D'Amigo signs three-year entry-level contract with Maple Leafs

Brian Burke, president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Wednesday that the club has agreed to terms on a three-year entry level contract with forward Jerry D’Amigo (pronounced dah-MEE-goh).

“We’ve been very pleased with Jerry’s progression over the past 12 months,” said Burke. “Seth Appert and the rest of the coaching staff at R.P.I. (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) have done a really nice job of preparing Jerry for the next stage in his development. We look forward to having him at training camp.”

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This kid has been a standout, and one of the more recognizable prospects over the last hockey year.

While I'm not expecting him to make the Maple Leafs, heck I wasn't expecting him to leave RPI until next season, he should have a good chance of being a solid contributor with the Marlies. I don't think he'll light the league on fire, but there's no reason (with the added depth) that he can't be someone who scores in the 40pt range which to me would be very respectable from a 19-year-old in his first year playing vs. men.

He is eligible to play in the OHL, but given he's made it public that he has no intentions of playing for Kitchener, I think the Maple Leafs will leave him playing in either the AHL or NHL.

Can he make the NHL squad? I'm not sure, but there's a reason the Maple Leafs signed him this year and it's because they think he at least has some chance of making it. He's a player with a high hockey IQ, and now his skills seem to be catching up to his brains. He's added approximately 15lbs of muscle which should also aid in his transition to the NHL. I like to compare him to a Jamie Langenbrunner type of player - not flashy, but fast and a multi-purpose forward who's at his best when the games are on the line. Langenbrunner is a guy who in his prime was a 50-60 pt player for New Jersey, even last year he put up very good numbers at the ripe old age of 35.

If D'Amigo can have the career that Langenbrunner has had, I think the Maple Leafs are getting a player that will be vital to future success.