TLN Player Profiles: C Peter Holland

Peter Holland came to this team as a result of great incompetence. In an attempt to get as gritty and great as possible, the Leafs made a bunch of crazy signings and trades that put them right against the cap, to the point where they had to trade bargain contract Joe Colborne for pennies on the dollar.

Of course, it didn’t work out too well. Dave Bolland’s ankle tendon exploded, Tyler Bozak injured himself, and Nazem Kadri was suspended for attempting to murder Niklas Backstrom. The Leafs were suddenly left with Jay McClement as their first line centre. When you’re 12-7-1 to start the year.. this is not a situation that you want.

So the Leafs went out and made a reactionary move, and traded Jesse Blacker and a couple of picks for Holland. While he hasn’t been an elite player, he’s certainly represented the team well and hopes to continue to do so this season.

Holland, in many ways, was destined to play for the Leafs at some point in his career. Raised in nearby Caledon, he grew up a Leafs fan – even leaving his childhood room decked out in blue and white after being drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in 2009.

Holland was seen as a top prospect when the Ducks selected him fifteenth overall; in his draft year, he picked up 67 points in 68 games, and followed that up with four goals in as many games in the OHL playoffs. His production only got better with each year he stuck back, and when he made his way to the AHL, he quickly became a near point-per-game player. Since coming to Toronto, he’s spent the bulk of his time up with the Leafs, though he helped bolster the depth of the 13/14 Marlies as they made their way to Game 7 of the AHL’s Western Conference Finals.

As said above, his OHL numbers were quite good, and his AHL performance was very solid. He’s still a ways away in the NHL, though that might also have to do with the bottom-six role that he’s been placed in by both the Ducks and the Leafs.

As you can see, Holland’s production looks a lot more promising from a rate perspective, though his possession statistics are lacking. It is worth noting that Toronto used him in rather tough minutes this year (his offensive zone start ratio was 8.8% lower than his teammates), and the team has been dreadful as a whole in this regard for most of his career, so it’s hard to say if his performance is a cause or an effect.