<p>Carlos Handel excelled at the international level for Germany and he&#8217;s entering the 2025 NHL Draft as one of the most intriguing prospects. Handel is a right-handed, offensive-minded defenceman who is a tailor-made power play quarterback and will likely be available when the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> make their first pick at the No. 63 or No. 64 slot.</p>
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<p>The 18-year-old recorded three goals and 26 points in 52 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, before adding a goal and four points in 10 playoff games. There may be some concerns about Handel&#8217;s ability to handle physical play at the NHL level, stemming from his slim, 6-foot-1, 172-pound frame. Handel&#8217;s offensive upside and puck movement may trump this notion entirely and he excelled at the NHL Draft Combine, finishing in the top 10 of several anaerobic fitness testing drills, including peak power output and fatigue index among other categories.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s what <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-top-80-steven-ellis-misa-hagens-schaefer-martone-desnoyers">Daily Faceoff&#8217;s Steven Ellis</a> wrote about Handel. Handel is ranked as Daily Faceoff&#8217;s 65th-best prospect at the time of this filing, and was ranked as the 73rd-best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.</p>
<p><em>After shining at the World Juniors for Germany, I loved him at the U-18 World Championship. In fact, I’d argue he was Germany’s best defender at every international tournament he skated in this year, no matter the situation. He’s not afraid to get engaged on the rush and is capable of leading a power play, too. Händel produced at half a point per game with Halifax, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him double that output a year from now. He’s a good project guy to keep track of.</em></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fastest 2 goals scored by a player at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/U18MensWorlds?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#U18MensWorlds</a>‼️</p>
<p>Carlos Handel scores 2️⃣ in 19 seconds to put <a href="https://twitter.com/deb_teams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@deb_teams</a> in the lead! <a href="https://t.co/yKpxoOAGkl">pic.twitter.com/yKpxoOAGkl</a></p>
<p>&mdash; IIHF (@IIHFHockey) <a href="https://twitter.com/IIHFHockey/status/1916550520900067554?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Handel&#8217;s ability to read the play and crash down from the point was evident throughout the U-18 World Championship and offensive upside from the blue line is a quality the Maple Leafs are surely looking for. While it would be unrealistic to expect Handel to contribute at the NHL level for at least three seasons, Toronto sorely lacked goal-scoring from its blue line for much of the 2024-25 campaign, and it will be a valuable asset as he works to ascend through the current prospect pool.</p>
<p>Toronto will need to add quality defencemen to a relatively barren prospect pool. <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/ben-danford-gives-love-jake-muzzin-successful-ohl-season-leafs-morning-take">Ben Danford</a> was the team&#8217;s first-round selection in 2024 and while he&#8217;s showing every sign of <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/ben-danford-tries-model-game-toronto-maple-leafs-chris-tanev">developing into a quality NHL defender</a>, he lacks the type of offensive upside you&#8217;d typically see around the No. 31 pick. At this juncture, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-prospect-roundup-leafs-valis-cowan-niemela-way-out">Topi Niemela hasn&#8217;t developed</a> into a player that can make a real dent at the NHL level and you could argue that his offense regressed with the AHL&#8217;s Toronto Marlies this season. Handel can bridge some of these gaps in the prospect pool and he&#8217;s expected to take a massive leap next season with Halifax, where he should become one of the QMJHL&#8217;s most productive defencemen.</p>
<p>Handel has displayed excellent leadership qualities, especially when playing for his country and doesn&#8217;t appear to be remotely phased by the challenges that the next level presents. He has terrific skill and if he&#8217;s available at the No. 63 or No. 64 spot, the Maple Leafs will have to strongly consider Handel as a real option as a power play quarterback with real upside.</p>
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Carlos Handel excelled at the international level for Germany and he's entering the 2025 NHL Draft as one of the most intriguing prospects. Handel is a right-handed, offensive-minded defenceman who is a tailor-made power play quarterback and will likely be available when the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> make their first pick at the No. 63 or No. 64 slot.
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The 18-year-old recorded three goals and 26 points in 52 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, before adding a goal and four points in 10 playoff games. There may be some concerns about Handel's ability to handle physical play at the NHL level, stemming from his slim, 6-foot-1, 172-pound frame. Handel's offensive upside and puck movement may trump this notion entirely and he excelled at the NHL Draft Combine, finishing in the top 10 of several anaerobic fitness testing drills, including peak power output and fatigue index among other categories.

Here's what <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-nhl-draft-rankings-top-80-steven-ellis-misa-hagens-schaefer-martone-desnoyers">Daily Faceoff's Steven Ellis</a> wrote about Handel. Handel is ranked as Daily Faceoff's 65th-best prospect at the time of this filing, and was ranked as the 73rd-best North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.

<em>After shining at the World Juniors for Germany, I loved him at the U-18 World Championship. In fact, I’d argue he was Germany’s best defender at every international tournament he skated in this year, no matter the situation. He’s not afraid to get engaged on the rush and is capable of leading a power play, too. Händel produced at half a point per game with Halifax, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him double that output a year from now. He’s a good project guy to keep track of.</em>

https://twitter.com/IIHFHockey/status/1916550520900067554

Handel's ability to read the play and crash down from the point was evident throughout the U-18 World Championship and offensive upside from the blue line is a quality the Maple Leafs are surely looking for. While it would be unrealistic to expect Handel to contribute at the NHL level for at least three seasons, Toronto sorely lacked goal-scoring from its blue line for much of the 2024-25 campaign, and it will be a valuable asset as he works to ascend through the current prospect pool.

Toronto will need to add quality defencemen to a relatively barren prospect pool. <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/ben-danford-gives-love-jake-muzzin-successful-ohl-season-leafs-morning-take">Ben Danford</a> was the team's first-round selection in 2024 and while he's showing every sign of <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/ben-danford-tries-model-game-toronto-maple-leafs-chris-tanev">developing into a quality NHL defender</a>, he lacks the type of offensive upside you'd typically see around the No. 31 pick. At this juncture, <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/news/leafs-prospect-roundup-leafs-valis-cowan-niemela-way-out">Topi Niemela hasn't developed</a> into a player that can make a real dent at the NHL level and you could argue that his offense regressed with the AHL's Toronto Marlies this season. Handel can bridge some of these gaps in the prospect pool and he's expected to take a massive leap next season with Halifax, where he should become one of the QMJHL's most productive defencemen.

Handel has displayed excellent leadership qualities, especially when playing for his country and doesn't appear to be remotely phased by the challenges that the next level presents. He has terrific skill and if he's available at the No. 63 or No. 64 spot, the Maple Leafs will have to strongly consider Handel as a real option as a power play quarterback with real upside.
<h3>Sponsored by bet365</h3>
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Why the Maple Leafs should pursue Carlos Handel with 2nd-round pick

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