Toronto Marlies Notebook: Weekend Field Trip

Field Trip

The Marlies Saturday contest against the Belleville Senators may go down in history as an unspectacular 2-1 shootout win. However, this was no ordinary game.

No, this particular contest was special, taking place inside the Air Canada Centre, the cathedral of hockey’s Vatican.

From the players, all the way to the scrubs up in the press box (me), this was undeniably a big moment.

For former NHLers like Ben Smith and Colin Greening, it served as a reminder of the ultimate goal dangling just outside their grasp. Don’t get me wrong, Ricoh Coliseum is a beautiful barn, but the ACC is like stepping from community theatre and onto a Broadway stage. No kid dedicates their entire life to one sport, without the dream of playing it at the highest level.

Personally, I hope they both get an opportunity to live their dream one more time. Are you telling me Arizona couldn’t use either of them? They’re playing Zach Rinaldo regular minutes!

On the other hand, aspiring NHLers like Jeremy Bracco, Andreas Johnsson and Timothy Liljegren were given a first-hand look at winning on NHL ice feels. This was a unique opportunity, as the youngsters were able to navigate every nook and cranny of their soon-to-be home. Even better, the game even went to a shootout, the standard ending to any Leafs game.

And considering they beat a team called “The Senators”, they should probably get used to doing that. It’s a Toronto tradition.

Hidden Gems

Prior to this season, were any of you familiar with the name Mason Marchment before?

Don’t kick yourself if you weren’t. Marchment wasn’t drafted, currently lacks an NHL contract, and has never scored more than 43 points at any level of hockey he’s ever played at.

20 games into 2017-18, and he finds himself fourth in team scoring with 12 points in 15 games. I mean, he scores goals like these:

What about the unnervingly handsome Andreas Johnsson? He tumbled all the way down to the seventh round of his draft year. How many seventh-round picks, other than Henrik Zetterberg, actually end up playing even a single NHL game?

Well, Johnsson is currently the Marlies team leader in not just goals but points as well.

Squeezing that level of production from the likes of lower round picks and undrafted over-agers is outstanding. It speaks to a new-found philosophy regarding player recruitment and development that’s been adopted by the Leafs organization.

To put it in perspective, no player selected outside of the first round by the Edmonton Oilers since 2014 has played even a single NHL game yet.

Not one.

So, rather than relying on the draft lottery, the Leafs have instead transformed their AHL affiliate into an island of misfit toys. And it’s paying off.

Diamonds in the Rough

Their strategy is simple. Unearth players with underlying talent, ones who either bloomed too late to be drafted or fell victim to flat out bad luck in their draft year. Then, sign them to a bare minimum, incentive laden contract. And finally, invest in their development, giving them heavy minutes on a talented Marlies team playing against professionals.

A multitude of current Marlies forwards fit these criteria. Adam Brooks was passed over in the draft not once, but twice. Trevor Moore went undrafted and was signed out of the NCAA. Miro Aaltonen was a 6th round pick by Anaheim, and never even sniffed the NHL until this year.

All three of those players possess NHL potential and have been playing significant roles on this Marlies squad. Want to know how many assets the Leafs gave up to get them?

One. A 4th round pick.

Leaf Syndrome

Over the past month, we’ve seen Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen undergo his typical seasonal metamorphosis from a gross October cocoon, into a beautiful November butterfly. As his play improved, the team around him has seemingly become far more comfortable in letting him completely bail them out on numerous occasions.

I guess this disease is contagious. Because, once the Marlies stepped on the ACC ice, it began to look like they had contracted it as well.

Look, it’s easy to lean on your goaltender when he’s a flippin’ mutant. Garret Sparks is far and away the best goaltender in the AHL. Like, it’s not even close. In fact, the written medium has not provided me with descriptive tools accurate enough to convey his sheer dominance.

It’s just that leaning COMPLETELY on one player to win you a game may not be the best strategy. Johnsson told me as much when I asked him about Sparks following Saturday’s game:

“When we as a team don’t play well, Sparks saves us,”

For the love of god, either Sparks or Calvin Pickard will inevitably get called up to the Leafs. One of them needs to mercifully replace the wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man that is Curtis McElhinney.

When that happens, the Marlies won’t be able to lean on their goaltenders the way they currently do. It will be undoubtedly interesting to see how this talented team responds to playing without a safety net.

Systems

Want to know what I love the most about the Marlies?

It’s that, from day one of training camp, they teach the exact same system the Leafs do.

This way, when a player is called up to the NHL, they slot perfectly into the lineup and completely skip the adjustment period. How else could Nikita Soshnikov be called up in the morning, and play on the penalty kill on the same night?

This becomes infinitely more valuable to a team filled to the brim with young talent.

