Mitchell impresses coaches

It is one thing to be presented with an opportunity. It is quite another to step up and grab it.

At the Maple Leafs camp so far, with just three exhibition games remaining, the young opportunists have been few.

Luke Schenn has turned heads as a poised 18-year-old defenceman, though he may still return to junior. Mikhail Grabovski, with his surprising toughness on the puck, has shown that management's confidence that he could assert himself as a top-six forward was not misplaced.

Then there is John Mitchell, a sixth-round draft pick from 2003, who is trying to assert himself as a 23-year-old rookie in the NHL. The Oakville native, building on an eight-goal performance in the playoffs for the Marlies last season, has made very few missteps since camp opened. He's consistently been strong in both ends of the ice.

His latest chance to impress came in the spot where coach Ron Wilson still envisions another rookie, Nikolai Kulemin of Russia.

Kulemin has been out with a knee injury so Wilson slotted in Mitchell, out of his natural centre position, on the wing with Grabovski at centre and Niklas Hagman on the other side. Mitchell took full advantage in what was a horrible game for the Leafs at St. Louis on Wednesday. The trio controlled the puck, played a smart cycling game and was very tough along the boards. Hagman and Grabovski both scored while Mitchell contributed two assists with his mix of tenaciousness and creativity.

Now Wilson said it is a line he could see using in the regular season and one he'll look at again in the team's final pre-season games over the weekend, though Hagman will sit out tonight.

"(Mitchell) has shown me a lot," said Wilson. "He has really good speed that showed in all our testing. He's been able to bring that speed to the game. He makes plays. And he plays with a little bit of an edge. He's also versatile. He's a natural centre but because of our depth at centre, if he wants to make the team, at least at the moment, he'll probably have to be playing a little bit on the wing. At his age, beggars can't be choosers."

Mitchell doesn't want to get ahead of himself but he's very pleased with how his camp has gone.

"Ron has given me a lot of opportunity to play on the power play and penalty kill and regular shift. It's great he's letting me do that. When he gives me that opportunity, I can't let it go to waste," he said.

"Every year I've wanted to make this team but some years it's more realistic than others. I just want to keep playing the way I am."