Maple Leafs sign NCAA free agent Prokop to 1-year ELC
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed NCAA free-agent defenseman John Prokop to a one-year, entry-level contract beginning next season, the team announced Thursday.
Prokop, who turns 24 in May, collected eight goals and 27 points in 36 games at Union College this campaign. He'll join the AHL's Toronto Marlies on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season.
The 6-foot-3 rearguard led Union in scoring in his first two years with the Garnet Chargers. Prokop scored 35 points in 36 contests in 2023-24 and was named an ECAC First Team All-Star.
Prokop is a late bloomer who was never on the radar to be drafted during his junior career. The Wisconsin native registered a career high of just 15 points in the USHL, a total he surpassed each of his three years in the NCAA.
Three Union College alumni have played in the NHL this season: Shayne Gostisbehere (Carolina), Nick DeSimone (Utah), and Collin Graf (San Jose).