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Leafs' Prospect/Marlies Discussion Thread!

Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

I suspect they may be doing what they are doing with other youngsters. Marchment last year was not played much to work on his fitness and skills. Likewise for Bracco this year. I like the idea of doing this with young guys. Building them up and easing on the play schedule in their first pro year.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Some bad news from across the pond:

Carl Grundstrom is apparently going to undergo knee surgery, and will miss the next 4-6 weeks.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Sparks continues to sizzle and now has a .946 save percentage through 12 games. He's responded wonderfully to the Pickard trade.

Meanwhile, the Leafs continue to trot out one of the worst backups of the past decade.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Pickard with the win and goes above .930 as well. That's a great tandem going on down there

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Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Yeah, if McElenny keeps struggling they have some depth this year unlike last year. Pickard probably should be in the NHL, and if Sparks keeps playing like this he deserves a shot.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Yeah, I'd really like to be wrong about sparks. He's looked like a loud mess every time I've seen him play. But he's big and athletic so who knows. Goalie skill progression is pure voodoo.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Given how short Enroths leash was....I'm hopeful we don't have to watch too many more CM starts, before one of Sparks or Pickard gets the call.

Its sin to have them down there producing like they are, while giving away points because you have a ~.900 goalie in net.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

MindzEye said:
Yeah, I'd really like to be wrong about sparks. He's looked like a loud mess every time I've seen him play. But he's big and athletic so who knows. Goalie skill progression is pure voodoo.
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Thing about Sparks is that he's had steady and impressive progression since being a pro outside of the 17 game stretch behind the Matthews tank operation. Taking just his AHL seasons with more than a handful of games, .915 -> .928 -> .922 -> .947. Even without the crazy good stretch this season, those are impressive numbers.

He's the Leafs best goalie prospect (at 24, I still count goalies as prospects) since Felix Potvin. Yet the Leafs have always treated him as second fiddle. They threw him to the wolves in 2015-16, while sheltering Bibeau. I'm really impressed that he's persevered since that trauma and then again when they went out and traded for a guy to slot above him.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Marlies just snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat with Timashov going end to end to snipe a backhanded OT winner. This guy is starting to put up points. Bracco had a couple in this one too.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

I had been starting to get worried about Timashov as a prospect. The 2nd half of his final junior season was unremarkable, and the same goes for his rookie season in the AHL. But the start to his season so far this year is pretty encouraging. Hopefully he continues to creep closer to a PPG pace.

Another guy I've been keeping an eye on is Martins Dzierkals. Instead of going back to the QMJHL for an overage season this year, he signed an AHL deal with the Marlies...and then disappeared into the sports science department for a couple of months. Didn't practice with the Marlies, didn't play in any games.

He's finally resurfaced in the past couple of weeks with the Leafs' ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears. And through his first 10 games, he's got 6 goals & 8 points, with a few of those goals being of the highlight-reel variety. I'll be interested to see if he stays in the ECHL, or if they find a way to make room for him on the AHL roster.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Looks like these mysterious disappearances on the farm are paying off.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Darren Dreger
- talked about Joseph Woll and potential of the US World Junior goalie getting an invite to the Olympics. US needs to add two this month.

Todd Crocker
Travis Dermott registered 3 assists in the game vs Laval and now has 13 points in his last 10 games. #Marlies
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

They will reward him soon. Be nice to see him stick once he comes up

Has he cleaned up his penalty issue? For a while earlier in the season he was taking a lot of minors

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Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

I'm going to keep assuming for the foreseeable future that Roman Polak's job is perfectly safe. But with Marty Marincin looking like an unmitigated disaster in his most recent Leaf stint, and with Carrick failing to really step up and grab hold of a job, I still expect it's only a matter a time before Dermott makes his NHL debut this season.

Hopefully, like Borgman, he sticks once he gets his opportunity.

As for Woll---I was kind of surprised to hear that story about the US considering him for the Olympic team. He really hasn't been having a very good season in the NCAA this year, and you'd have to figure that there are a lot of better candidates. But hopefully he does get to go, as it would be a pretty amazing experience for him.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Any word on how Rosen has been playing for the Marlies?

I must admit, I was very much unimpressed with him in limited preseason action.

Gotta think Dermott's time is rapidly approaching too.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Dermott should be called up immediately. Zaitsev's injury is the exact opportunity they've been waiting for.

2 three point games in a row tells us he's back in shape..

13 points in his last 10 tells us he's ready to move up.


so kappy can't get in because we've got too many forwards, fine, but that is much different than cracking our dcorps with an injury in the top 4.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Have to think a call up is coming soon. It would have already happened if he wasn't hurt. Yesterday was only his 2nd game back.

Nice to have two high end D prospects killing the AHL. We aren't far away from adding two young, cheap, likely top 4 D.
 
Re: Leafs' Prospect Discussion Thread!

Wayward DP said:
Any word on how Rosen has been playing for the Marlies?

I must admit, I was very much unimpressed with him in limited preseason action.

Gotta think Dermott's time is rapidly approaching too.
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I haven't really been watching the Marlies closely this year, and the AHL doesn't seem to track time-on-ice stats, so I can't really say. He is dressing regularly, at least. But he's not producing many points, and I've heard barely any mention of him all year long from the reporters that cover the Marlies, so it seems like he's not standing out a whole lot down there.

Which is a little concerning for a guy that's a couple of years older than Dermott or Borgman, who already has a few seasons of professional experience under his belt over in Europe. He's sort of in the same boat as Miro Aaltonen. If guys their age, with their level of professional experience can't step in and become impact AHL players in a fairly short amount of time, their chances of becoming useful NHLers for us seem kind of remote.

Still, if you sign three European free agents in one summer, and one of them turns out to be a real solid young player for you, I'm happy with that ratio.
 
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