Toronto Maple Leafs December AHL Prospect Update

TORONTO, ON- MAY 3 – Toronto Marlies forward, recently signed Egor Korshkov (96) skates in the warm-up, he was the Toronto Maple Leafs 2016 second-round pick as the teams warm up before Toronto Marlies play the Cleveland Monstersin game two of their second round Calder Cup play-off series at Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. May 3, 2019. (Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

The moment it was announced that the Toronto Maple Leafs  had fired Mike Babcock and hired Sheldon Keefe, it was as if a dark cloud had disappeared.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have benefited greatly from this decision, going 11-4-0 in that span.

The Toronto Marlies have had to adjust due to this change and as a result, their record has taken a bit of a hit.

The Marlies went into the middle of November still without a regulation loss.

Over their past 10 games, the Marlies have gone 5-5-0, so let’s take a look at how the prospects are doing!

C; Adam Brooks, 23 5’10, 181, AHL (GP; 19, G; 7, A; 8, PTS;15) 

Over this season, we have seen plenty of Marlies being called up to fill in for injuries on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Adam Brooks has been “yo-yo’d” a little bit in the past week, most likely to cap reasons. Nonetheless, Brooks has shown that he has warranted a legitimate look on the Leafs.

Brooks has put up 15 points in 19 games, showing that he has taken another step forward in his development.

Brooks is now playing on the Marlies top line, having worked all the way up from being a regular 4th liner in his rookie AHL season.

From putting up 40 points in 61 games to posting 15 points in 19 games this season, Brooks has worked his way into the Leafs potential future plans.

Due to Brooks being a center, he has a shot to make the Leafs but his ceiling is limited at this point in time.

ETA; 2020-21

Potential; Versatile, blue collar, bottom six center, who could be shifted to the wing

C/LW; Pierre Engvall, 23, 6’5, 214- NHL; (GP; 16, G; 2, A; 4, PTS; 7)

Being 6′ 5, Pierre has a giraffe like stride, where he has such a strong presence in the middle of the ice, using his long reach and speed.

After being called up due to Trevor Moore’s injury, Engvall has stepped into the lineup and immediately contributed in positive ways.

When Trevor Moore was activated from the IR, there was some speculation that Engvall was going to be sent back down, alas, nothing happened. Pierre is still having a regular shift with the Leafs, with penalty killing responsibilities.

Seeing how Pierre Engvall is doing this season, it’s quite encouraging, putting up 7 points in 16 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Engvall has been given penalty killing duties from Sheldon Keefe, which tells us that Engvall is a trusted player for the Leafs.

Pierre Engvall has been put in some really difficult minutes and zone starts, having 63% of his starts in the defensive zone, while posting a corsi above 50%. It’s safe to say that the kid is good.

With a looming cap crunch and a playoff run to make haste for, it might be a good idea to allow Engvall a bigger role, by trading Kapanen or Johnsson.

Like Adam Brooks, Engvall is approaching the “he is, what he is” stage. Pierre’s potential remains limited, but his size and speed gives him a bigger window for the Leafs.

ETA; Now- Pierre is currently playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Potential; Versatile, big forward with skill and speed, capable of contributing on special teams.

RW; Jeremy Bracco, 22, 5’11, 185- AHL (GP; 28, G; 3, A; 19, PTS; 22)

Trying to see what exactly Bracco is, is pretty simple. He is a power play specialist, who excels in creating and making plays for his linemates. What Bracco struggles with, is being held accountable in the defensive zone. Bracco was given heavily protected minutes and as a result, Bracco posted 79 points in 75 games.

Playing the right wing, Bracco is climbing an uphill battle on the depth chart. With the likes of Marner, Nylander and Kapanen taking up the top 9, the only spot is the 4th line spot.

In order for Bracco to be an NHL regular, which he absolutely could be anywhere else, he has to develop his defensive game. Bracco has the potential to be in a protected NHL role, but will have to become a dependable back checker first.

This season, Bracco has struggled to produce at the same clip like last year, registering 22 points in 28 games.  Considering his great season last year, I thought Bracco should have taken another step this year, but that might be asking for too much from the young forward.

