Here is the case for Thomas Vandenberg for the team's 60th overall pick at the 2026 NHL draft.
While the Toronto Maple Leafs' first overall pick for the 2026 NHL draft will be the main event of the draft, they have a pretty important selection in the second round with the 60th overall pick.
The player they select with that pick could very well be a difference maker for the franchise, especially considering Matthew Knies was picked 57th overall in 2021.
The prospect and drafting experts have different opinions, but one player who can potentially be aligned with Toronto's 60th overall pick is left-shot center Thomas Vandenberg, projected by former scout, Sportsnet's Jason Bukula.
Vandenberg is listed higher on several other mock draft rankings, but for Bukula, he is slotted in at No. 59, around the time for the Maple Leafs to make their second pick of the 2026 draft.
Vandenberg is coming off his first OHL season, playing 59 games for the Ottawa 67s. The Nepean, Ont., native recorded 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points, finishing fifth on the team in points, and tied for third in goals.
In the OHL post-season, Vandenberg scored four goals and seven points in nine games, tying for second on the team in playoff tallies. The 67s swept the Kingston Frontenacs in the first round, but were eliminated in five games by the Barrie Colts in the following round.
After a solid rookie campaign in the Ontario League, Vandenberg is set to take his talents south of the border and into the NCAA after committing to Providence College for the 2026-27 season.
"Vandenberg is an equal parts shooter and playmaker," Bukula wrote, with Vandenberg's point totals from last season evidence of that. "He can be deployed up and down the lineup in a variety of roles. He’s one of the youngest prospects in the draft class." The 17-year-old was born on Sept. 8, 2008.
Before his time in the OHL, Vandenberg played for the USHL's Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. In that 2024-25 campaign, he scored nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in 55 appearances. That provides further proof that he's equally productive as a scorer and playmaker, as Bukula suggested.
NHL Central Scouting has Vandenberg ranked as the 35th-best North American skater in the 2026 draft class. They also have him listed at 6-foot.
Furthermore, Vandenberg thrived in a couple of testing events at the scouting combine in Buffalo. He finished second in both the 10-meter sprint and the anaerobic fitness tests.
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