanny ability to be around loose pucks off rebounds and the like. Most of his goals are scored in close as a result, and he'll get some assists off of the chaos he gets involved in as well. His energy and physical play is still at a high level too, though I would not say he is a bruiser that chases hits most of the time. But he will use his size and strength to his advantage.

The 'little things' he does intrigue me a good amount. He sets picks without drawing penalties to help his teammates get open. When he makes a pass he doesn't watch, but keeps moving – which honestly I think is a lot of how he is able to sneak into those open areas where loose pucks may be. He has some nice defensive details to his game as well, but I wouldn't overstate the extent of it.

There are two things I would add to that list that I have noticed more so far this season – McCue has a deceptively good shot, and flashes some solid hand-eye coordination when it comes to deflecting shots in front. Those two, combined with that innate scoring touch, are why he's on pace for a 40 goal season in his D+1 season.

McCue's shot has been flashing an ability to score from some distance, especially a solid one-timer. His wrist shot at a glance doesn't seem very special, but that's why I said it is deceptively good. He can get it off quick with surprising power, and he picks good spots to beat goalies. He's also a high volume shooter, averaging more than 4 shots per game with a 15% shooting percentage – especially for junior, and especially with where he mostly shoots from, his goal production is within the range of sustainable.

Here's some examples of his goal scoring, both his shot and his deflections.

CONCERNS & DEVELOPMENT GOALS

So what are the problems with McCue, that I've said he hasn't gotten the point yet where I can declare him a guy with legit NHL potential? When he was drafted I noted that his main weaknesses seemed to be that he wasn't a very strong skater and he didn't have very high end offensive skills. I will say that he has improved in all of these areas – he can outskate a good chunk of his junior competition to create breakaways for himself, and has started using some nice looking cut backs and sudden stops to create distance from defenders while carrying the pick. He's also improved in his playmaking and especially with his shot.

The problem is that while they've improved, McCue still has to improve in all of these areas and not to an insignificant degree. It's like I said about other Toronto prospects who were mid to late round picks, like Villeneuve or Chadwick. They may have had intriguing skill in junior, but they needed to improve in some very important areas to a significant degree.

So McCue has gotten to a level where he's on the outside looking in, rather than being a complete after thought like most 7th rounders. What you can reasonably hope for, with no guarantees, is that maybe his energy, physical play, and little things he does well can turn him into a fourth line sort of guy. Someone like Steve Lorentz or a lesser Pontus Holmberg.

If McCue was an above average skater, I'd be more confident in his NHL potential. He's already a pretty big guy, so my hope is he can add more explosiveness to his stride and overwhelming strength. If he becomes a complete gym rat and dedicates himself to high end training, getting buff and fit to the extent of a David Kampf would also help.