Prospect Info: Marlies/Prospects- Early Off Season time

[Faltorvo]

Babcock did not want him I guess. Was sent to the Marlies and never once played for the Leafs after Babcock came in.

maybe he was looking for this 6.02 200lb player to play more physical/hard to play against
well , we are still looking for those

 

[stickty111]

Kloke had an article today about the different options some Leafs prospects have, since their season's are delayed.

Abbruzzese is considering going to Europe if thats what the team brings to him. There is a chance he might just turn pro and sign an ELC, but the team doesn't want to rush his development. He also really values his education and doesn't want to fore go his education. He has been approached with different things, and for right now is looking at everything. He sees value in learning a new life style if he went to Europe, but a 160 pound player playing against men is worrisome.

Mac Hollowell wouldn't mind going to Europe if thats what the team brings to him, but so far nothing on that front.

Kivihalme said if the AHL season is cancelled, Karpat is an option to play for sure.

Brazeau said he is staying, and is not going anywhere. He wouldn't mind taking the year off and working on his skating.

 

[Duke16]

Hoping the Leafs can add a few of the newly turned College Free Agents.

Cam Morrison, Luke Martin, and Ryan Shea would probably require ELC's

Chris Wilkie, Carson Meyer, Nikita Pavlyachev among others could be good AHL contract gambles.

 

[The Nic]

Hoping the Leafs can add a few of the newly turned College Free Agents.

Cam Morrison, Luke Martin, and Ryan Shea would probably require ELC's

Chris Wilkie, Carson Meyer, Nikita Pavlyachev among others could be good AHL contract gambles.

Why are these guys now free agents? Morrison, Martin and Shea are all drafted players... and their college classes haven't graduated yet. Puzzled...

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Hoping the Leafs can add a few of the newly turned College Free Agents.

Cam Morrison, Luke Martin, and Ryan Shea would probably require ELC's

Chris Wilkie, Carson Meyer, Nikita Pavlyachev among others could be good AHL contract gambles.

Any of them would be good. Not sure we have room for defense, so Shea and Martin may be long shots... However we can probably open up room for a RD like Martin. I think Shea won't even consider us anyways.

Cam Morrison is not worth an ELC IMO. He has some skating issues and his upside is not extremely high. Martin and Shea are the only NCAA UFA's potentially worth an ELC to me.

 

[The Nic]

Hoping the Leafs can add a few of the newly turned College Free Agents.

Cam Morrison, Luke Martin, and Ryan Shea would probably require ELC's

Chris Wilkie, Carson Meyer, Nikita Pavlyachev among others could be good AHL contract gambles.

I see that several drafted NCAA players became UFA's over the weekend. Several draft years were involved so I guess that some of these players didn't start school until sometime after their draft year. Frankly don't know very much about any of them. I did notice that Pavlychev is a 6-7 center... so that's interesting. Then again, I was a huge Nik Antropov fan.

 

[The Nic]

Any of them would be good. Not sure we have room for defense, so Shea and Martin may be long shots... However we can probably open up room for a RD like Martin. I think Shea won't even consider us anyways.

Cam Morrison is not worth an ELC IMO. He has some skating issues and his upside is not extremely high. Martin and Shea are the only NCAA UFA's potentially worth an ELC to me.

I see that Martin is 'only' 21 years old... in addition to being right handed. Do you happen to know anything else about his game? He's certainly not a scoring defenseman, based on his numbers.

 

[TML1967]

I see that Martin is 'only' 21 years old... in addition to being right handed. Do you happen to know anything else about his game? He's certainly not a scoring defenseman, based on his numbers.

U Michigan is a pretty stellar program, I have seen him live a few times.

Skates well, sound positional play, hits hard (not often), plays a decently tight gap.
From what I remember, his offensive game can be summed up as 'smart short pass' and 'dont take risks'

Here is a profile from his draft year - https://thehockeywriters.com/luke-martin-2017-draft-prospect-profile/

I would have no probelm giving him an ELC. By my count, we have 45-46 guys who next year we will likely have signed who will count towards it.
Only RHD who I would say are for sure ahead oh him are Liljgren and Lindgren. Im not too high on Hollowell or Duszak.
Having a more defensive minded guy with a bit of size wouldnt hurt.
Even in the AHL, might give a more balancing effect to a Lehtonen type offensive guy

 

[aingefan]

U Michigan is a pretty stellar program, I have seen him live a few times.

Skates well, sound positional play, hits hard (not often), plays a decently tight gap.
From what I remember, his offensive game can be summed up as 'smart short pass' and 'dont take risks'

Here is a profile from his draft year - https://thehockeywriters.com/luke-martin-2017-draft-prospect-profile/

I would have no probelm giving him an ELC. By my count, we have 45-46 guys who next year we will likely have signed who will count towards it.
Only RHD who I would say are for sure ahead oh him are Liljgren and Lindgren. Im not too high on Hollowell or Duszak.
Having a more defensive minded guy with a bit of size wouldnt hurt.
Even in the AHL, might give a more balancing effect to a Lehtonen type offensive guy

I don’t mind that idea, especially if Lili is gonna graduate this year.
I still wanna see Duszak tried on the wing.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

U Michigan is a pretty stellar program, I have seen him live a few times.

