Who’s the NHL’s rookie scoring leader? Well... it just so happens to be William Nylander, actually, with 11 points in 11 games.
Who’s right behind him? Auston Matthews, with 10 points in 11 games.
Who’s tied for fourth? Mitchell Marner, now with eight points in 11 games, coming fresh off of goals two and three in his NHL career.
Speaking of multi-goal games for a teenager on the Maple Leafs... that sure sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Except it’s not that often that happens with two different kids in the same season in Toronto. Via the Elias Sports Bureau:
Matthews and Marner are the first pair of teenagers to notch multi-goal games for the Maple Leafs in the same season since 1986-87, when Wendel Clark had a four-goal game just two weeks before he turned 20 years old and Vincent Damphousse had a pair of two-goal games (one at age 18, the other after he turned 19).
Well, neither Marner nor Matthews are about to turn 20 any time soon - so there are plenty of chances for more multi-goal games for the both of them while they’re still teenagers.
So. Regarding the top seven in rookie scoring - there are four rookies tied with eight points - the Leafs have three prospects there. Nobody else has more than one.
The kids are alright in Toronto.