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Maple Leafs could eye Miroslav Holinka’s teammate Lukas Sawchyn in later rounds of 2026 NHL Draft
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Photo credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff
Jon Steitzer
Jun 25, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 25, 2026, 11:29 EDT
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When it comes to the draft, there are hundreds of options out there. Those options expanded further when you start considering overagers. This is one of those overager suggestions.
The idea of the Toronto Maple Leafs selecting a 5-foot-10, 19-year-old might not appeal to you, and it runs contrary to the draft strategy under Brad Treliving. Things might be changing this year, and Emil Andrae is the first sign that size might not matter as much to John Chayka.
Lukas Sawchyn is coming off a 27-goal, 88-point season for the Edmonton Oil Kings in 68 games. A nice follow-up to his 55 points in a 68-game season heading into his initial draft-eligible year in 2025. The numbers are there, the offence is there, just the size isn’t there.
Stats via Eliteprospects
GP
G
A
P
PIM
+/-
2023-24
Chicago Steel-USHL
60
4
11
15
23
-19
2024-25
Edmonton Oil Kings-WHL
66
15
40
55
27
8
2025-26
Edmonton Oil Kings-WHL
68
27
61
88
42
34
Heading into last year’s draft, Sawchyn was ranked as the 69th-best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. He went unselected, and this year, he sits at 151st in their rankings, as well as ranked 154th by McKeen’s Hockey. The Leafs hold the N0. 158 and No. 169 picks, where they could pounce on Sawchyn.
Why should there be interest in Sawchyn specifically? The quick answer is familiarity. Sawchyn has been a regular lineup of Miroslav Holinka as enjoyed his breakout offensive campaign. A prospect who works well with another prospect doesn’t seem like a bad idea, even if it is just a path to a better Toronto Marlies team.
The Maple Leafs would also benefit from a strong knowledge of Sawchyn. If they have been watching Holinka, they’ve been watching Sawchyn. Their player development team would have seen him as well and know what they have to work on with him, and whether the idea of drafting him holds water. (The Florida Panthers were curious enough about Lukas Sawchyn to invite him to their rookie camp.)
Last year, Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked Sawchyn the fourth-best skater in the draft, one spot ahead of Matthew Schafer. This seems like high praise and a skill that the Maple Leafs could use more of in their lineup.
Sawchyn also benefits from coming from a defensive mindset. His initial position was on the blueline before being moved up to forward by the Oil Kings. An ambitious Player Development Department might also consider him a diamond in the rough puck-moving defenceman prospect. (Probably not.)
From The Nation Network’s Steven Ellis:
“Sawchyn was one of the most dominant playmakers in the WHL this year. The Arizona State University commit is money on the power play – he’s not much of a shooter, but he can find scoring chances like it’s nothing. Sawchyn can play with anyone in any situation – he’s dynamic. His skating has also come a long way since his USHL days – he’s quicker and a better backwards skater. At 5-foot-10 with very little going for him in the physical department, Sawchyn will have a tough path forward to make the NHL. But at the very least, he has the raw hockey sense that should allow him to have a solid AHL career.”
A late-round, solid AHL option isn’t a bad thing. The biggest knock is size, and while that is often a hard thing to overlook, Sawchyn receiving the high level of offensive praise makes him seem like he’s worth the look over some of the first timers in the draft.

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