Skates well, sound positional play, hits hard (not often), plays a decently tight gap.
From what I remember, his offensive game can be summed up as 'smart short pass' and 'dont take risks'

Here is a profile from his draft year - https://thehockeywriters.com/luke-martin-2017-draft-prospect-profile/

I would have no probelm giving him an ELC. By my count, we have 45-46 guys who next year we will likely have signed who will count towards it.
Only RHD who I would say are for sure ahead oh him are Liljgren and Lindgren. Im not too high on Hollowell or Duszak.
Having a more defensive minded guy with a bit of size wouldnt hurt.
Even in the AHL, might give a more balancing effect to a Lehtonen type offensive guy

I would take him too. The concern is that this is the Leafs' depth chart right now.

Rielly-Dermott
Muzzin-Holl
Lehtonen-Liljegren
Marincin

Sandin-Lindgren
Rosen-Duszak
Kivihalme-Hollowell
Rubins-Kral

Hoefenmayer-???
Johnston-Neugold
Sapego-Melindy

It gets tight, especially if we add a UFA RD for the NHL and Liljegren is sent down to the AHL. Of course the Leafs could just end up trading a guy like Lindgren, which I think is a decent possibility since I think he could have some value as a secondary prospect in a larger deal, but some shuffling would need to occur.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

I don’t mind that idea, especially if Lili is gonna graduate this year.
I still wanna see Duszak tried on the wing.

I want to see him get a full year in the AHL as a defenseman first. He has a good amount of control left and he has a much better shot at making the Leafs as a RD than as a RW. TBH, I would be perfectly fine if the Leafs decided to trade both him and possibly Lindgren this year, so they have enough room for Liljegren, Martin and Kral next year. I like Lindgren, but he is going to be blocked by Liljegren. Hollowell is likely going to become a similar defenseman and he is younger with more control, so there is a chance for him on a bottom pairing (I would expect Liljegren is in a top 4 type role by the time Hollowell is ready for a chance).

 

[TML1967]

I would take him too. The concern is that this is the Leafs' depth chart right now.

Rielly-Dermott
Muzzin-Holl
Lehtonen-Liljegren
Marincin

Sandin-Lindgren
Rosen-Duszak
Kivihalme-Hollowell
Rubins-Kral

Hoefenmayer-???
Johnston-Neugold
Sapego-Melindy

It gets tight, especially if we add a UFA RD for the NHL and Liljegren is sent down to the AHL. Of course the Leafs could just end up trading a guy like Lindgren, which I think is a decent possibility since I think he could have some value as a secondary prospect in a larger deal, but some shuffling would need to occur.

I think an easy way to 'shake things up' is make a bunch of trades on guys who are '50-50' pros who are more offensive minded for a 1 guy already in the show who may be on his way out from another team.

I.E Combine two or three of Rosen/Lindgren/Hollowell with an AJ type, and move after someone cheap who can play 3W now.
A Lawson Crouse type. Big boddied, cheap, physical, max's out likely as a 20-20 type guy.
The team wants AJ as the main piece, you get them to take a few 'who knows, maybe he will work out' prospects.

Or, you target a C prospect who a team has lost faith in (Borgstrom) who they may be ready to move on from, and send a few pieces from the 'who knows, maybe' list of our prospects.

I guess overal, at some point we need to turn a few 2 for 1 trades on prospects if we think as a team we can keep signing the better CHL/European FA's.
You need to get the guys who dont work really well out to a new team so you can bring in the next few mystery boxes.

 

[Duke16]

Any of them would be good. Not sure we have room for defense, so Shea and Martin may be long shots... However we can probably open up room for a RD like Martin. I think Shea won't even consider us anyways.

Cam Morrison is not worth an ELC IMO. He has some skating issues and his upside is not extremely high. Martin and Shea are the only NCAA UFA's potentially worth an ELC to me.

It's looking like an ELC heavy NCAA FA class with Filipe (BOS) and Stevens (PIT) getting them - not expected.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

It's looking like an ELC heavy NCAA FA class with Filipe (BOS) and Stevens (PIT) getting them - not expected.

Filipe has some upside as a 4th line energy type player, so he was maybe worth an AHL deal, but Stevens was not even worth an AHL contract to me. He was a nepotism signing and if PIT wants to waste a contract on him, by all means.

 

[Duke16]

Filipe has some upside as a 4th line energy type player, so he was maybe worth an AHL deal, but Stevens was not even worth an AHL contract to me. He was a nepotism signing and if PIT wants to waste a contract on him, by all means.

