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The Maple Leafs have selected John Piccinich out of the USHL with their 103rd overall selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Piccinich is a 6’0, 190-pound right winger from New Jersey who is committed to Boston University for next season. He was the 135th ranked skater according to the Central Scouting Service’s final rankings.

Boston University head coach David Quinn on Piccinich:

“Makes great plays in the offensive zone… strong on his skates and gets to the dirty areas… game translates well to college hockey… another guy who people will enjoy away from the rink.”

Dave Morrison on John Piccinich:

“He’s a real hungry goal scorer kind of kid. He’s got a real thick build. He’s not a tall kid, but he’s a thick kid. He can score. It’s what he does; he’s got real good puck poise around the net. He shoots well. He’s going right into Boston University, and BU is in transition.  They’re going to go with a lot of young players next year. He’s going to get every opportunity to get a significant role next year even, in his first year as a freshman. We like him as a kid; he’s got that twinkle in his eye. He loves the game, he loves to be at the rink, and he’s got that real good stick. We’re hopeful he’s going to jump right in there next year and keep that development going.”

John Piccinich Scouting Report

“Piccinich is a playmaker who has strong vision and creativity with the puck on his stick, especially when given time and space. He has good senses and a decent shot selection. Inconsistency in his efforts need to be ironed out. ”
– Elite Prospects

John Piccinich Stats

SEASONTEAMLEAGUEGPGAPPIM
2012-2013YOUNGSTOWNUSHL63312154
2013-2014USA U-18USHL10000
2013-2014YOUNGSTOWNUSHL6027315831
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Alec Brownscombe is the founder and editor of MapleLeafsHotStove.com, where he has written daily about the Leafs since September of 2008. He's published five magazines on the team entitled "The Maple Leafs Annual" with distribution in Chapters and newsstands across the country. He also co-hosted "The Battle of the Atlantic," a weekly show on TSN1200 that covered the Leafs and the NHL in-depth. Alec is a graduate of Trent University and Algonquin College with his diploma in Journalism. In 2014, he was awarded Canada's Best Hockey Blogger honours by Molson Canadian. You can contact him at alec.brownscombe@mapleleafshotstove.com.