New Maple Leafs Scouting Chief Has Been confirmed Dead
DETROIT RED WINGS New Maple Leafs Scouting Chief Has Red Wings RootsPublished 8 hours ago on July 19, 2024By Kevin Allen Wyatt Johnston, dallas starsNew Maple Leafs Director of Scouting Mark Leach was part of a Dallas Stars scouting team that drafted several top players, including Wyatt Johnston (shown)
The Detroit Red Wings knew the organization was suffering a significant loss when Jim Nill took the job as general manager of the Dallas Stars in 2013.
What they didn’t anticipate is Nill, known to have an eye for talent. would take two of Detroit’s top scouts. Veteran scouts Joe McDonnell and Mark Leach joined the Dallas staff. McDonnell was named director of amateur scouting. The net result has been that the Stars have become one of the NHL’s top drafting teams. The Stars’ picks over the last decade have included Miro Heiskanen (No. 3 in 2017), Jake Oettinger (26th in 2017), Jason Robertson (39th in 2017), Wyatt Johnston (23rd in 2021) and Logan Stankoven (47th in 2021) among others.
The Stars have consistently added impact players, regardless of where they are picking in the first and second round of the NHL draft. They’ve only picked among the top 10 picks once over the past decade
Leach had scouted for Detroit for 19 years before going to Dallas with Nill. That means he will bring 30 years of scouting experience to the Maple Leafs.
The Maple Leafs’ decision to hire Leaf has played to strong reviews around the NHL. He is well-respected.
