Many teams want a piece of Maple Leaf draft pick Jerry D’Amigo, but he might wind up in the shadow of the Air Canada Centre.
A league source confirmed a Yahoo Canada report Monday night that the college left winger is about to ditch his remaining NCAA eligibility with Rensselaer Polytechnic for a pro contract. That could eventually steer him toward the Kitchener Rangers, who own his CHL rights, but the 210 pound New York State native desires to try out with the big team first.
“If I do sign, it’s to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs,” D’Amigo told the Kitchener-Waterloo Record.
D’Amigo was chosen 158th overall in 2009, but came to prominence at the 2010 world juniors for Team USA with Toronto GM Brian Burke watching in the stands. Burke said at the end of last season he expected D’Amigo to stay with the RPI program, but things have changed.
D’Amigo had 10 goals and added 24 assists in 35 games with RPI and tied Taylor Hall of Canada as the third-leading scorer at the world junior tournament with 12 points.
If he ends up with the Rangers, D’Amigo might play with national team linemate Jeremy Morin.
