Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
This is more like it.
The Toronto Marlies are off to a 7-1-2-1 start, putting them in early position for a chase for first place that will bring back memories for fans who remember the team taking five North Division titles in seven years between 2011-12 and 2017-18. That stretch finished with Toronto outlasting the Texas Stars in a seven-game prize fight for the 2018 Calder Cup championship.
Since then, however, the Marlies have only won one regular-season division title; after conquering the North in 2022-23, Toronto slipped back to a fifth-place finish and a first-round playoff exit last season.
Now in his second season as head coach, John Gruden has his club in early position for another fruitful campaign. But the postseason is still five months away. This time of year is about setting up the parameters for success that can make a lengthy playoff run possible.
Excellent special-teams play is one such key pillar. Early on, Toronto ranks third in both power-play (25.0 percent) and penalty-killing (90.2 percent) efficiency.
Goaltending is another essential, of course, and the Marlies have had that piece as well. Dennis Hildeby, who had a brief early stint with the Maple Leafs, has a .938 save percentage over his first two AHL starts this year. Artur Akhtyamov, taken in the fourth round of the 2020 NHL Draft, is 4-0-1 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in five appearances. And two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray has provided strong play as well as mentorship. Goaltending like that can take a team far.
Toronto earned three of a possible four points during a visit to Charlotte last weekend, mounting third-period comebacks in both games to record a 4-3 win on Saturday and a 5-4 overtime loss on Sunday.
“For them to still find a way to get it done, I’m proud of them,” Gruden said in his post-game remarks.
Forward Nikita Grebenkin, like Akhtyamov a 21-year-old over from the KHL, has made a swift adjustment to the AHL. The 2022 fifth-round draft pick has nine points (three goals, six assists) through 11 games and has quickly become a go-to option for Gruden, especially on the power play. Rookie Fraser Minten, a 2022 second-rounder and the subject of considerable attention in Toronto, made his season debut on the trip to Charlotte and scored his first professional goal in last night’s contest in Cleveland; he had been out since September with an ankle injury.
As always, Leafs management has made sure to supply plenty of experience for the Marlies, a group led by third-year captain Logan Shaw and last year’s scoring leader Joseph Blandisi. Coming off a 27-goal season, fourth-year pro Alex Steeves earned himself a recall this week after scoring nine goals in his first 10 games. Toronto also brought in Alex Nylander on an AHL deal, and he has supplied five goals in his first 11 appearances. Matt Benning, who has played 464 NHL games, could become an anchor on the blue line after being assigned to the Marlies this week; Benning was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in an Oct. 30 deal for Timothy Liljegren.
Now the Marlies return home, opening a five-game homestand on Saturday afternoon when Belleville visits Scotiabank Arena, the Maple Leafs’ home building. That game is the Live on Social Saturday AHL Game of the Week, streaming free on FloHockey’s Facebook, X and YouTube accounts. Toronto has won all five of its home dates so far, outscoring opponents, 19-9.
While the building continues, Gruden has come away pleased with his team’s resolve, especially after rallying the way they did in Charlotte.
Said Gruden, “We’ll take that all day long.”
On the American Hockey League beat for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his outstanding coverage of the league in 2016.
