Marlies Training Camp Thread

[Corn Flake]

Expected, but nice to see it confirmed.

Season-ticket sales are up 74 per cent. Single-game tickets are going three times faster than they were at this point last season.

And the major networks are more interested than ever in broadcasting games, on television and radio.

If any one team stands to benefit the most from the NHL lockout, the Toronto Marlies appear to be it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/toronto-marlies-ready-for-their-close-up-thanks-to-nhl-lockout/article4570773/?cmpid=rss1&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

That season ticket sales number is impressive.  Single ticket sales in general being up is not surprising but for season seats to climb like that is huge.

I have to say again, it is a great event to take the family and kids to, plus being so much more of an intimate venue than the ACC you get a much more up close view of everything.  And when the kids aren't bugging me to make the 15th concession or washroom trip of the game, I get to put my scouting hat on and see how some of these players are doing.

[caveman]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

[Corn Flake]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

Devane.

[Green Leaf]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

Devane.

Ross

[Corn Flake]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

Devane.

Ross

Ross will fight but he's no "enforcer". He's the guy who will have half the other team wanting his head, and needs an enforcer on the bench!! 

[Green Leaf]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

Devane.

Ross

Ross will fight but he's no "enforcer". He's the guy who will have half the other team wanting his head, and needs an enforcer on the bench!! 

I think youre right, although he will be backing it up himself as well.. with no expectation that his team will be behind him..

Devane is an enforcer?

[bustaheims]

Ross will fight but he's no "enforcer". He's the guy who will have half the other team wanting his head, and needs an enforcer on the bench!!

Yeah. He's more of a Darcy Tucker type.

[WhatIfGodWasALeaf]

Devane racked up 125 plm's last season, I like the fact they don't have an Orr or Rosehill, they have five or six guys who can drop them, which is kinda how the NHL is moving too, solid contributors who can drop them when needed.

[Corn Flake]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

Devane.

Ross

Ross will fight but he's no "enforcer". He's the guy who will have half the other team wanting his head, and needs an enforcer on the bench!! 

I think youre right, although he will be backing it up himself as well.. with no expectation that his team will be behind him..

Devane is an enforcer?

This should help: http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/8826

Devane is 6'5", 215 lbs and gladly fights.  From reports I have seen (I have not seen him live yet) he sounds like he's a Mike Rupp type player.. won't put up huge points but also isn't completely useless.  So not a pure enforcer but plenty tough.

[Corn Flake]

Ross will fight but he's no "enforcer". He's the guy who will have half the other team wanting his head, and needs an enforcer on the bench!!

Yeah. He's more of a Darcy Tucker type.

Yeah.  Just as nasty but does his thing with kind of of a calm precision rather than an emotional ball of crazy like Darcy was.  He has a little bit of... dare I use the name.... Claude Lemieux in him , sans the gutless whining, running and hiding ... played a half step over the edge but never lost his cool and was completely sinister, and was a pretty good hockey player.

[Green Leaf]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

Devane.

Ross

Ross will fight but he's no "enforcer". He's the guy who will have half the other team wanting his head, and needs an enforcer on the bench!! 

I think youre right, although he will be backing it up himself as well.. with no expectation that his team will be behind him..

Devane is an enforcer?

This should help: http://www.hockeyfights.com/players/8826

Devane is 6'5", 215 lbs and gladly fights.  From reports I have seen (I have not seen him live yet) he sounds like he's a Mike Rupp type player.. won't put up huge points but also isn't completely useless.  So not a pure enforcer but plenty tough.

He's an  enforcer. lol Nice to know we have some fresh knuckles in the minors. I still think Ross will hold it down for the team too.

[princedpw]

My concern about the Marlies is that I don't see an enforcer on the roster yet. No Rosehill, no Orr. What happens if some career AHL fourth liner decides he wants to clobber an NHL prospect?

I dont think this kind of logic makes any sense.  if a guy wants to attack a prospect, he can, regardless of who happens to be on the bench.

What if 10 shifts later (when the prospect is in the hospital). the tough guy (A) and the guy (B) who beat up the prospect are on the ice together?  Guy B just runs away or turtles. That's it. You cant get yourself more hated than Sean Avery -- but Avery never got beat up bad did he? You can always escape.  The idea of protection via enforcer just doesnt make sense as far as i can see... but so many people seem to believe it.  id be happy to have the mechanics of this defence mechanism explained in detail.  (And id also like to understand why a guy like datsuyk or lidstrom is still standing at the end of the year in those years detroit had no enforcer.)

[CarltonTheBear]

The Marlies weren't much of a fighting team last season either. They ranked 21st in the AHL with 49 fighting majors. Kyle Neuber and Kelsey Wilson were the teams fighting leaders with 10 and 8 fights respectively and both of those players won't be returning. That could definitely give Devane an advantage as he's the only incoming player who really fits that role.

[CarltonTheBear]

The other day Eakins talked about how difficult it's going to be for some of the younger guys to crack this roster, especially since the team is more or less the same as the one that went to the Calder Cup finals. With that said, here's my guess as to what the line-up will be opening night:

Hamilton-Aucoin-Kadri
D'Amigo-Colborne-Ashton
Komarov-Zigomanis-Deschamps
Devane-Acton-Scott

Fraser-Holzer
Gardiner-Kostka
Gysbers-Blacker

Scrivens

The only two notable forwards missing from last years team are Dupuis and Mueller with Aucoin and Komarov coming in. The top-6 guys, Zigo, and Komarov are all likely locks to make the team. The remaining 4 spots will be battled over but Deschamps, Acton and Scott all have the advantage of having proven they can play those roles on a close-to-championship team already. It will take a huge effort for someone to knock them out of the line-up. There's one spot remaining that used to typically belong to an enforcer, which is why I think Devane has the best chance of taking it. McKegg, Ross, Carrick, Crescenzi, Ryan and Abbott can all remain and practice with the team as there aren't any roster limits in the AHL, but they'll likely also see some time in the ECHL.

Other than Holzer and Fraser, I'm not sure what the defence pairings will look like but those are very likely the 6 that will start the season. I know nothing about Dylan Yeo but he spent some time in the ECHL last season so I'd imagine he's on a level below those 6. Paul Ranger is an obvious wildcard here as it's impossible to know where his game is at right now.

Scrivens is obviously a lock to start in net. The choice for the back-up will be interesting though. Would the Leafs rather have their number 2 guy getting more starts in the ECHL or backing up in the AHL?

[L K]

I think McKegg will surprise and end up with a fairly significant role on the team.  His two-way game and his skating is somewhat underrated.

I could actually see him pushing Zigomanis to the wing, which if memory serves, happened quite a bit in the latter half of last year with Dupuis and Deschamps eating up a good chunk of the other C spots. 

Aucoin could also move to the wing.

I had hopes of McKegg being being at least a AAAA kind of player but his lackluster efforts in the postseason with the Knights really concerned me.