After a pair of games in Manitoba this past weekend, the Toronto Marlies hit the midway mark of their 2015-16 season.
The 38 games up until this point have provided some memorable and, on occasion, historic moments for the franchise.
Sitting atop the AHL standings, the Marlies have recorded 29 victories, which is on pace to usurp the 2011-12 Norfolk Admirals, who won 55 regular season games. That Norfolk team steamrolled all before them on the way to winning the Calder Cup, defeating Toronto in the final.
The points tally stands at 60, meaning — for the first time since the season was cut to 76 games — Toronto is on pace to break the 100-point mark, having achieved 96 in three successive seasons.
The road record of 17-2-1-0 has a lot to do with the Marlies success. Toronto has never managed more than 20 road wins in a 76-game season, and look sure to surpass that total with ease.
Toronto has managed four five-game win streaks and two long point streaks of eleven and ten games respectively.
Owning a 6-2 record in games that finish in overtime (75% success rate), the Marlies are unbeaten in the three shootouts they’ve taken part in thus far.
With 145 goals scored this year, the Marlies goal differential currently sits at 56. The Manchester Monarchs were only able to manage a goal differential of 65 in the entirety of last season despite recording 50 regular season wins.
Six goaltenders have appeared in at least one game — a franchise record — and all have recorded a victory.
The combined six shutouts this season is three shy of the best ever, set in 2011-12. Jonathan Bernier recorded three straight shutouts during his conditioning stint, stopping 70 shots in the process.
There have been some notable comeback performances this season, but the one that draws to the mind straight away is the remarkable 9-8 overtime win in St. John’s. Trailing 8-4 with 17:21 remaining, Toronto tallied four times in just over 12 minutes to tie the game up, allowing William Nylander to strike the winner in overtime.
That victory over the IceCaps may have been eclipsed by the fight back against Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins. Utterly outplayed and down 3-0 with 17:38 to play against what was the best team in the league at that time, Toronto scored three shorthanded goals in the space of two minutes and 34 seconds. Mark Arcobello, Nikita Soshnikov and Rich Clune were the penalty killing heroes as the Marlies tied the game and went on to prevail in a shootout.
At the other end of the scale are two huge wins this season. First, a demolition job in Rochester as Toronto downed the Amerks 8-2 in the first road of the game. Then, a franchise record was set on December, when Toronto thumped the Manitoba Moose 9-0 at the ACC — the largest winning margin in Marlies history.
The Toronto Marlies are well on target to win their fourth North Division title in five years, and fifth of all time. Yet to be regular season conference or league champions, there is a great opportunity to write some history in that regard in the second half of the season.
It would not be a mid-season review without taking stock of player performances up until now. I will be giving them grades below, with some players far easier to weigh up at this stage than others.
Player Grades
A+
William Nylander: The young man was dominating the AHL in scoring, and had he not been injured during the World Junior Championships, would doubtlessly have hit the 40-point mark for the season on his way to setting all kinds of franchise and league records. At age 19.
T.J Brennan: Brennan’s defensive issues are well known, but the fact he continues to produce so effectively offensively for the Marlies is something to behold. He leads all defensemen in scoring and points, and is on track to win the Eddie Shore Award once again.
Mark Arcobello: Disappointing with the Leafs to begin the season, no one knew quite what to expect when he joined the Marlies. To his credit, he’s been nothing but outstanding. Arcobello recored a seven-game point streak to begin his Marlies career, and he has been a key cog on the powerplay. His 28 points in 24 games led to a recall with the Leafs.
Nikita Soshnikov: Most people had no clue who he was in October. We sure know now.
The swash-buckling Russian has won hearts and minds with his terrific penalty-killing ability and has two shorthanded goals to his name so far. He’s also been a dominant player at even strength, forming an unlikely but wonderfully efficient partnership alongside linemates Rich Clune and Freddie Gauthier.
A-
Josh Leivo: Surely should be a A+? Not quite, in my opinion, as he did require a kick up the rear early in the season. He’s responded as you would hope by not only becoming a dominant player in the AHL, but also a more mature member of the team. The AHL-Star selection deserves his recall to the Leafs.
Andrew Campbell: The perfect man to be captain. He knows what it takes to make the step up and has proven to be a perfect role model. Shot blocker extraordinaire and arguably the team’s most reliable defenseman, Campbell has taken young Valiev under his wing to great effect. His offense has been one of the nicer surprises this season, as eight goals is a seasonal career high for him.
Brendan Leipsic: If he isn’t the Marlies best forward on a nightly basis, he’s in the top three. The only thing that has really been missing this season is the points at even strength to go with the impressive play. That’s the reason I’m holding him back from being an A+ at this juncture. Leipsic is still having a good sophomore season, and I expect the production to come with time.
Zach Hyman: I imagine a few of you let out an audible gasp, but this young man is the Marlies’ leading rookie scorer with 20 points. It’s been a case of slowly but surely for Zach, who has continued to improve as the season has progressed. Another to have shone given penalty kill opportunity, Hyman’s shown he’s a responsible and effective player who can produce at even strength.
Viktor Loov: No one is still quite sure how to pronounce his surname (seems to change on a seasonal basis), but Loov is a much improved defenseman. He loves a huge hit, but his decision making on when to lay the boom is far better this season. We’ve also seen what an effective skater he can be with the puck, often seen racing away down the left wing with the freedom afforded to him by Sheldon Keefe.
Garret Sparks: It’s been a remarkable season so far for Sparks, and perhaps one we didn’t see coming after a pair of average performances in October. If it wasn’t for that, he would have been a certain A+. He’s 7-0-1 in his last eight games for the Marlies, and of course we all know what he achieved with the Leafs. Opportunities certainly presented themselves nicely for him, but he more than took advantage.
Antoine Bibeau: Bibeau has not been as lucky as Sparks. A recall to the Leafs saw him garner no ice time while leaving him rusty upon his return to the Marlies. A great start to the season turned slow through the middle, but Bibeau has been fantastic of late. He’s won five of his last six and will be battling Sparks for the number one spot once again.
B+
Rich Clune: Just an enforcer to protect Nylander et al? Far from it. He might have begun the season playing alongside the Swedish forward, but since then he has cut himself a niche on this team. He has 15 points at even strength, a pair of shorthanded markers, and even a powerplay goal. Clune has accumulated 102 penalty minutes, but this far from tells the story in regards to his discipline, which has been better than expected.
Frederik Gauthier: Possibly the hardest player to weigh up. He’s a first round pick, yet expectations were low due to the nature of his game and skillset. Seemingly set for a role in Orlando to begin his professional career, Freddie wasn’t for moving and has proved himself a key cog in this Marlies team. He’s all the things you expect: defensively responsible, great on faceoffs, and a very good penalty killer. His effectiveness on a line with Clune and Soshnikov bumps him up to this grade, despite his lack of offensive ability, which GM Kyle Dubas has mentioned the coaching staff is trying to work with him on.
Rinat Valiev: A very exciting, if not often talked about, start to his rookie season. Stronger and quicker than you may think, Valiev’s season has been one of steady improvement under the guidance of Andrew Campbell. He was guilty of taking too many penalties earlier in the season, but he has learned fast, and hasn’t taken a minor penalty in his last 11 games after logging 20 PIMS in his first 21 games.
Stuart Percy: Percy continues to be that cool, calm and calculated defenseman who has very good vision and owns a fantastic outlet pass. He’s had to deal with an injury or two again this season, which must be frustrating as he searches for consistency. Percy’s formed a good partnership with Viktor Loov this season.
Justin Holl: Feels like forever ago, but Holl was the one guy to make the jump from the Marlies opening camp in Newfoundland. He was the fall guy when Frank Corrado arrived for a conditioning stint, but Holl has pretty much been ever present since. A good skater and offensively talented, Holl has found himself on the bottom pairing, but has exceeded expectations at this stage.
B-
Scott Harrington: Has been a disappointment since being reassigned by the Leafs. Struggled to find any consistency and playing with Brennan as his partner didn’t always work out for the best defensively. Currently injured (perhaps a reason for his lack of strong play), Harrington was expected to be a strong and steady rock for the Marlies, forcing his way into the top four. It just hasn’t happened.
Sam Carrick: Looked to be in this mix for a spot on the Leafs coming opening camp but failed to make the cut. A single goal in his first nine games is all Carrick had to show offensively as he struggled for consistency and ice time with a jam-packed roster. With opportunities afforded to him because of absentees, the centreman has pushed his game back to the level expected. With nine points in his last 13 games, Carrick is playing much more aggressively and remains a good penalty killer.
Casey Bailey: What we have seen from Zach Hyman is what I expected from Casey Bailey. Despite a taste of the NHL last season, Bailey was unable to force his way into the lineup when the roster was full. Bailey struggled to find a consistent level of performance and might find himself benched when players return.
Ryan Rupert: Very much like last season, he is yet to let the Marlies down when recalled from Orlando. Rupert is a reliable player who contributes offensively and fills any role required. He’s very much a peripheral guy this year, and if all bodies return to the roster he might well see himself back in Orlando. A grade of “B” would probably be a fairer assessment of him.
Kasperi Kapanen: It’s not been an easy introduction to Toronto for Kapanen, not helped by being a part of the Kessel trade. We’ve not really seen much of his undoubted talent, but he was having his best spell of form just prior to his leaving for the World Junior Championships. Hopefully success with Finland will have filled him with confidence, which is probably a facet he was sorely needing beforehand.
Brett Findlay: Like Rupert, a largely reliable player who has been given better opportunities this season with the Marlies than last. Bumped up to centre Leivo and Morin the last two games, Findlay has acquitted himself well.
C+
Matt Frattin: By far the biggest disappointment offensively this season. Recorded just 16 points in 36 games, a huge fall for a player who normally produces just under a point per game at this level. Shooting less this year, his goal-scoring numbers have disappeared into an abyss. Just seven goals all season and one in his last eleven games.
Ungraded
Those to have not played ten games this season, and as such it would be unfair to make a judgment: Jeremy Morin, Connor Brown, Byron Froese, Frank Corrado, James Martin, Eric Faille, Justin Johnson, Ryan Massa, Jonathan Bernier, Rob Madore, Ray Emery, and Jack Rodewald.
