After an ultimately disappointing 2024-25 season for the Toronto Marlies, many players will be looking for a bounce-back effort in the 2025-26 campaign.

One prospect certainly in need of a rebound season is Ryan Tverberg. The Ontario native enters the final year of his entry-level contract with much to prove to himself and the organization.

As a rookie in 2023-24, Tverberg belied his status as a late seventh-round pick by finishing eighth on the Marlies in scoring (9G/23A/32PTS). In forming a dynamic partnership with Kieffer Bellows, the pair gelled with whoever the third member of their line was and provided Toronto’s best offensive threat on a consistent basis. Tverberg was named Rookie of the Month in January thanks to moments like this:

The impact might have been greater if a late-season injury hadn’t sidelined Tverberg, who was limited to 46 appearances and wasn’t able to recover in time to play a part in the playoffs.

In my 2023-24 mid-season grades article, I wrote the following:

“Ryan Tverberg is scoring at a rate we haven’t seen consistently from a Marlies rookie since Connor Brown and William Nylander in 2014-15. I have no desire to make any unnecessary comparisons; rather, it provides context to the fantastic start to Tverberg’s professional career.

After a strong start to the season (four points in five games), Tverberg suffered a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for six weeks. He hasn’t missed a beat since returning, scoring at a point-per-game pace that is only usurped on the team by Alex Steeves.

After starting on the wing, John Gruden shifted Tverberg to center due to necessity. The rookie has since earned the trust of the coaching staff to continue plying his trade down the middle.

The standout attributes of Tverberg’s game are his unmatched work ethic and ability to win far more puck battles — especially along the walls — than you might imagine for a 5’11 rookie. He can beat opponents on both flanks and has a better-than-average shot with some room for growth.

The fifth-from-last pick in the 2020 draft wasn’t the rookie everyone was excited about before this season, but he is turning heads now.”

Tverberg couldn’t find a groove early in the 2024-25 season and was hampered by another injury, limiting him to just three appearances in December.

With Toronto struggling to generate offense as bountifully as the season prior, Tverberg bounced around the lineup with little traction. His individual numbers dropped off, mustering four goals and 11 points in the same number of games as his rookie campaign.

Now 23 years of age and in the final year of his entry-level deal, there is unquestionably a need to show progress toward the offense he produced in his rookie season — and growth beyond that — if Tverberg has a long-term future with the organization.

There is enough to like about his overall game. His work rate, speed, ability to win puck battles, and direct style of play are strengths. He would be a solid fit on the third line, either at center or RW, as well as a role on PP2.

Due to the number of bodies on the roster to begin the season, Tverberg was limited to a single appearance over the opening weekend of the 2025-26 season. His role was limited to the fourth line and no power-play time, but that didn’t stop him from making a strong case for further opportunity.

The 23-year-old scored on one of two Grade-A scoring chances (he hit the crossbar on a breakaway) and was the driving force on the fourth line, playing right wing alongside Reece Johnson and Marc Johnstone. In the third game of the season, John Gruden remarked, “That line was really good (fourth line of Pezetta-Johnstone-Tverberg). They gave us a lot of juice in the first 40 minutes.”

Tverberg doesn’t have the type of creativity or quick hands to make him a high-end prospect, but his two-way play and team ethic can go a long way. Surprisingly, Tverberg has not seen any power-play time so far this season, with some interesting choices being made in that department. Instead, he has been used to good effect on the PK, a role in which Tverberg would likely need to excel if he is to make it to the next level.

Notably, John Gruden handed Tverberg an ’A’ on his jersey for the two exhibition games, perhaps sensing an increased maturity from the Richmond Hill native entering his third pro year. When asked about Tverberg and his early-season play, John Gruden alluded to his previous injuries: “He’s finally stayed healthy for a full summer. He’s playing with some urgency and playing well.”

With much of the hype focused on Jacob Quillan, Luke Haymes, and Noah Chadwick in terms of intriguing prospects developing on the Marlies this season, can Tverberg put together a strong rebound campaign out of the limelight and put himself back on the map?

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