Report: Maple Leafs prospect Sam McCue traded from OHL’s Flint Firebirds to Brantford Bulldogs

Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis outlined McCue’s progress at the start of the 2024-25 season and provided a scouting report:

He never stops moving and works as hard as anyone to try and snag the puck, even if his skating is a bit wonky right now. McCue can surely move, but he’s not the quickest and can be a bit awkward trying to control the puck on the rush. And without much in terms of hands, McCue isn’t going to blow you away with a smart deke on a 1-on-1 play.

Compared to his rookie year, where he spent most of his time playing to the perimeter, McCue seemed to find himself in more scoring positions this past year. He’ll never be seen as someone capable of ripping clapbombs from just about everywhere, but McCue can and will fight to the death in front of the net to pot home a rebound or take space away. McCue loves when things get physical, and that might be where he succeeds the most because he’s willing to rough guys up just about anywhere.

McCue could represent excellent return on value for the Maple Leafs, but he’s still a few steps away from competing for a roster spot. He was invited to the Maple Leafs’ training camp and the club will be watching McCue’s development closely as a pure-goal scorer that lives to fight into the high-danger areas.