Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Curtis Douglas is hard to miss at 6-foot-8, but the Oakville, Ontario native desires to be known for much more.
There is no avoiding Curtis Douglas on the ice. There is only hope from an opposing player to escape the wrath of the 6-foot-8, 238-pounder in one piece.
But the Oakville native is trying to stand out beyond his massive frame at the team's prospecent in Traverse City this weekend.
"I like to obviously use my size, but I don't really love it as a staple as being the biggest guy here, I think it kind of slightly puts me in a box," Douglas said.
The hesitation to embrace it is understandable. The biggest forward to play in an NHL game is Brian Boyle at 6-foot-7. With a game that is becoming increasingly faster, there's always that fear of being sized out.
But he has demonstrated a combination of skill and physicality to help create space for his teammates.
"Little plays like that open the door for the other guys and their skilled stuff and I'm glad to be on for the ride," Douglas said.
Drafted in the fourth round by the Dallas Stars (106th overall) in the 2018 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old went unsigned after finishing up his last two seasons in the OHL with the Windsor Spitfires. He accumulated a combined 57 goals and 113 points in 118 games in those two years.
His first taste of professional hockey came during the 2020-21 season when he split time with the Belleville Senators of the AHL and Austrian club Steel Wings Linz. But it wasn't until last season when Douglas found his fit with the Toronto Marlies. After scoring eight goals and 27 points while accumulating 76 penalty minutes in 49 games, the Leafs signed him to his first NHL contract, which kicks in this season.
Douglas' parents, Tom and Angela, surprised him when they got on the phone along with the Leafs, to deliver the good news.
"It was quite theatrical," Douglas said of the call. "It was really emotional as it was a bit of a long road to go."
Douglas helped spark a rally for the Maple Leafs in their opening game of the 2022 prospects tournament against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Down 2-1 after the opening period, his reverse wrist shot began a series of five unanswered goals for Toronto on the way to a 6-2 victory.
In Douglas, the Leafs see a physical player who showed a will to improve his skating. He has a scoring touch as demonstrated by his soft hands. And he can win faceoffs.
Destined to spend most, if not all of this season, continuing to develop with the Marlies this season, Douglas projects to be the Leafs' fourth-line center of the future should he continue at his trajectory.
