Maple Leafs Prospect Report: Harry Nansi's Breakout Is Beginning

I made no secret about how excited I was that Toronto drafted Nansi, because he and Koblar were my top two choices for late round forwards to draft. Koblar wound up being taken a lot earlier than the late rounds, making him more of a "stretch" pick (that I still loved) but Nansi as a fifth rounder was a perfect roll of the dice for his long term potential.

If you want to read more detail about why I was so excited about him, you can read my full post-draft profile:

Getting to Know Harry Nansi

The Maple Leafs have drafted a new baby giraffe.

PPP LeafsBrian S

Since then, Nansi has participated in Toronto's development camp, rookie tournament, pre-season workouts and played in 11 games in the OHL since being returned to Owen Sound as of me writing this. So how has he looked, how has he changed, and where have his improvements come from?

STATS & CONTEXT

Position: Right-shot winger
League: OHL
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 190 lbs
Birth date: September 10, 2007

The first thing I always want to emphasize is Nansi's birth date. He is less than one week away from not being eligible until the 2026 draft. If he was, people would be looking at his statistical performance last year and so far this season very differently, even if the difference was just 6 days.

Last year, Nansi played on a very bad team and had 23 points in 67 games. It didn't help that he got almost no powerplay time. The reason why I liked him is that despite his age, skating issues, and lack of production relative to drafted players his age, he was so effective for his team. My overall conclusion was that, considering his age, he's going to get powerplay time eventually. He's going to improve his skating especially, but also other mechanical things. And most importantly, he was already so effective at a lot of things, so those improvements are just going to make him that much better of a player.

Watching Nansi at the rookie tournament, I'm sad we only got to see him for the one game. I honestly thought he was one of Toronto's most consistently noticeable (for good reasons) forwards in the second game against Montreal. It was his forechecking, off puck play, and playmaking that stood out. He got a primary assist on one goal, setting up an older Ryan Kirwan, and had other chances he set up.

Since being returned to the OHL, I'm already seeing some positive changes from Nansi's off season work. He's an inch taller and 5 lbs heavier, and most importantly his skating is getting good reviews for how it's improved already. He's also been used on their second line at even strength compared to the bottom six the year before, and he's also been used on the top powerplay unit and one of the go-to penalty kill units from the start of the season. And what would you know! His production has taken off. He's played in 11 games, and his 5 goals are only two behind his total from the entire season the year before. His 13 points are only 10 behind.

It's almost like usage on its own matters a whole heck of a lot when it comes to getting points.

SCOUTING REPORT

Again, it's worth reading the full profile I did on Nansi that I linked above, because it lays the foundation for everything I'll say here. Because everything that I said then is still true now, in a general sense, except that he's made some noticeable improvements already. That's what I want to focus on.

First and most importantly is Nansi's skating. It still has a ways to go, but improving his skating is something that I think – more than most other players – is what will unlock his complete game to an exponential degree. So far, it looks like he's cut down on some of that baby giraffe trying to walk on ice awkwardness mechanics. It's more controlled and there's more power to his strides, so he has some quicker acceleration and also a faster speed once he gets going. Another element that helps his overall skating is that added strength he's gained from his off-season workouts. His balance and strength on his feet is much better.

Why do I think that's more important for Nansi than most other players? Because he's already so good in so many areas, but also because of the intelligent and power-style game he plays. He has the great hockey sense to be able to get involved in the play and have an impact, with and without the puck, when his skating was so wonky. Imagine how much better his game will be when his skating helps him get to where he wants to go quicker, and quicker? You can already see the evidence of this with how much better he looks to start this season after just a couple of months working with Toronto's development team this summer.

Nansi is already known for being a strong forechecker, but with better skating he can close on the defensemen sooner, maybe even beating them for the puck. Offensively, he's a smart and crafty playmaker with excellent vision, because he can't rely on agile or speedy skating to pull away or elude defenders. Again, just think of what else can open up with his offense will be when he can pull away and/or keep away from defenders with better speed. Right now, the reason why he's so good on the powerplay is because he doesn't need to skate as much. His intelligence can work better when he's standing still or creeping about more, and has more space with the man advantage.

Other than that, Nansi is just a bit better all around in the areas where he was already solid. His off-puck play has also tightened up, where he shows even better awareness without the puck has improved. His positioning is better, he is better at pressuring puck carriers to try and force turnovers, he supports the defensemen, he shows good anticipation, all those things coaches (and us) love to see.

Finally, Nansi's playmaking, which was already arguably his biggest strength, has become even more consistent and dynamic. He always had great vision, but that's even better now. What he's learned to do is to use his 6'4" height advantage and a shorter stick to improve his puck handling, which also helps him to get around defenders' sticks and make that last second pass once his man gets open. A lot of his powerplay production has come from getting the puck down low or on the boards, and firing cross ice passes to a defenseman sneaking off the point or to the opposite winger in the slot or on the back door.

As for the next steps I'd like to see him take, it's the same things I've mentioned before – here and in previous scouting reports. Keep working on his skating: explosiveness so his first 2-3 strides are quicker to accelerate; power and top speed; and agility when it comes to horizontal cuts, stops and starts, balance on his feet to shrug off checks, and so on.

Otherwise, I want to see that production start to come as much at even strength. Not because points are everything, what I want mainly are signs that he's starting to figure out how to execute offensively when he doesn't have the advantages of working on the powerplay. Further improvement to his skating will help with that, but I'd also like to see him develop more of his puck handling and power game – specifically puck protection, using his size to his advantage and learning how to get pucks off the boards on a cycle to the middle of the ice.

Thanks for reading!

I put a lot of work into my prospect articles here, both for the draft and Toronto's prospects. I do it as a fun hobby for me, and I'd probably do it in some capacity even if PPP completely ceased to exist. But if you like reading my work, some support would go a long way! I pay for a few streaming services (CHL, NCAA, USHL, the occasional TSN options for international tournaments that are broadcast) to be able to reliably watch these prospects in good quality streams. I also pay for some prospect-specific resources, such as tracking data and scouting reports from outlets like Elite Prospects, Future Considerations, McKeen's Hockey, The Athletic, and more.

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