Baby Leafs Put On Great Show

The St. John’s Maple Leafs concluded their two game sneak preview in Toronto yesterday with a solid effort matching their equally effective showing in the first game. If one thing can be taken from these two games, it is that the future of young players in the Maple Leafs organization is looking much brighter than it was even a year ago. With the NHL under a lockout so far this season, much of the young talent among NHL clubs has been stockpiled into their respective AHL affiliates to allow these young players to continue to develop. In 23 games this season, the Maple Leafs boast a fine record of fourteen wins, eight losses and one shootout loss, good enough for third place in their division.

For many people in Ontario, it is rare they get a chance to take a peek into the future by watching the St. John’s Maple Leafs. Often their games are not on television and there is little coverage in Toronto media outlets. Their visit to Air Canada Centre put the team on the front page of the city’s sports pages and allowed people to get a real good look at what the future might hold for the parent club. By all accounts, there are numerous promising young players that will likely see a shot at the big team some time in their future.

Mikael Tellqvist, who many people including Leafs management hope will assume the position of starting goaltender in Toronto after Ed Belfour calls it a career, put in two outstanding performances in both games against the Ottawa Senators AHL affiliate, the Binghamton Senators. In the first game, Tellqvist had to deal with the kind of rubber Belfour usually sees, as the Baby Leafs allowed thirty four Binghamton shots. Tellqvist looked very solid making all but two saves, including a couple of big stops late in the game while hanging onto a one goal lead at the time. In the second game, he faced twenty eight shots and again turned aside all but two while maintaining his strong play down the stretch.

Tellqvist has been a streaky goaltender throughout his career, looking at times like he was poised to make the permanent jump to the AHL while at other times he seemed lost and lacking in confidence. Hopefully he will be able to build on these two performances and develop into the type of goaltender who will have a successful NHL career.

On defense, Carlo Colaiacovo is continuing his strong play and seems to be developing a bit more of a prowess in the defensive zone. His knack for creating offense from the blueline is exceptional for a player of his age and experience. He put his offensive talents on display throughout the two games at Air Canada Centre setting up a number of goals including a beautiful goal on a give and go with David Ling in the second game. Should he continue his stronger play in his own end, he will no doubt be ready to assume a spot on the Toronto blueline once the NHL resumes competition.

Ian White and Brendan Bell have also looked quite impressive on the blueline for the Baby Leafs. While they do not have the kind of offensive talent Colaiacovo possesses, both have played strong defensively sporting impressive plus/minus ratings with White at +13 and Bell at +7. Both could be steady defensive defensemen for the big club with some good coaching and direction to help them improve over the next year or so.

Perhaps the biggest surprise on defense has been Andy Wozniewski. He was signed as a free agent in the off-season but was not expected to be a major contributor. He has surprised many people by playing very solid defensively, well enough to work his way up to become one of the top four defensemen on the depth chart. He is playing with Colaiacovo as his defense partner and the two players have styles that have complimented each others’ very well. Colaiacovo is more offensive minded and has the ability to move the puck and create chances in transition while Wozniewski has played a solid, physical style of defense and has shown the ability to win battles for the puck in his own zone.

At the forward position, the Baby Leafs have a number of promising forwards that are certain to have strong careers in Toronto. Matt Stajan played a full season in Toronto last year showing he is more than capable of performing well at the National Hockey League level.

Kyle Wellwood leads the Baby Leafs in scoring with twenty eight points and thirteen goals. He has shown some remarkable raw talent this season and looks poised to take the next step in his development. His biggest problem is that he lacks size and he is easily pushed off the puck. His commitment to defense has been questionable in previous years but under Coach Doug Shedden, he seems to being making more of an effort to improve his defensive game. That will be crucial if he is going to make an impact at the NHL level.

Harold Druken has again seen success offensively this season but defense is still a problem. Nonetheless he is a capable player if used effectively by the coaching staff.

Nathan Perrott, who played most of last year with the parent club as a grinding, checking forward only managing one goal, has suddenly turned into a scoring machine netting seven goals in twenty games. Let’s not mistake him as the second coming of Mats Sundin, however. Perrott is a hard working guy who always hustles when he is on the ice. When a player gives the kind of effort that he does, breaks are bound to go their way. He is a solid two way player who usually makes his presence felt on each shift with a big check or good forechecking.

David Ling has been a pleasant surprise for the Baby Leafs this season. He signed as a free agent in the off season and has played exceptionally well. He is one of two Baby Leafs who are scoring at more than a point per game scoring average. He has had previous NHL experience but has never really been given a chance to establish himself playing only parts of seasons with several NHL teams. He has looked good contributing offensively and defensively as well as playing the point on the power play.

The Maple Leafs are finally beginning to see some promise in a number of young players. These players will be depended upon fairly soon to make a solid contribution in the NHL as the Maple Leafs have a lot of players who are nearing the end of their career. With the crop of prospects the Leafs have in their organization right now; it looks as though the future may not turn out to be as grim as many had predicted when several promising prospects were dealt in recent years to acquire established players for playoff runs.