Here's my view on how each player did. I try not to take these tournaments too seriously, but more to evaluate what the prospects skill sets are and how they've progressed. So don't take what I'm saying too critically.
Goalies:
Sparks and Gibsons looked solid. Few issues with some rebound control, but hey that's preseason. Bibeau, aside from the team leaving him out to dry a bit, was still the worst amongst the three. He's a project like any goalie selected so late.
Defensemen:
UFAs: I think Kevin Raine and Zach Yuen played well. Yuen showed some real skill in his first game; faded a bit in the 2nd. Raine had a poor 2nd game I thought, but played well in games 1 and 3. Raine has the benefit of playing in Russia prior to coming over, so I wonder how much that helped him. Either way, they are both 20 and pro eligible. If not an ELC, then perhaps signing him to an ATO/PTO so they can bounce between the Marlies/ECHL and see what they can do at that level before investing in them. Murphy is an offensive type, but his age/inexperience certainly showed.
Morgan Rielly was the obvious standout when he played. Matt Finn was also solid and it's unfortunate he got hurt. Hopefully he can have a healthy season because he's a good prospect.
Granberg looked out of place and not really comfortable. He's going to have to adjust obviously and time with the Marlies should help that. Or perhaps he shakes the rust off and is lights out at Leafs camp? We'll see. I doubt that's the Granberg Leaf scouts are excited about.
Percy I thought was very solid. He got better as the tournament went on. A few soft defensive plays and miscommunication, but he had some really patient plays that are impressive for a 20 yr old. He'll need to add more muscle and hopefully try to add some explosiveness to his first few steps. He's slippery, but there were a few times he got caught because he was a slow off the hop.
Andrew MacWilliam played very strong. Physically imposing and his skating has really come a long way. He's one of the older players at camp and it showed. I'm very excited to see him with the Marlies this year.
Forwards:
Tyler Biggs played well in his role. I think he was held back a bit by Devane and Crescenzi as he seemed to produce more offensively when he was playing with the Ruperts (IIRC). He showed good hustle and physical play. Crescenzi was a beast on the faceoffs (at least in game 2) which should help him out in trying to secure a checking role with the Marlies. Kind of reminded me of David Steckle. Devane I was disappointed with. I know he's a monster, and maybe no one wants to go with him, but his physical game (shift to shift) left me really wanting more. Great scrap though.
Someone who delivered in the physical department - David Broll and Brad Ross. Broll kept his motor going and showed good checking ability. He's a monster on skates and you try to think how punishing he's going to be as a 23-24 year old. I think Spott is going to play the hell out of him unless it's obvious he can't keep up in the AHL. Funny, I think Spott is going to use Broll the way a lot of people hope he uses Biggs (i.e. in offensive situations - where Biggs will be more checking and PK). And Ross..THAT's the Ross I want to see this year in the AHL. It looked like he got banged up in game 3 which limited his effectiveness. Overall he played as I hoped a player with his experience would.
I was expecting more from McKegg. Thought he played well in game one, but was kind of meh game 3. Was expecting more offensive dominance. McKegg's been a guy in the past who's impressed in camp, so I wonder how he'll do if he makes it into any exhibition games. He's likely to be a key top-six guy this year for the Marlies, so he'll have ample opportunity.
Leivo was arguably the most skilled forward. I think he's going to have a good year with the Marlies. Connor Brown showed some flashes of high skill play and got off a few good chances. He's a project though still.
The Ruperts were really impressive also. Matt Rupert showed really good hands on both his goals, and with his brother being a set up man..maybe they should sign him. If anything, they'll be entertaining as hell in the AHL. They both were better as the tournament went on.
Sam Carrick showed good hustle and played a strong grinding game. I was always a fan of him in the OHL, and I love the way he plays. Hopefully he can stick in the AHL for an extended period this season.
Top pick in this past draft, Gauthier looked good, but was 'quiet' which I think is OK for his style. He certainly didn't look out of place and his skating looked strong. Other 2013 picks Verhaeghe and Herzog played OK. Herzog did strike similar resemblences to Olden in play style, but I found him to be a bit more willing to engage physically. Although, he tended to bounce off more then his fair share of guys lol. He's a bean pole, so hopefully he can add the necessary bulk because I think he's an interesting project. I wasn't expecting much out of either, although Verhaeghe's play at development camp peaked my interest in seeing if he could carry it over to the rookie tournament.
