Toronto Maple Leafs: Next 3 Marlies Call-Up Candidates

The Toronto Maple Leafs are fortunate to have an abundance of talent on their farm team this season.

Who is the Toronto Maple Leafs top call-up candidate for the 2018-19 season? That’s easy, it’s Trevor Moore and it shouldn’t even be up for debate. But what about the next call-up candidate after Moore? Well, that gets tricky.

The Toronto Marlies are currently in a dog fight for a playoff spot in the AHL’s Eastern Conference, sitting 7th with 55 points as of February 7th. They are also loaded with a number of the Leafs top prospects that could soon make an impact in the NHL in the near future.

Given that injuries are bound to happen from time to time, that means players from the farm team will potentially be recalled to the big club at any given moment. This has already happened a few times with Moore, Michael Hutchinson, and even Eamon McAdam being called up during the 2018-19 season so far.

So after Moore, who is the next in line to get the phone call to join the Leafs roster in case of an injury? Well here are three of the top candidates that fit the bill.

Calle Rosen

Since being sent down early in the 2017-18 season, Calle Rosen has taken massive strides in his development. He slowly established himself as one of the Marlies top defenders, playing a big role in their 2018 Calder Cup run last spring.

This season has seen Rosen’s role on the team increase in a big way. In 44 games played, he has 5 goals, 31 assists, and 36 points, the latter of which is both the highest among Marlies defenseman and third on the team in scoring.

While he won’t stand out amongst the established defenseman currently on the Leafs roster, his rising stock and a two-year contract extension easily make him one of the teams most important defensive prospects. Even with Martin Marincin spending most of the season on the Leafs roster, Rosen will no doubt be the first defenseman called upon given that he is exempt from waivers.

The next time Leafs fans see Rosen with the big club, he will be a much improved and more versatile player. He has no doubt worked himself into the Leafs plans and is easily one of their top recall candidates.

Adam Brooks

He may not be the Marlies top centre, but he has easily taken big steps in his development into becoming a useful bottom-6 NHL forward. He went from a little known late-round pick to one of Sheldon Keefe’s go-to players to shut-down the opposition.

Offence is obviously not his calling card as seen by his current stat line. He only has 9 goals, 9 assists, and 18 points in 34 games played for the Marlies. Given his role on the team as a checking forward, that is no doubt a satisfying number for him since he is within one point of matching his career best.

Brooks is also known to be a clutch performer for the Marlies this season. As per AHL.com, he is 2nd on the team in overtime goals (1), tied for 4th in game-winners (2), and tied for 4th on first-goals (2). In hockey, you always need players that rise to the occasion and Brooks has most certinately done that.

While he won’t be recalled because of his offence, Brooks will be brought up due to his age, position, and to further his development in the right direction. Given how he is considered a late bloomer and is on a team lacking centre depth, it’s no wonder he has climbed the recall charts.

Mason Marchment

If Moore wasn’t on the Leafs roster, then Mason Marchment would likely be the forward next in line to be the top call-up candidate. A former undrafted player, Marchment has made great strides during his time with the Marlies.

After splitting time between the Marlies and the Orlando Solar Bears in his rookie season, Marchment broke out in his sophomore campaign to become one of the team’s most dependable secondary scorers. In their Calder Cup run, he was one-third of a dominating line that included Moore and Brooks which terrorized opposing teams.

This season, he role has continued to grow with improved offensive outputs. He currently has 11 goals, 12 assists, and 23 points in 41 games played, which is three points shy of his career-best. With his ceiling being a solid 4th line two-way forward, that is pretty impressive for the 23-year-old.

Like the other two players mentioned, Marchment is also waiver exempt which is important given the team’s overall prospect pool is beginning to thin out. Marchment is working his way towards a potential NHL spot on the roster and has, therefore, put himself pretty high on the Leafs recall list.

Honourable Mentions: Timothy Liljegren, Jeremy Bracco, Martin Marincin, Dmytro Timashov, Michael Hutchinson

Thanks for reading!

All stats unless otherwise noted are from HockeyDB.com.