ETA; Now- he has the skill for the NHL, but depth charts and lack of defensive game hold him back. Jeremy has been called up to the Leafs, but did not dress, this was likely a cap move for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Potential; Top 9 RW forward, power play/ shootout specialist.

LW/RW;Yegor Korshkov, 23, 6’4, 214 – AHL (GP; 23, G; 8, A; 7, PTS; 15)

Yegor Korshkov started off the season ablaze, putting up a point per game pace. As the season has worn on, Korshkov has seemed to fade a little bit.

The Toronto Marlies recognized there was a lack of Russian speaking players in the organization, thus hiring former Leaf legend Nik Antropov, to be Korshkov’s “mentor.”

The language barrier has definitely been a factor in Korshkov’s on-ice communication with his teammates too. It’s hard to try and get your teammate to cover their man, when they don’t speak the same language as you.

Yegor has excellent size and utilizes it effectively with his skill. Having special teams abilities will take Korshkov a long way in his future with the Leafs, as it opens up his doors in the NHL lineup. His versatility certainly helps a lot too, in terms of roster and lineup flexibility.

What is clear, Yegor plays like a Zach Hyman/ Tomas Holmstrom type. He likes to be a big presence on the cycle and around the net. Posting 15 points in 23 games, it looks as if Korshkov has made the right choice coming over from Russia.

Luckily for Korshkov, he is a versatile winger, who plays on both special teams. He has an active motor and a long reach, which is a nuisance to play against. He is a Keefe style player, so his chances of reaching the NHL remain very strong, as long as he keeps up his production.

ETA; 2020-21- Next year looks to be a decent bet for Korshkov to crack the Leafs lineup after another impending crap crunch.

Potential; Versatile forward who can play up and down the lineup. Has special teams abilities, which help his case to make the NHL as well. Size and cycle ability is what will help his case for a roster spot.

LW- Mason Marchment, 24, 6’4, 220- AHL (GP; 7, G; 2, A; 1, PTS; 3)

After coming back from a mysterious injury, Mason is back to being that huge presence for the Toronto Marlies.

Marchment’s injury wasn’t disclosed with the public, so that was a lot of speculation as to what was wrong- was it his shoulder? His leg? Or was it his back?

Needless to say, the Marlies are a better team with him in the lineup.

ETA; 2020-21, The Leafs have an impending cap crunch as previously mentioned, Marchment has a cap hit of 756K that runs till the end of this season.

Mason will more than likely make the same amount as his current contract, being able to fit into the cap structure easily.

Scouting report; Marchment plays a style that is needed on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster, big, bruising, in your face and is able to help offensively. Think of a Tom Wilson type when looking at Marchment’s game.

D; Timothy Liljegren, 20, 6’0, 193- AHL (GP; 25, G; 3, A; 13, PTS; 16) 

At the time of the pick, Leafs nation were overjoyed with the fact, management was able to snag Liljegren in the first round, at the 17th pick.

Fast forward two and a half years, Liljegren’s development has been nothing short of polarizing.

Liljegren was known as a high octane offensive defenseman. Heading into his draft year, he was projected to be a top 3 pick, but a case of Mono tanked his draft stock. Timothy being a right handed defenseman was nothing short of the perfect fit and best player available strategy pick for Toronto.

Being from Sweden, Liljegren was able to afford Toronto extra control on his development, close to headquarters. Timothy had his minutes controlled and was eased into the lineup. This allowed Timothy to develop and hone his game, to where he could be adequate in the Leafs lineup right now.

Liljegren has had an interesting development curve, he was protected in his first season and then was pushed hard to round out his defensive game last season. This has given many fans the wrong impression of Liljegren and many have written him off. Seeing as Timothy is 20 years old and having played against men for the past 4 years (including Sweden), his development is going just fine.

This is the second season in a row of having Liljegren on the top pair, which it looks as if Liljegren has taken another step in his development.

Timothy has posted 16 points in 25 games, this means he’s one point shy of reaching a season-high across his three AHL seasons. What makes this more impressive is that Liljegren has done it before Christmas. As long as Timothy stays healthy, he will breeze past his previous point totals.