And Morrison got his, which was obviously going to happen from someone.

I like your earlier points though regarding bringing in Shea and/or Martin.

Kral could just play out the year on loan, and I would not be at all shocked if Lindgren and/or Duszak are B Prospect add-ons to larger trades.

I think the org may like Hollowell the best of that group. He was on the RTP Camp Roster, and former Marlies' AC Jack Han has indicated a liking to him a few times on Twitter since departing (maybe he is reflecting his own and the orgs view there, not sure). It's not like Hollowell would be untouchable or anything though, but it seems others would be moved in preference.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

And Morrison got his, which was obviously going to happen from someone.

I like your earlier points though regarding bringing in Shea and/or Martin.

Kral could just play out the year on loan, and I would not be at all shocked if Lindgren and/or Duszak are B Prospect add-ons to larger trades.

I think the org may like Hollowell the best of that group. He was on the RTP Camp Roster, and former Marlies' AC Jack Han has indicated a liking to him a few times on Twitter since departing (maybe he is reflecting his own and the orgs view there, not sure). It's not like Hollowell would be untouchable or anything though, but it seems others would be moved in preference.

Hollowell is 1.5 years younger. I do not necessarily think that Hollowell turns out better than a guy like Lindgren if Lindgren is given the opportunities, but Lindgren is closer to the NHL and will be fighting for the same opportunities as Liljegren. Liljegren is obviously going to win.

Shea is not going to happen. He's not coming here for the same reason why he did not sign in Chicago: Lack of opportunity. Martin is a possibility, and probably the best fit for us anyways, but it is pretty tight on RD right now as well. Even if we trade a guy, the earliest a spot likely opens up for Martin is in a couple of years (unless he beats out Liljegren). He's not exactly the kind of guy who is going to jump straight into the NHL anyways, but he may be able to go to an organization with absolutely no RD depth and can maybe get him into the NHL within a year. However, those teams are also likely very bad.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Update: Ryan Shea has signed a 2 year deal with Dallas, so pretty much Luke Martin is the only ELC-worthy player left on the market right now.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

Mikko Kokkonen listed as an Assistant Captain for Jukurit according to EP.

He is 19 years old.

Leafs could have major dividends from that 2019 draft class between Robertson, Kokkonen, Abruzzese and Abramov. Koster could really jump out of the shadows as well once he gets to the NCAA.

Loponen is Loponen. Let's just hope a few years in Finland can help him figure some things out, but there should not be too many hopes for him.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

Mikko Kokkonen listed as an Assistant Captain for Jukurit according to EP.

He is 19 years old.

Leafs could have major dividends from that 2019 draft class between Robertson, Kokkonen, Abruzzese and Abramov. Koster could really jump out of the shadows as well once he gets to the NCAA.

Loponen is Loponen. Let's just hope a few years in Finland can help him figure some things out, but there should not be too many hopes for him.

Crazy to think Kokkonen will be in his 5th year with Jukurit and can still play in the world juniors... That's a tonne of pro hockey exposure at a very young age, should be great for his development to tale a bigger role next season.

 

[Duke16]

A few of us had him as a target in March, but then he was said to be returning to school. Guess he changed his mind due to Covid most likely.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

A few of us had him as a target in March, but then he was said to be returning to school. Guess he changed his mind due to Covid most likely.

That is a huge coup for Pittsburgh. Easily one of the best NCAA UFA's on the market this year.

Unfortunately, the Leafs need forward prospects more than defense right now, which sucks considering the best guys recently (Maniscalco, Martin, Shea) are all defensemen.

Maybe Jordan Kawaguchi or Alex Limoges reconsider signing with a team. They are likely LW's, but they were two of the better forwards who decided to go back.

 

[Brobust]

I know it's been many, many months, but can someone who follows the Marlies tell me how Kevin Gravel looked last season.

 

[LeafsOHLRangers98]

I know it's been many, many months, but can someone who follows the Marlies tell me how Kevin Gravel looked last season.

He was okay I guess, doubt he did enough to be brought back next season. He didn't really do enough to push for an NHL role, and at 27 he's just taking up space for a younger guy on the Marlies. Will likely be replaced by Rubins.

 

[SeaOfBlue]

He was okay I guess, doubt he did enough to be brought back next season. He didn't really do enough to push for an NHL role, and at 27 he's just taking up space for a younger guy on the Marlies. Will likely be replaced by Rubins.

Seconded.

Mediocre. Little upside. Easily replaced by Rubins, who pretty much already did it last year and has a lot more upside.

 

[Brobust]

He was okay I guess, doubt he did enough to be brought back next season. He didn't really do enough to push for an NHL role, and at 27 he's just taking up space for a younger guy on the Marlies. Will likely be replaced by Rubins.

That's unfortunate. I was wondering any of those guys Dubas signed last season had any potential to challenge for an NHL spot.