With the 25th Overall Pick, The Toronto Maple Leafs Select… Ty Dellandrea?
By Jon Steitzer
5 years agoWho Is Ty Dellandrea?
In a draft where the majority of players expected to go in the first couple rounds are defensemen or wingers, Dellandrea sneaks into the conversation as a potential late round steal for a team that may value centers more than other positions (this isn’t me saying don’t take the best player available, I’m saying playing center makes them a better player.)
Dellandrea has a late-ish birthday as well, being born in July, and makes his draft year numbers more impressive, considering he’s much newer to the OHL. Dellandrea also has the size you’d hope to see in a center, standing at 6’1 and weighing 190 lbs.
Where Is Dellandrea Ranked?
| The Athletic (Pronman) | Top 31 ($) |
| Future Considerations | 30th |
| Sporting News | 24th |
| NHL Central Scouting (North American Skaters) | 25th |
| Hockey Prospect | 29th |
| Canucks Army | 43rd |
| TSN (Craig Button) | 18th |
| Jon’s Ranking | 23rd |
What the Numbers Say About Dellandrea
That’s some nice progress achieved by Dellandrea in his second year in the OHL, doubling his goal total and jumping from 24 points to 59. It’s also worth looking at Dellandrea’s +/- if only to establish what a bad team Flint was. Dellandrea didn’t have the benefit of a strong supporting cast in achieving his results. Dellandrea jumped to a point per game pace during the Under-18 tournament. Who ever drafts him probably needs to get him out of Flint.
Not particularly surprising shot map, but the density seems to illustrate that there isn’t much worry about Dellandrea being a perimeter player.
Look at that Goals For%! This is basically the same as the +/- comment I made above, but look at the GF% Relative to his team, and the story changes dramatically. Somehow a 35.09% was relatively good.
Perhaps the worrisome number here is that Dellandrea was limited to 24 primary points at even strength. The fact that the Firebirds were so bad factor in here again, and when you look at fellow highly ranked center Ryan McLeod having 27 5v5 primary points on a much better Mississauga team, and you worry a lot less about Dellandrea.
The Eye Test
Failed to load video.
What’s Been Written About Ty?
Dellandrea is a two-way center with a lot of offensive skill and an ice awareness that allows him to play in every situation. The biggest hole in his game is that he’s not strong enough, but he’s 17-years old and that is an issue that is easy to fix.In terms of skating ability, Dellandrea is one of the best in the draft. He has a quick first step that allows him to get a jump on defenders and the top-speed necessary to pull away from them. He works well on his edges, but could stand to work on his balance – that should come with more strength.
The Port Parry native is a well balanced offensive player that can score or set up his teammates regularly. He likes having the puck on his stick so that he can dictate the play and attack as he sees fit. I really like his wrist shot, he pulls it back well to get velocity and weight to his shot. But isn’t afraid to mix it up with his slap shot. It’s not flawless but has been surprising to me when viewing.
Dellandrea isn’t a flashy player. He’s not going to dangle around two defenders and hit the highlight pack consistently. But he’s a very honest player who does a lot of little things well. He’s an excellent two-way player and has the best understanding of his own end of any forward on this list. He also makes really good decisions with the puck in the offensive end. Doesn’t force plays. Works the wall well and rarely turns the puck over.
Why the Leafs Should Draft Ty Dellandrea
I really don’t know what kind of sell job is required when it comes to taking potentially the best center available when the Leafs draft. Dellandrea might not have Ryan McLeod’s speed, or his point totals, but he’s also almost a full year younger and has been handling the heavy lifting on a very bad team. Where McLeod is a good safe pick where you know what you are getting, Dellandrea seems like he’s a safe bet to at least have similar success to McLeod, but there’s some potential for him to excel beyond that with some developmental work and a much needed trade out of Flint.
The Leafs also have a chance to take advantage of depth of defenseman in this draft and hold off until the second round pick before selecting one. A high end center may be a priority as a prospect of that nature doesn’t really exist in the Leafs organization.
MLN Draft #Content
| Draft Articles | Who to take at 25th Overall | Maybe Later |
| CASE FOR TRADING UP | CALEN ADDISON | BLADE JENKINS |
| CASE FOR TRADING DOWN | RYAN MCLEOD | MAC HOLLOWELL |
| CASE FOR PICKING 25TH | JONATHAN TYCHONICK | ZACH SOLOW |
| CASE FOR TRADING THE PICK | TY DELLANDREA | |
| LEAFS GEEKS DRAFT PREVIEW |
ARTICLE BROUGHT TO YOU BY SPORTS EXCELLENCE
Founded in 1950, Sports Excellence Corporation represents over 150 family-owned independent hockey retailers across Canada and the United States. Our highly knowledgeable hockey specialists are available to assist all your equipment needs. Find your closest Sports Excellence retailer here: Find a location near you!Recent articles from Jon Steitzer
