Going into this year, the Marlies were expected to try and compete with a combination of younger players that didn’t quite make the Leafs, and veteran castoffs that were persona non grata with the big boys at the NHL level. Mark Bell, Boyd Devereaux, and Bates Battaglia would provide veteran leadership (if they could come to grips with playing in the AHL), while youngsters would provide the offensive punch, defense, and goaltending to get them into the playoffs yet again.
So far PART of that equation is working. In a strange twist, Kris Newbury is leading the team in scoring with 6 goals and 17 assists for 23 points. Newcomer Tim Stapleton, who finished second in scoring for Jokerit Helsinki in the top league in Finland last season, is second on the Marlies with 4 goals and 18 assists for 22 points. Recent call up Jeremy Williams was scoring with regularity so far this year with 11 goals in 19 games.
After that though, the scoring drops off considerably. As far as the veterans go, Battaglia has only been in 2 games so far due to injuries, Mark Bell has only managed 11 points and a -5 rating in 22 games, and Boyd Devereaux has 7 points and a -4 rating. Suffice it to say, I hope they aren’t leading by “example” with numbers like that.
Jiri Tlusty is finally starting to put up points with regularity. Though he only has 11 points in 16 games so far, he’s registered a goal in 4 consecutive games, a point in 5 consecutive games, and has points in 7 of his last 8 games overall. He has only been held off the score sheet in 6 games so far, so he has been consistent if nothing else.Robbie Earl’s season has been a huge dissappointment. He has missed a fair bit of time due to injury, but in 17 games, he has 3 assists, 0 goals, and a -7 rating.
Darryl Boyce has played well of late, as has Alex Foster. Both got a sniff with the Leafs last season, but their chances of making the Leafs long term aren’t that great to begin with. If they produce they might get a further look down the line.
The other point of note at this point in the season would be the slightly improving play of Justin Pogge. Finally given the reins this season as the starting netminder, Pogge is at least looking like he might be ready to take his chance and running with it. After a rocky first 11 games of the season, in which he registered a 3-6-2 record, Pogge’s play has been better over the past few weeks. Since November 19th, he has a 6-1-0 record, though his save percentage is a not so stellar .895 over that stretch. That not so impressive number likely has something to do with the two games in which he has given up 5 goals. His GAA is 2.78, so frankly he isn’t really setting the world on fire so far this season. Those numbers will need to improve or this season will be seen as a step backwards for the Leafs possible “goaltender of the future”. In comparison, Tuuka Rask has a 10-6-0 record, a 2.52 GAA and a .916 SV% with Providence.
