Alex Huang is a skilled defenceman who has shown flashes of real offensive upside throughout his draft year. Huang recorded seven goals and 40 points in 64 games with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this season and was a stellar presence at last summer’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Huang descended on many draft boards this year in part due to some concerns about his strength but he’s a talented skater who flies out of his own end with relative ease, and would help satisfy a major need for the Toronto Maple Leafs moving forward.

Here’s what Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote about Huang:

Huang won’t be expected to make the Maple Leafs immediately and he’s committed to play at Harvard for the 2026-27 season. The 18-year-old will almost certainly return for another season with Chicoutimi, where there’s a reasonable expectation that he should be among the highest-scoring defencemen in the league — this is also true of Halifax Mooseheads defenceman Carlos Handel, a player that the Maple Leafs should also consider at this spot.

Toronto needs to add defencemen to its barren prospect pool, with 2024 first-round pick Ben Danford as the only player that projects to make a notable impact at the NHL level down the line. Huang boasts excellent pace and ability to switch gears while carrying the puck into the offensive zone, capable of making easy exits and reads. He’ll have ample time to add strength but you can’t teach innate offensive instinct.

It’s more than possible that Huang will be available in the third round as well, and if he’s the player that the Maple Leafs are targeting, there’s a case to trade down. You bet on offensive upside every time at this spot as Huang clearly thinks the game well, with plenty of time to refine the rest of his game, add strength to his 6-foot, 170-pound frame and become more consistent in his decision-making at the major junior level.