NHL draft prospect Sam Dickinson reveals his father's stern advice against supporting Toronto Maple Leafs

By Ankit Kumar

Modified Jun 18, 2024 21:40 GMT

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have the 23rd pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The draft is set to take place in the Las Vegas Sphere. The first round will start on June 28 at 7 p.m. EDT. Rounds two to seven will follow on June 29, starting at 11 a.m. EDT. Las Vegas is hosting the NHL Draft for the first time and Sam Dickinson is expected to be one of the high draft picks this season.

Dickinson shared an interesting story with TSN about the team he supported growing up. Dickinson shared that he grew up as a Montreal Canadiens fan and the influence of his dad made him not root for Toronto despite being born there.

"I'm actually a Montreal Canadiens fan, so a little bit different than everybody else in Toronto," he said. (via TSN)

The reason behind his support for the Canadiens is rooted in family influence.

"My dad was a Montreal fan, so I was kind of forced to be a Montreal fan, I guess," Dickinson explained. "We had a bunch of Montreal Canadiens stuff, jerseys and memorabilia, down in our basement and didn't have any Toronto stuff. He hates the Leafs.

"He said [that] me and my brother have to hate the Leafs as well and be Montreal fans. We just went along with it."

Dickinson had one of the best body fat percentages at just 3.64 percent in the Scouting Combine. He scored 70 points for the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights and added 13 points in the playoffs.

Players Toronto Maple Leafs should avoid in NHL draft

The Toronto Maple Leafs should consider passing on two prospects in the upcoming draft. These two players are Aron Kiviharju and Emil Hemming. Kiviharju is a talented defenseman but he faces concerns due to his undersized stature, lack of physicality and injury history. He has missed nearly his entire draft year. These issues make him a risky choice.

Emil Hemming is also an offensively gifted winger with excellent shot skills. However, his inconsistency on the ice and fluctuating effort levels cause doubts about his reliability. Given these issues, the Toronto Maple Leafs are better off selecting players who offer more stability.