Toronto's second-round 2022 NHL Draft pick is all business in his approach and feels his game is built for professional hockey.

The Toronto Maple Leafs knew what they had in Fraser Minten. But his growth over the last 15 months has thrust the Vancouver-born center into a legitimate shot of sticking around with the club beyond training camp.

"We were excited to watch him again but he definitely wasn’t really on the radar," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe admitted. "Some people internally were talking to me saying they thought Minten was really going to show well here and surprise us in some ways. He’s really done that in terms of the steps that he’s taken."

Minten will be in the lineup for Toronto's final home pre-season game on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. It's a formation that resembles a potential opening night lineup that is stacked with everyday NHL players. 

The opportunity is enormous, but the 19-year-old feels he's just playing with house money at this point.

"I don’t really feel any pressure it’s just an amazing opportunity, to me," Minten said. "I don't feel like I can lose out there tonight no matter how it goes."

Minten, Toronto's second-round selection (38th overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft, will center a line with Matthew Knies and Calle Jarnkrok on Thursday. Keefe intends to play Minten a lot, but it won't necessarily be in the same roles he saw earlier in the pre-season schedule.

"Playing a lot tonight will feel different than playing a lot on some of the other nights," Keefe said.

And that seems to fit really well. Minten's path to the NHL always seemed to be that of a middle-six center. The 6-foot-2 player's all-business expectations of what it takes to make it at the NHL level has been a welcomed approach to Toronto's staff.

"I think the way I play is smart hockey and I think in the NHL it’s a big focus," Minen said. "It’s a business when you win games, the way I play is built for pro so I think that’s helped me."

If Minten shows well, the bigger question will be not if the player deserves to make the team, but will the Leafs have space.

With defenseman John Klingberg on track to be healthy enough for opening night on Oct. 11 against the Montreal Canadiens, it's not clear if Toronto has enough salary cap room to carry more than the minimum 20 players on the active roster.

Injuries and other factors could free up some space. Toronto has until Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. ET to become cap compliant and anything can happen between now and then. 

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