**COURTESY NEW JERSEY DEVILS**
The New Jersey Devils selected Michael McLeod (Mississauga, OHL) with the 12th overall selection at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo.
The Devils on Friday acquired the 12th overall pick and a third round pick (80th overall) in this year’s Draft in exchange for the 11th overall pick.
McLeod is a 6-2, 188-lb. centerman known for his speed.
“He has great quickness and speed, is smart and skilled but also very reliable,” said NHL Director of Central Scouting Dan Marr. “A coach can put him out in any situation and feel comfortable. His speed allows him to create offense off the rush, making him very difficult to defend.”
In 2015-16, McLeod skated for his hometown Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League, finishing second in team scoring with 61 points (21g-40a— 61pts) in 57 games behind linemate and No. 3-ranked North American skater Alexander Nylander (28-47—75).
McLeod added 3g-6a—9pts in seven postseason contests – including a pair of three-point outings – before the Steelheads were eliminated in the first round by Barrie.
In 2013-14, McLeod registered 21g-36a—57pts in 33 games for the Toronto Marlboros of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, coached by Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey. At the 2014 OHL Cup, he produced 7g-4a—11pts in seven games to lead the Marlboros to the OHL Cup championship and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
Internationally, McLeod was part of Canada’s gold medal entry at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial and skated for his country at the 2016 Under-18 World Championship.
McLeod is part of a hockey family: his older brother, Matthew, played for Canisius College in 2015-16 and his younger brother, Ryan, played alongside Michael as a teammate on the Steelheads
