Rumor Report: Top pick from 2017 Draft will stick in NHL

According to a report from Toronto Maple Leafs blogger Janik Beichler, the team isn’t letting Timothy Liljegren go anywhere. Selected 17th overall from Rogle of the Swedish Elite League in this June’s NHL Entry Draft, the 18-year-old Swedish blue liner has impressed so much at the team’s prospect camp that he has earned himself an invite to the team’s formal training camp in the Fall. Now, according to quotes uncovered by Beichler, Rogle don’t expect to have Liljegren back in their lineup at all next season.

Check out this quote from Beichler’s article:

When asked about Liljegren’s involvement in preseason games, Lasse Mauritzson, media and communications manager for Rögle, said “Timothy is Toronto’s player and will not participate in any games.”

It’s extremely rare for a European player to attend NHL camp and then return to Europe afterwards. Typically if a team doesn’t have a roster spot for the player, they’d rather have him train and prepare for the upcoming season with his European club.

As Beichler points out, this doesn’t guarantee a rookie season in Toronto for Liljegren, but all signs certainly point to that being the case.