With the 137th overall, the Leafs select William Belle

The Maple Leafs selected William Belle with the 137th overall pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

He is a very interesting player.

USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team forward William Belle has a bit of a different answer.

"The 27th floor of a public shopping mall in Dongguan."

Belle is believed to be the first player raised in China to compete internationally for USA Hockey.

Belle lived in Dongguan, China, until his family moved to the U.S. in May 2015. His father, Travis, is American, and his mother, Yu Wei, is Chinese; his parents met in China while his father was working there.

He is a right-shooting winger listed at 6'3" and over 225 lbs. He played most recently, as mentioned above for the NTDP, and is committed to the University of Notre Dame. He seems like the sort of project the Leafs like to take a risk on with later-round picks.

You should real all of this article, it's very level-headed:

William Belle is a physically imposing, right-shot winger with prototypical NHL size and flashes of straight-line speed. His profile fits the mold of a bottom-six power forward, but his current puck skill level, offensive execution, and consistency fall well short of NHL standards. Belle shows flashes — a big frame that can intimidate, speed to get in on the forecheck, and willingness to deliver contact — but he struggles to convert plays or impact the game with the puck. If he can develop puck protection skills, improve his puck management and become more competitive shift-to-shift, he has a chance to be a development project at the pro level.

From Elite Prospects:

In William Belle's best games with the NTDP, he bordered on unstoppable. A hard-hitting forechecker, he launched himself into opponents, forcing steals and pushing the breakout back. He was also a determined defensive player, working hard to get above the puck and push the attack wide.

But the most interesting part of these top-end performances was Belle's playmaking. He spotted teammates through the forecheck and connected with cross-ice passes, slipped pucks through defenders for chances, and even drew in pressure to pass through it.

While Belle always had the motor, the impact varied wildly throughout the season. Pace, skating, and details were the culprits. His game became predictable for defenders as he glided between the reception and the next pass. His open-ice speed and in-tight agility lacked. Defensively, he was late to recognize threats, and offensively, he was disconnected from the game when he didn't have the puck.

There's no doubt that Belle has fourth-line checking potential – and could add lots of value in that role – provided he improves his mobility and skill level.

From Will Scouch:

Similar to Jackson Smith, I spent all season waiting for something that just never came with Will Belle. Belle is gigantic and heavy, but a solid skater for his size, and in isolated moments can absolutely handle the puck like nobody else his size. A highly physical player when he chooses to be, I would love to see him really step into every shift a bit more and push back as hard as he can as often as he can. I think the harder he plays and the more confident he is, the more his game could grow. I just have been waiting for something to turn a corner and it just hasn't yet. He was left off the U18 team at the final tournament of the year which was a disappointment, but if things go right for Belle, we could look back on him in a few years as a serious depth option with a great foundational set of tools and abilities that could really cause issues for an opponent.

From McKeens:

Scouts always want to see prospects improve over the course of their seasons, not regress, so Belle probably had to field a lot of difficult questions at this year's draft combine. Despite a solid start to his year his ice time gradually got reduced, and things deteriorated so badly that he wasn't even one of the 14 forwards named to USA Hockey's roster for the U18s in Texas. NHL teams will still have plenty of time for him, though, because he possesses a clear identity and translatable tools.

NHL Draft Maple Leafs Prospects