Power Play

 Jeremy Bracco‘s game reminds a lot of Mitch Marner‘s, in that both are small, speedy wingers with incredible puck skills and vision. Those skills are suited perfectly for use on the power play, which is where Bracco is used most effectively.

Take a look at this power play goal from last season, and note the set play that leads to it:

The Leafs LOVE the high tip. A player slides along the wall, waiting for the someone to move into the high slot. Then, he fires a slap pass into the slot, where the other player redirects it into the net.

Funnily enough, the Marlies use that exact same set play, along with slight modifications. This forces it to become muscle memory in their young players before they even sniff the NHL.

Take a look at this PP goal by Greening from last Sunday, and you’ll see what I mean:

The player on the boards slides down and feeds the puck into the slot. Normally, Kerby Rychel would have redirected that on goal. Except for this time, he sensed Greening crashing the net behind him and stopped in order to catch the goalie off guard.

It’s a terrific play, one that transcends the organizational levels.

I don’t know about you, but the thought of Liljegren mastering the Leafs power play systems by age 19 gets me giddy. Although, then again, anything Timmy does gets me giddy.

Players I’m Worried About

I may be young, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune from some motherly anxiety about a few Marlies.

Working the beat for this team has really allowed me to observe each player on a game-by-game basis. And, quite frankly, I’m worried about a few of them. Allow me to explain.

Michael Paliotta

Michael Paliotta is a 24-year-old defenceman, a former 2011 third-round pick by Chicago.

Over the years, Paliotta has proven himself to be a quality depth player. No, he won’t wow you with his offence. He will, however, play a solid, responsible game.

Boy, the Leafs could use a few of those.

Now, in the last two seasons, Paliotta has suited up for 68 and 52 games respectively. By AHL standards, that’s standard for a lineup regular. This year, however, he’s played a grand total of two.

Yes, two.

I’ve asked around and, as far as I can tell, he’s not injured. And he’s not away from the team for personal reasons. No, by all accounts, he’s just simply not playing. And that’s super weird.

Unless the two games he played were the worst ever played by a defenceman, I struggle to grasp why he’s barely seen the ice. Yes, the Marlies have ridiculous depth on their blue line. But, they do also play sets of back-to-backs nearly every weekend.

Are you telling me Paliotta couldn’t have cracked the lineup then, even just to give one D man a rest? Heck, half the Marlies top six were scratched for Saturday’s game, and he STILL didn’t slot in.

Paliotta is a decent player. Too decent to become the Marlies version of Josh Leivo. What worries me is that he’s now 24, the universal benchmark age for prospects to either break out or lag behind.

If he can’t get some playing time soon, his options may be limited moving forward.

Andrew Neilsen

I’ve written about him before, but he’s worth mentioning again.

Andrew Neilsen is essentially good at one thing: generating offence. That makes his goal total, which is precisely zero, 20 games into the season, all the more troubling.

Yes, Neilsen is only 20 years old. He’s waaaaay too young to give up on. However, the biggest knock on his game has always been that he’s a one-dimensional player. And when you’re a one-dimensional player, you better perform that dimension to the best of your abilities.

I’m fine when developing players struggle. It’s part of the process.

Liljegren’s first game at September’s Rookie Tournament was likely the worst game I’ve ever seen a defenseman play. Yet, the developmental strides he’s made since are so vast, the Grand Canyon would be jealous.

With Neilsen, he’s just kind of stayed stagnant. And that is not okay. Most of the time, his play can be summed up like this:

That’s not me, btw. Just a guy with the same name who watches the Marlies. Small world.

Neilsen will never be a defensive stalwart, but that doesn’t mean he can ignore the defensive end of the game completely. Neilsen possesses incredible offensive gifts. Gifts so extreme that Sheldon Keefe has begun bucking the traditional “one D, four forwards” PP structure in order to get him extra time on the man advantage.

The talent is there, and I have a feeling he will make strides one day. However, in an organization so deep that Kasperi Kapanen, a bonafide NHL player, can’t crack the NHL, the clock is ticking.

Quick Thoughts: ACC Edition

I got to cover a professional hockey game at the Air Canada Centre and it was the coolest moment of my life. Here’s what I learned:

• The ACC press box is SO HIGH up. Honestly, if you have a fear of heights, covering games there may not be the profession for you.
• Trevor Moore had a MONSTER weekend. The Marlies are starting to use him on the PK more, and it’s working to great effect. He may only have 4 points on the year, but he is due for a breakout.
• Opposing teams are starting to target the young Marlies stars. Kapanen was absolutely SMOKED at the opposing blue line on Sunday, and Liljegren was knocked to the ice at least ten times. It will be interesting to see how these youngsters respond when faced with increased attention.
• Miro Aaltonen is really, really fast. The only reason he’s not a Leaf right now is that his game is befitting of a top six player.