If you're wondering who might've stood out at Toronto Maple Leafs development camp, look no further than 2025 third-round pick Tyler Hopkins.
The 18-year-old center impressed many he went up against in the three-day camp. He was one of the smaller players picked by Toronto in the NHL Draft, but there's a lot that the Maple Leafs like in his game.
He was a bit nervous coming in. You couldn't tell, though, when he stepped onto the ice for the first time on Thursday.
"Honestly, I felt pretty good. None of those real nerves actually came out," he said on the final day of development camp.
"Once I hit the ice, everybody was really welcoming here, kind of made me feel at home pretty quick, the staff and even most of the players. It was easy to get into all the drills and things like that with people that are like-minded and trying to achieve the same goals."
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There might be bigger expectations that come with being drafted where he was by Toronto, even more so when he had the season he did with the Frontenacs this past year. Maple Leafs assistant GM, player development, Hayley Wickenheiser, who was overseeing the camp, was impressed by Hopkins, though.
"He stood out for me as well. Just because of his hockey sense," Maple Leafs assistant GM, player development, Hayley Wickenheiser said on the final day of camp.
"He made some really nice plays. Not an overly big kid, not overly fast, but you notice him out there many of times, just by the ability to complete plays and put the puck on people's sticks, so it was nice to see. That's what we've saw of him in the draft as well, and it seemed to translate the last few days."
Hopkins has faced a few players prior to this development camp. Playing in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs, where he scored 20 goals and 31 assists in 67 games, Hopkins faced off against players like Easton Cowan with the London Knights and Ben Danford with the Oshawa Generals.
He called Danford a difficult player to go up against, citing the defenseman's skill at shutting down plays and being physical. Danford, who was rooming with Hopkins throughout Toronto's development camp, also praised the center's game.
"He's a great player. He's someone that's really solid," said Danford. "I think he's just going to keep getting better, the more he fills out. He's really skilled. His hands, his shot. Good skater. He's a really great player."
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Hopkins hopes to add more strength to his game this summer. He was one of the younger players at this camp, so with an NHL training camp this fall, and then his next season with Kingston, Hopkins wants to bulk up so that he can take another step.
"I think just putting on a little bit more weight, upper-body strength, to go into those corners and still be strong and be able to hold onto the puck and make plays, I think that's the biggest thing for me," Hopkins said.
"I think just working as hard as I can in front and around the net. Try to score a little bit more goals as well is always something that I'm trying to do, so I think those are kind of the two big things for me going into this offseason."
(Top photo of Hopkins: Nick Barden / The Hockey News Toronto)