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Kyle Dubas joined Leafs Lunch to discuss the Toronto Marlies’ 8-3 start to the season, Sheldon Keefe, the early progress of William Nylander, Josh Leivo, Frederik Gauthier, and more.


The Marlies are 8-3 out of the gate. Have they met expectations, exceed expectations? How would you break down the first eleven games?
Dubas: It’s been interesting. Our record is very good, which is nice. I think, in some of the games that have been a challenge for us, we’ve made things a lot harder on ourselves than we needed to, just in the way that we’re playing and allowing the opposition to hem us in a little bit. In the last few games versus Hartford and Albany, they’re much older and bigger teams. We’ve made the commitment as an organization to go with a younger group, and put our top prospects in situations they might not normally be in. When that happens, and they play against some bigger, stronger teams it can be a bit of a challenge. But, especially of late, those players have been rising to that challenge, especially in those games against Hartford and Albany. They’ve been very good.

How is the transition for Sheldon Keefe been, as far as coming to the pro ranks and how he’s been able to communicate with the young players at a different level?
Dubas: I think the focus with Sheldon, and he and I have talked about – we talked about it in the summer, and we talked about it every day here, which has been a lot of fun – has been on always trying to challenge himself to focus on the development part of it. In the Sault Ste. Marie, the development part of it didn’t even need to be said. Of course you need to develop the players, but in junior there seems to be more of a focus on winning. The pressure is on winning in junior, even though yes, it’s obviously about development. Here, we’ve been trying to push ourselves to focus on the process of how every player plays in addition to how our team is playing; really key in on the development of each player. I know, even throughout this week on the road, he’s had a half a dozen players in every day for extended video sessions and breaking down their game; what they do well, where they need to go, all in an attempt to obviously have the players ready for when they’re called up to the Leafs.

William Nylander has five goals and five assists for 10 points in 10 games. Where is he at as far as you’re concerned? Is it dominant play, is it just very good? Where is he at as far as you’re concerned?
Dubas: I think William has been good. He’s playing center, and he’s playing against the other team’s best center every game. Depending on what team you play, that’s either a top prospect much like he is, or it’s an older, veteran, AHL center that’s anywhere from 27 to however many years old, who is a lot bigger and stronger than William. It’s come with its challenges, but that, to me, has been exciting. He’s been an excellent student of the game with Sheldon. He watches more video than anybody on our team. He knows where he needs to get better. We’re trying to develop him into a very high-end NHL two-way center here. It comes with its bumps, but his offensive production has been good. His ability to recognize where he needs to get better is among the best I’ve ever seen in a player, either in junior or as a pro. He knows exactly where he needs to improve, and he and Sheldon are working towards doing that. Offensively, he has been very dynamic at times, and he continues to improve in his play defensively. When I say that, it’s just playing on defence as little as possible, being able to come in an separate the opposition player from the puck and getting the puck up ice, and sustaining offence in the offensive zone. He’s coming along very well, and there’s a lot to like about William.

What has to happen for William Nylander to get called up to the big team this year?
Dubas: I think, for William, and same for a lot of the younger guys here, he needs to continue to show game after game, and for long stretches, that he’s mastered this level, and everything that’s going to be expected of him when he goes up to the Leafs as a centerman. That includes, in his own zone, playing back low and supporting the puck, transitioning the puck up the ice very quickly, and closing on guys quickly defensively. In the offensive zone, putting himself in a spot to not just play off the rush but play on offense and extend possession with multiple-shot possessions in the offensive zone. Once he gets to that point – and he’s getting there, with a player with William it’s a quicker projection than most– I think it will be deemed that it’s probably time to have a new challenge with the Leafs. When that is, no one really ever knows. There’s a narrative that we’re into overdeveloping and overbaking the players down here with the Marlies, but we just want them to master what they’re going to be expected to do with the Leafs and the system they’re going to be expected to play with the Leafs for Mike here with the Marlies. We want to move them on as quickly as we can when they’re ready to go.

A lot of focus on William Nylander. Is there a couple of other players that maybe we should be focusing on who have progressed really nicely throughout the start of the season here?
Dubas: Up front, Josh Leivo. Last year, he had a little bit of poor puck luck. He generated a lot of shots, they just weren’t going in for him. He’s actually playing with William now. The line is Leivo, Nylander and Richard Panik. Sheldon put them together last week and they found some chemistry. Those are two bigger, stronger wingers who can work the puck down low and find William. They both have very good skill levels. It’s a good combination of three. Josh has really been playing with much better pace than he did last year. He’s one of the best players I’ve seen at this level with the puck down low. He’s able to escape checks and get to the front of the net, and also find William and find Richard in good spots at the net front. Defensively, on the defensive zone wall he’s been one of our best wingers, which was an area he needed to progress in. He’s only 22 years old, but he kind of gets forgotten with some of the newer guys coming into the organization. He’s been very good.