Keefe has shown plenty of confidence in Liljegren, playing him on the top pair, alongside Rasmus Sandin. Liljegren has been able to develop his defensive game and his offensive game at the young age of 20, it appears Liljegren will be more than fine.

ETA; 2020-21, possible call up at this year’s trade deadline.

Potential; Top 4, puck moving defenseman with a strong hockey IQ. Liljegren has an ability to log a lot of minutes as well. He has a solid frame for the NHL, but will need to continue to improve his speed and strength.

D; Rasmus Sandin, 19, 5’11, 183- AHL (GP; 19, G;2, A;10, PTS;12)

Having been loaned to Sweden’s world junior roster, Leafs Nation will get a taste of how Sandin could look amongst boys. Sandin has shown an ability to post an insane number of minutes from game to game, as he will be relied upon heavily on Sweden.

Sandin has shown that he can dominate the lower levels, using his smarts and skill. Rasmus isn’t a speedster by any means, but has a superior understanding of how each play will unfold, to allow him time and space.

Sandin plays a style and way that makes it look easy to play 25+ minutes a night and not break a sweat. Sandin is calm under pressure and knows when to jump into a rush or to hold back.

This past pre-season, Sandin looked so good that he forced management’s hand into keeping him on the Leafs. After 6 games with the Leafs, Sandin began to wear down, being sent down to the Marlies, where he has 12 points in 19 games.

It should be noted, Sandin was put into difficult minutes in the NHL, having 58% of his zone starts in the defensive zone. With these starts, Sandin managed to have a positive corsi of 59.5%

Sandin has now proven that last season was no fluke, he is able to handle and dominate the AHL. Given his age of 19 years old, it seems as if the sky’s the limit for Sandin at this point. Right now Sandin needs to become stronger and gain more experience, he will be in the NHL sooner than later.

ETA; 2020-21, could be a deadline call up

Potential; Top 4 defenseman, who can step into a top pairing role and provide valuable minutes. Rasmus has a high IQ when moving the puck, using his mobility and agility to evade forecheckers. Has special teams abilities as well.

D- Jesper Lindgren, 22, 6’1, 176- AHL (GP; 21, G; 1, A; 5, PTS; 6)

Three months into the season and not much has changed with Lindgren. This isn’t to say that Jesper hasn’t been developing, it’s ok to be under the radar sometimes, as a defenceman.

When coming over from European ice to North American, there is always going to be some difficulties.

Luckily, Jesper plays exactly how the Toronto Maple Leafs play, meaning his door will always be open for opportunities, especially by being a right handed defenceman.

There isn’t much to update with Lindgren, but sometimes no news is good news.

ETA; 2021-2022/ 2022-23, It’s hard to project Lindgren’s development here, he plays the Leafs style of hockey and is a right handed defensemen, both bode well for him.

Scouting report; Lindgren plays a silky smooth game, he is mobile and smart with puck moving. He’s a hybrid of Anton Stralman and a very poor man’s Erik Karlsson

D- Teemu Kivihalme, 6’0 180- AHL (GP; 24, G; 2, A; 4, PTS;6)

Like Lindgren, this season has also been relatively quiet for Teemu Kivihalme.

What is encouraging, despite the low point totals, is that Teemu is being played in the Marlies’ top 4. This may be due to the fact that Rasmus Sandin is with Sweden’s world junior team, but it shows that management trusts Kivihalme.

Teemu has to show that he can keep up with the pace of the AHL, or his tenure with Toronto will be a very quick one.

I like his overall game and what he brings to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, but he’s another left handed defenceman.

Being a defenceman in Toronto is a great problem to be in- the media is hard to deal with, but the payoff of playing well, is huge. Teemu has shown that he can battle through adversity in Finland and university hockey with Colorado.

Now that Teemu is in Toronto, he is going to have to show why it was worth it to take a chance on him.

ETA; To be quite honest, I don’t think Kivihalme has much of a shot cracking the Leafs at this point in time.

Scouting report; A dependable, puck moving d-man, who is capable of eating up important minutes for the Marlies