Veeti Miettinen, a prospect drafted under Kyle Dubas in 2020 (6th round, #168 overall) could end up playing in another farm system next season if the Leafs don't snatch up his rights.
After a very successful NCAA career playing for St. Cloud State University in Minnesota where he amassed a total of 118 points in 146 games (53G, 65A) while accumulating, and this is not a typo; zero penalty minutes. Not just in one week, or one month or even one season. He did this for 4 years straight; an unheard of statistic due to the sheer randomness of penalties where even the slightest misstep can cause you to go to the sin bin. If you want someone who could bring discipline to your team, look no further.
This is all fantastic news for the Leafs but only if they act on it sooner rather than later. There is no doubt other teams are scouting the player from Espoo; and while there is some scrutiny about his size (5'9, 172lbs) there is no denying the talent.
It seems that the Leafs philosophy has shifted in recent months, bringing in bigger and beefier players, a new hard-nosed and no-nonsense head coach and a brand new mindset so it remains to be seen if the Leafs will act quickly and sign Miettinen or if their change in philosophy will lead to a change of teams for the youngster, and time is running out.
