Tonight, the Leafs dipped into the NCAA free agency well and signed one of the better and younger players available:
The signing is for next season, so it will not burn a year of his ELC already. However, this allows him to sign an ATO so he can be eligible for the AHL playoffs:
Quillan was the first line center for Quinnipiac, who had been one of the top performing teams in the NCAA the past few years. If that name and that school sounds familiar, it’s because they won the NCAA championship last year and Quillan was the guy who scored the overtime winning goal to break Matthew Knies’ and Minnesota’s hearts.
This year, Quillan became Quinnipiac’s top line center and lead the team in even strength points. He had a career high in points as well, with 17 goals and 46 points in 39 games – good for 2nd on the team and tied for 18th in the entire NCAA. For an NCAA free agent, he is relatively young too – he just turned 22 in February, making him a similar age as Knies and Robertson.
Skate hard, find the open teammate, and create space – that’s Quillan’s game. He subtly wins body position and sets picks across the ice, creating lanes for his teammates. With the puck, he’s the transition driver on his line with his weaving rushes, give-and-goes, and pace. At times, Quillan manipulates the defence to create openings. Prowess in the dot, penalty kill skills, and off-puck defensive awareness complete his skill set.
Quillan has several pathways to the NHL, but all roughly fill similar roles: Bottom-six, likely fourth-line roles where adapts to the needs of the coaching staff and his teammates. A final NCAA year might benefit his game, but he has one of the best shots of becoming an NHLer in this group.
