The 2025 NHL draft wrapped up nearly a week ago, and we are now in the early days of free agency. When it comes to the results of the draft, many are focused on the top prospects selected in the first round, but in the Maple Leafs’ case, they didn’t even have a first-round pick to their name this year.
On Wednesday, we took a look at Toronto’s No. 86 pick in the third round of the draft, Tyler Hopkins, but today we are moving down the line to the Leafs’ second pick of the fifth round, Owen Sound Attack forward, Harry Nansi.
Nansi wasn’t exactly a top prospect in the OHL. He played bottom-six minutes with Owen Sound in 2024–25 and didn’t have very eye-popping stats, putting up just seven goals and 23 points in 67 games. His numbers were far worse, though, in his first OHL season in 2023–24, scoring zero goals and putting up just nine points in 41 games. Keep in mind, though, that the Quebec native is still younger than many of the others selected in the draft, at just 17 years old.
What Nansi lacks in scoring, he somewhat makes up for in other areas. Standing at 6’3″, he is able to use his long wingspan effectively to poke pucks loose and reel in wide passes on the break. And while he will definitely need to fill out his frame more before being a threat at the NHL level, Nansi is a very effective forechecker and plays hard along the boards.
The main thing holding Nansi back is his speed. His general skating speed is on the slower side, although his straight-line speed is fairly solid, which is a skill that contributes to his excellent play on the forecheck.
Once again, we need to keep in mind that Nansi is just 17. When the Detroit Red Wings hoisted the Stanley Cup in June of 2008, Nansi wasn’t even a whole year old yet, which just shows how young he is, even compared to the rest of the draft field. He will have ample time to improve his skating speed and to fill out his frame more. He may not be an immediate sensation for the Leafs, but he could be in time.
As we’ve stated multiple times already, Nansi was one of the youngest players in the draft, so he will not be playing for the Leafs anytime soon. Next season, Nansi will be back in the OHL with Owen Sound as he looks to improve on his totals from last season in, hopefully, an increased role. Additionally, he will be looking to help his team get further in the OHL playoffs after being bounced in the first round by the eventual Memorial Cup champion London Knights.
How many years Nansi spends in the OHL will ultimately depend on whether he shows enough improvement to warrant a spot on the NHL roster. Keep in mind, as well, that CHL players aren’t allowed to play in the AHL until they are 20 years old or have played four full CHL seasons—that’s why we’ve seen Leafs prospect Easton Cowan repeatedly return to playing with the London Knights. So even if Nansi just missed out on a roster spot after the Leafs’ preseason, he wouldn’t be able to suit up for the Toronto Marlies for another few years.
But Nansi’s immediate impact wasn’t in mind at the time of this pick. As multiple media members have expressed, the young forward has a lot of potential. Nansi may not have been an immediate-impact pick, but if he can develop his skating speed and scoring prowess, while also bulking up a bit, he could wind up being a massive fifth-round steal that pays off handsomely down the line.
For now, we will have to see whether Nansi is able to take another step forward in the 2025–26 OHL season. That will begin to give us an idea of whether Nansi truly was a steal for Toronto.
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