The Toronto Maple Leafs concluded the 2024 NHL Draft by selecting defenceman Nathan Mayes from the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League with the 225th overall and final pick in this year’s event.
Mayes recorded one goal and 16 points in 68 games with Spokane last season, before going scoreless in four playoff contests. He just turned 18 on June 10 and could potentially add some more muscle to his 6-foot-4, 194-pound frame.
Nathan Mayes, you are a Toronto Maple Leaf! 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/Bc20dDanTj
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 29, 2024
Mayes was ranked 107th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting prior to the draft. Upon first glance, Mayes appears to be a player with tremendous physicality and skating and could be compared favourably to 2023 sixth-round draft pick Noah Chadwick, who signed his entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs in December. It’s clear that under Wes Clark and Brad Treliving’s supervision that the Maple Leafs are taking calculated bets on players with huge upside in the later rounds.
Here’s what the Elite Prospects Draft Guide has to say about Mayes:
Mayes is a hard-hitting, aggressive defender who makes the occasional play on the breakout. He brings a bit of rush defence value, off-puck threat elimination, retrieval skill, and a lot of violence. If he can’t win the positioning battle, he still overpowers opponents and traps them along the boards.
🎥NATHAN MAYES – HIGHLIGHT REEL🎥
The muscle is here!💪@spokanechiefs | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/tre8QI86lF
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 28, 2024
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