Jeremy Bracco, whose doorway to the Maple Leafs has been opened by players of a similar small size such as Mitch Marner, Connor Brown and Nikita Soshnikov, does not view his third development camp as spinning his wheels.

“There’s new material, new (guest) coaches, things you can pick up on,” the 5-foot-10, 190-pound winger said. “That’s my goal, pick one little thing from every camp and you’re doing okay.”

The second-round pick from 2015 realizes the Leafs’ job market is a lot tighter than before, especially for the next wave of young guns.

“They’ve brought in a lot of good guys, but it’s an exciting time to be part of the organization. You look at what Mitch did last season, it makes the small guys feel good. I have to get bigger. You see how strong you have to be down low, playing off the cycle, You don’t score a lot of goals off the rush anymore. It’s something I’ll have to work on with the staff, meet with the nutritionist and (get) weight training.”

The Long Islander, with his strong resemblance to a young Elvis Presley, complete with the hair, can see personal growth in many ways since his first development camp in Collingwood, Ont., during his draft year.

“I looked like I was 12 then. Now I’ve got a bit of a beard,” he said.

SMART STUFF

This might be the highest concentration of brain power at a Leafs summer camp with several university-bound players, led by two from St. Andrew’s College.

The Aurora-based school, which balances hockey and class work, had three drafted this year: Ryan O’Connell in the final round by the Leafs, sixth-rounder Morgan Barron by the Rangers and Robert Thomas 20th overall by St. Louis, though he only played one game at SAC before joining the London Knights.

O’Connell, a defenceman, is at camp with teammate/forward Corey Andonovski, an invite.

“St. Andrews and our (Conference Of Independent Schools) isn’t scouted much,” O’Connell said. “Our coach, Dave Manning, did a great job getting us exposure, making sure every player who deserved to be scouted was (followed).”

Andonovski is a straight-A student with an 85% grade average.

“Economics, politics, law, I really enjoyed those,” said the Uxbridge native. “In law, we did a lot of mock trials for a taste of what it’s like in a courtroom. Some were based on old Canadian murder cases with the names changed. You get to voice your opinion and if you’re a strong debater that helps. It’s competitive, like sports.”

O’Connell, whose marks in science, physics and chemistry were also in the 80s, said the school sorted out a timetable so practice didn’t overlap. Both players will spend 2017-18 in the B.C. junior league, O’Connell with Penticton, Andonovski with Chilliwack, before commencing scholarships at Boston University and Princeton, respectively.

“I’m just looking to get the most out of this camp,” Andonovski said. “I’m obviously not sticking with this team now, but I could be down the road and I’m looking at this as a stepping stone.”

GAME ON

Saturday’s first scrimmage game, exclusively between free-agent invites, was played in front of many Leafs execs and coaches. That pressure didn’t get to Saginaw Spirit left winger Cole Coskey, who had a three-point game in his team’s 5-4 win.

“Definitely you feel that, seeing the head guys up in the stands,” said Coskey. “You have to do your best. There are a lot of skill guys out here. This is good exposure fore me.”

KHLer Kirill Kozhevnikov joined Coskey with two goals and an assist. Drummondville defenceman Marc-Olivier Duquette had a goal and assist and WHL forward Connor Dewar contributed a couple of helpers.

Next week in camp scrimmages, the free agents will take on the draft picks and prospects.

THE NEW BALL GAME

First-round pick Timothy Liljegren is taking in a lot of new experiences this week, including a live Blue Jay game. All the campers were at Friday evening’s Toronto — Houston match.

“I’ve only watched three games, so I know a little bit more about rules, but I still don’t get it fully,” the defenceman said. “I’m having a hard time understanding the (terms). But I enjoy the home runs.”

LOOSE LEAFS

Soo defenceman Mac Hollowell was helped off the ice after an ankle injury during scrimmage ... The Leafs have added two more guest coaches to the camp, John Goyens of the Lac St-Louis Lions, a triple-A team that has graduated some NHL prospects, and Curtis Carr, associate head coach at Merrimack, the school where Mike Babcock’s son Michael plays. Merrimack defenceman Ryan Cook and forward Sami Tavernier are also at camp as invites.