With their seventh pick in the 2016 NHL draft, the Leafs picked Keaton Middleton from the Saginaw Spirit of the OHL. The 6'5" defenceman had 7 points in 66 games last season and had one assist in four playoff games. He shoots left and weighs in at 243 pounds.
Middleton is from Edmonton and has played for Saginaw for the past two seasons. In his rookie year, he scored 9 points in 61 games.
Middleton's primary assets seems to be his size (can't teach that) and physical play. The Leafs have been drafting bigger this year and this pick certainly follows that trend. He plays a lot for Saginaw, which is good but there doesn't seem to be much upside here. He doesn't produce a lot of offence and it sounds like he needs to work on a lot of skills.
HockeyProspect.com had him ranked #83rd overall. Here's an excerpt from their NHL Black Book about him:
Middleton has huge size and a massive frame, which can make him tough to get around. He has a pretty good stick and loves the physical stuff in his own zone. His balance and skating need improvement, but they have come miles since his Minor Midget season. Keaton's puck play has also come along over the past couple years, he is often able to make the smart simple pass up ice. He still makes a fair amount of puck mistakes and can get stripped, but he has shown consistent improvement in this area. He is a relentless competitor along the wall and wins a ton of battles through his size, strength and a relative comfort in these types of situations. Middleton played top minutes 5 on 5 and on the penalty kill, and secondary minutes on the power play. He's relentless in the slot area, making life difficult for forwards and has the reach to take away passes shorthanded. He's not an over the top fighter, but he has good toughness and isn't afraid to drop the gloves when necessary.
