The new Vice President of the Pittsburgh Penguins is Wes Clark. What did he achieve at the NHL Entry Draft with his former Toronto Maple Leafs team?
On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Penguins hired Wes Clark, the former Toronto Maple Leafs Director of Amateur Scouting, and promoted him to Vice President of Player Personnel.
This is the third time in his executive career that he has teamed up with Penguins General Manager Kyle Dubas, having previously worked with him in the OHL and Toronto.
Since 2018, the Maple Leafs have selected 46 players at the NHL Entry Draft, with only 10 making it into the league thus far. Moreover, only two, Sean Durzi and Rasmus Sandin, have skated in more than 91 games, and surprisingly, neither player remained with the organization long.
As the Assistant Director of Player Personnel from 2018 to 2022, eventually becoming Director, Clark has influenced which prospects the Maple Leafs draft every year.
Even though it takes a village to scout players worldwide, only a handful of people get to make the final calls, and Clark worked his way into that selective group.
With that in mind, let's revisit the top three Toronto draft picks while he is one of the leaders of the scouting department.
Nick Robertson - Second Round (53rd Overall) 2019
If the last name Robertson rings a bell to NHL fans, that's because Nick's brother Jason is a 100-point player with the Dallas Stars. As a second-round pick in 2019, Nick finally earned a more prominent role with the Maple Leafs, skating in 56 games last year and collecting 27 points.
During his junior days, he was more than a point-per-game player in his final two seasons. Then, he found a home with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL, where he produced 57 points in 60 games.
Robertson has been in and out of the Maple Leafs lineup for four seasons and has recently requested a trade to start anew with another club.
Matthew Knies - Second Round (57th Overall) 2021
Matthew Knies just finished his first full season in the NHL, scoring a respectable 35 points, including 15 goals, in 80 games. While skating at the University of Minnesota, he won a B1G championship and the division's Player of the Year award.
With 42 points in 40 games, an even 21-21 split, Knies was a Hobey Baker Award finalist. Now, as a top forward on the Maple Leafs, he skates alongside superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, which isn't bad for a kid who is just 21.
Easton Cowan - First Round (28th Overall) 2023
Within a year of being drafted in the first round, Easton Cowan went on a tear with the London Knights in 2023-24, becoming one of the top prospects in hockey.
Cowan, who is still only 19 years old, collected 96 points in 54 games, won an OHL championship, was the league's most outstanding player, and won the playoff MVP award.
Even though he is committed to London for the 2024-25 season, some believe he's earned a chance to play with the Maple Leafs and should get a chance to prove himself out of training camp.
If he continues to live up to the hype, there's a chance Cowan becomes the best prospect in Toronto since Matthews.