Nikitia Soshnikov, he’s found really good chemistry with Freddy the Goat, and the two of them have been a good combination as well. Nikita’s got four goals, and they’re both North American pro rookies. Nikita played in the KHL last year, but he’s a tenacious winger, plays very hard, and can shoot the puck and score. So, it’s been exciting watching those guys develop early in the year.

What’s up with Freddy the Goat’s hat? Does that thing take the road, or what? Or does that thing stay at home?
Dubas: He wears it every day regardless of what other attire he has on. He could be wearing track pants and a hoodie and he’ll have the fashionable cap on, and he just bought another one the other day on our day off. His collection is expanding, and I think it looks great on him. Whatever makes him comfortable.

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We’ve seen him get some powerplay minutes, too, I believe. He’s putting up some powerplay points every once in a while. What have you made of Frederik Gauthier’s game?
Dubas: He’s a primary penalty killer, and he’s already, if you’re measuring players and how far they’ve come, his ability with the puck to get it going and move it up the ice… I think a lot of people have been critical of Freddy and his puck skills in the past, and his production in the Quebec league, but here now he’s showing he can take the puck into the neutral zone, cross his feet, generate speed, get into the offensive zone. He plays a lot of PK minutes for us. Sheldon has tried to get him on some offensive situations in some games as well. It’s been exciting to watch Freddy play. I know he’s not had the offensive start some of the other more offensive minded players on our team, but he’s played a big role for us, especially in the last couple of weeks, which has been fun to watch.

How far can you take that as far as development? You say you work on puck skills, but at this stage in someone’s career, can you really develop somebody where the points really pick up steam?
Dubas: I think, in Freddy’s case specifically, it’s just trying to get him to the point where he’s receiving passes a little bit better, both on his forehand but primarily on his backhand. When he’s moving his feet all the time, crossing his feet and getting through the neutral zone with speed, because of his size he’s a tough guy for people to defend, especially when he’s moving laterally. I don’t know what his offensive upside will be in terms of points and whether we can develop that in him – I’m not sure – but, for us, if he can play in the NHL and start in the defensive zone and carry the puck up the ice against the other team’s best players and generate shots on net… and he’s playing with Soshnikov and here with Clune earlier, and those guys are in the top six or seven guys we have on offensive in terms of points, even though Clune hasn’t played here the last three or four games. That’d be great for us to have a player like Freddy in that spot. Whether that goals and assists come along, I’m not really sure, but by other things that we measure he’s been awfully effective for us.

Antoine Bibeau is up with the big team. He could end up getting a start tonight or tomorrow at some point if Reimer doesn’t get both. Garret Sparks had his first shutout a few days ago. Take us through their development, the two goalies with the Marlies.
Dubas: Garret last year had the best save percentage in the ECHL. He kind of took ownership of that team. We ran with Bibeau, and Chris Gibson here. Obviously with the trade at the beginning of the year with Gibson heading to the Islanders, it made it very clear who our two goalies were going to be here. Garret got off to a tougher start than Antoine did, but in his last two starts Garret has been outstanding; against Grand Rapids last week, obviously with the shutout on Wednesday. If you look at his stats, I think his save percentage is over .930. Both goalies, we feel, have been very solid, especially of late. They’re both very young goalies and we expect it to be a real competition between them the rest of the season. Hopefully they can both develop to the point where they’re in the conversation, whether it’s at some point this year or leading into next training camp, where we can have a goalie develop from the Marlies, working with Pierre Greco here, and going up to the Leafs and being a full-time goalie. Whether that’s as a backup for now, we’ll see how that shakes out. They’re both young guys. We’ve turned the ball over to both of them, and we’re really just waiting for one of them to run with it. With Jonathan hurt right now, Bibeau is up and it’s very clearly Garret’s job to hold down until Bibeau comes back, and then it will become more of a competition again. I like when it’s a goalie competition. I like when the guy has to battle for the net, and overcome the challenge. I don’t just like having it turned over to one guy at this level. I like it him to always know there’s somebody coming up behind him. In both these guys’ case, if they’re going to be a number one NHL goalie, they’re going to have to win a goalie battle in the future as well. So this is good experience for them and getting ready for that.