Following the Maple Leafs’ prospects’ 4-1 win over the Canadiens’ prospects, head coach John Gruden discussed his team’s performance and the standout individual showings.

On Vyacheslav Peksa’s performance in net:

Man, he looked really comfortable in the net. He made some really big saves. Every time we got hemmed in our own end, we bent, but we didn’t break. He had a lot to do with that. He was making some big saves, and he looked like he was under control. We wouldn’t have been able to win the game without him.

On the team’s overall performance: 

The urgency was really good. We knew it was going to be a great environment. It is fun for these guys to get in front of 18,000 people and play. It gives them that excitement and a taste of what it is like to play in an NHL rink. It was a great environment.

I thought we stuck together as a unit — all five guys — when there was any type of scrum going on. It seemed like everyone was together, making sure they were sticking up for their teammates and getting excited for teammates after blocking shots.

There were a lot of good things to like regarding team camaraderie and how they played today.

On Ryan Tverberg’s two-goal game:

It was important. In his first year, he had a lot of injuries. He missed camp last year. For a second-year pro to miss all of that training and not be able to get stronger during the summer, it really affects your season.

He is stronger. He looks bigger and stronger. He was huge for us today. He played in all situations. He played inside. He was good on the forecheck. There was a lot to like there.

It’s great that he can participate and is healthy again.

On Tyler Hopkins’ first prospects tournament:

I think he is positionally sound. He is obviously a very smart hockey player with a high hockey IQ. It is evident out there.

He is a younger guy who got some experience. He definitely didn’t look out of place.

On whether Ben Danford is ready to jump into training camp and challenge for opportunity:

100%. He is another one who missed this last year. He was out, and he wasn’t able to experience the Montreal prospects from last season.

I thought he did a really good job of playing within himself. Even if he had a tough shift or made a mistake, he was right back in it. He was there leading, closing quickly, and using his size.

It is a good start for him to gain some momentum going into camp.

On whether management is encouraged by what they saw from the prospects, top to bottom:

I would 100% think so. They want to play a certain way up there. I thought the players did a really good job of taking the message that was given to them by management and the coaching staff from the Leafs with Craig Berube. I thought they did a good job of applying that this weekend.

We started a little slow this weekend, but the way it ended up today against a really good team, they definitely answered the call.

Maple Leafs’ lineup vs. Canadiens (4-1 Win)

Game Highlights: Maple Leafs 4 vs. Canadiens 1

Previous articleJohn Gruden after the Leafs prospects’ 4-3 loss to Ottawa: “Ben Danford was really good on the backend… He was outstanding”
MLHS Staff
Founded in 2008, Maple Leaf Hotstove (MLHS) has grown to be the most visited independent team-focused hockey website online (Quantcast). Independently owned and operated, MLHS provides thorough and wide-ranging content, varying from news, opinion and analysis, to pre-game and long-form game reviews, and a weekly feature piece entitled "Leafs Notebook." MLHS has been cited by: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CBC News, USA Today, Fox Sports, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, TSN, Sportsnet, Grantland, CTV News, CBSSports, The Globe & Mail, The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Sun, Global News, Huffington Post, and many more.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR