After Tuesday’s practice, head coach Craig Berube discussed the call-up of Alex Steeves, the 4 Nations tournament, Auston Matthews missing a game for Team USA due to injury, and the schedule for the week before NHL game action resumes.
Practice Lines – Feb. 18
#Leafs lines during practice Feb. 18/25 (do not read into these with guys absent)
Knies-Steeves-Jarnkrok (placeholders)
McMann-Tavares-Robertson
Pacioretty-Holmberg-Domi
Lorentz-Kampf-Reaves
Absent, Matthews, Marner, Nylander (#4Nations)Rielly-OEL
McCabe-Tanev
Benoit-Timmins…— David Alter (@dalter) February 18, 2025
How did you enjoy all of the downtime?
Berube: It was good. I went home to Philly and spent time with family. That’s it.
Cold and snowy, the same as here. Not quite as much snow, and not as cold, but it was good. It was great to be home with family for a week and enjoy some downtime. I watched some hockey.
How excited were you about Team Canada vs. Team USA and the three fights?
Berube: It’s exciting. I’ll tell you what, I was pretty surprised. Never saw that coming!
It just shows the investment and pride that they have. A great, great game.
How excited are you to watch the final on Thursday?
Berube: It is going to be great. I haven’t missed a game. It is great hockey with the intensity. There is no room out there. Players are going full out physically and checking. It is playoff hockey. You have to give everything you have, and all of the games have been really good, in my opinion.
I didn’t watch the USA against Sweden. That is the only one I’ve missed.
What kind of reports have you been getting from the Marlies on today’s call-up, Alex Steeves?
Berube: I was at the game yesterday at Scotiabank. They played a really good game. They are doing a lot of good things down there, and a lot of guys were pretty impressive when I watched them play.
Obviously, Steeves has been lights-out down there. He had a great game again yesterday, too. He is a real good player.
What does Steeves have to do to stick?
Berube: It is a good question. Opportunity is everything, for sure, and the situation is everything for a lot of players. He probably needs a good opportunity and a good situation. But that might happen here. We don’t know that right now. We are where we are. We will see how it goes.
He has played some games this year for sure and been a pretty effective player for us up here with limited ice time.
What is the message to the team now that you have most of the group back together?
Berube: It is important to touch on all of your systems a little bit. We touched on a couple today. We’ll touch on a couple tomorrow. We’ll keep progressing with some video and things like that, but it is also about pace, battling, and one-on-one stuff. We touched on a lot of that stuff today. We will again tomorrow as we get them back up to speed.
The (intrasquad) games are important, right? That’s hockey, so we’ll do a little bit more of that tomorrow, with some controlled scrimmaging just to get them up to speed.
When do you expect William Nylander to rejoin the team?
Berube: Good question. Willy got back today, so I am sure he will be in tomorrow. Whether he needs another day or not, we will see. He might want to go on the ice. If he does, great. But they have been playing and working.
How did Calle Jarnkrok look in his return to practice?
Berube: He looked fine. He is really coming along. It is great to have him out there today. He needs time to practice and work to see where he is at and make sure he is feeling good. But it was great that he was out there today.
Is Jarnkrok past the worst of it? Could he help you at some point down the road?
Berube: Yeah, that is the hope. He is a good player. He is a very intelligent player who is positionally sound and touches a lot of areas of the game.
Through two-thirds of the season, what have you come to understand about Bobby McMann?
Berube: He has great speed and a great shot, I’ll tell you that. He has good size and is strong.
He hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. I think there is more. Our job as coaches, and as him, is to get more. I believe there is more there. I do.
He can score goals, and there is that power-forward type of play with his speed getting on top of people, on the forecheck, and in the offensive zone. He has done a good job on the power play. He has been at the net front and in the bumper. He has been really good in both areas.
He has really progressed and is doing a good job.
How much are you following along with Auston Matthews in terms of having conversations with Team USA staff?
Berube: No, I left those guys alone. They don’t need to hear from me. They have coaches over there. I stayed clear of it and left those guys alone.
How does the decision work when he decides to skip the game vs. Team Sweden? Is there a back-and-forth between the Leafs and Team USA?
Berube: It is more letting them handle it, but I am sure Brad (Treliving) — our GM — is in contact about what is going on and what the situation was.
What kind of challenge is Jani Hakanpaa facing to get back and play a part for your team? Do you feel he might be an option at some point?
Berube: We are hoping. It is about him consistently practicing and feeling better as it goes along. He is practicing with us, and then it kind of goes the other way on him. Hopefully, this week is a good week for him where he gets through the week and is feeling good and keeps progressing.
He has a lot of experience. He is a good player. We all know that. It is just about him feeling ready to play — consistently ready to play.
Does the number of injuries sustained put a pause on the amount of support there is for a tournament like this?
Berube: It is a concern, for sure. It is kind of out of our hands, but it is concerning for sure. There have been some injuries, and it is concerning, but it is not for me to make those decisions.
How do you approach the practice schedule leading up to the back-to-back on the weekend?
Berube: I am not a huge fan in three days in a row. Training camp is different. We’ll practice again tomorrow, and then probably have an off-day with just off-ice stuff. We’ll practice Friday and then play the game with the back-to-back out of the gates. We need energy.
Are you already reviewing the footage on the next opponent?
Berube: We’ll be looking at stuff on Carolina starting right away.
