ROOKIE SCHOOL TO SHOWDOWN

This weekend, the Toronto Maple Leafs will participate in a Rookie Showdown that is being held in Laval, Quebec. Rasmus Sandin, the Leafs number one choice (29th overall) in the 2018 Draft, will be in the line-up for Toronto.

Back in 1946, the Leafs assessed their prospects via a hockey school that was the innovation of Conn Smythe. Prior to the main training camp getting underway, the club invited 20-plus prospects to St. Catharines to take part in the school. "It will be an interesting experiment as we have not yet had an opportunity to see many of those who have been invited in action," Smythe told reporters in July 1946. "We have a lot of amateurs on our (reserve) list and the school will give us a chance to see if they are ready for professional company."

In September, the hockey students gathered in the Garden City and were put through their paces. As Jim Vipond, writing in the Globe and Mail noted, "The opening session developed into a game of shinny, Blues v. Whites under the ice direction of assistant coach Bob Davidson. Coach Hap Day sat apart in the bleachers eagerly looking for the diamond in the rough that may mean the playoffs next spring."

And the "diamond in the rough" turned out to be Howie Meeker. Signed as a free agent by the Leafs on April 13, 1946, Meeker's numbers in his first season with Toronto were impressive. In 55 games, he scored 27 goals and 18 assists for 45 points. His production resulted in him being awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. More silverware came Meeker's way in his rookie year when the Leafs captured the Stanley Cup on April 19, 1947, at Maple Leaf Gardens. In game six of the Cup final, Meeker assisted on Ted Kennedy's game-winning goal at the 14:39 mark of the period three. The goal gave Toronto a 2-1 lead and they held on to defeat the Montreal Canadiens.